Procurement Lead

We are looking for an experienced Procurement Operations Service Lead to take end-to-end ownership of the Procurement Operations function within a regional/shared services environment.

This is a senior operational leadership role, responsible for ensuring the procurement service operates efficiently, consistently and in line with agreed SLAs, controls, policies and stakeholder expectations.

You will lead and develop Service Managers and Procurement Operations teams, oversee day-to-day service performance, manage escalations and drive continuous improvement across the entire procurement operations lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

Procurement Operations Leadership

• Own end-to-end Procurement Operations delivery, covering requisition processing, purchase order processing, vendor master data, catalogue/buying channel support, supplier queries and procurement administration.
• Establish clear operating standards, priorities and governance across the Procurement Operations tower.
• Ensure operational teams consistently meet agreed SLAs, quality, productivity and service performance targets.
• Monitor and manage operational performance including backlog, ageing, turnaround time, exception rates, rework and productivity.
• Provide senior oversight and direction to Service Managers and operational team leads.

Service Performance & Governance

• Own Procurement Operations KPIs and service performance reporting.
• Lead regular operational governance and performance review forums with senior stakeholders.
• Identify service risks, recurring issues and performance gaps, ensuring clear ownership and corrective action.
• Act as the senior escalation point for complex procurement issues involving business users, suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Ensure procurement processes remain compliant with policies, approval workflows, controls and audit requirements.

Process Improvement & Operational Excellence

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives across Procurement Operations.
• Drive process standardisation, automation, buying channel compliance and service simplification.
• Identify opportunities to improve turnaround time, productivity, quality and user experience.
• Ensure SOPs, process documentation, training materials and knowledge management content remain current and audit-ready.
• Work with technology and process teams to support procurement system enhancements and automation initiatives.

People Leadership

• Lead, coach and develop Service Managers, team leads and Procurement Operations professionals.
• Establish clear performance expectations and accountability across the team.
• Build team capability through coaching, training, cross-skilling and succession planning.
• Develop a strong leadership pipeline and ensure operational resilience across the function.
• Foster a high-performance culture focused on service quality, accountability and continuous improvement.

Stakeholder Management

• Partner closely with Finance Operations, Procurement, Finance, business units, suppliers and regional stakeholders.
• Translate stakeholder requirements into clear operational priorities and service outcomes.
• Manage expectations and ensure timely communication of service performance, risks, issues and improvement initiatives.
• Collaborate effectively across different countries, functions and time zones.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Finance, Procurement or a related discipline.
• 12–15+ years of relevant procurement experience, with significant experience in Procurement Operations / Procure-to-Pay within a shared services, GBS, regional or high-volume environment.
• Strong experience managing end-to-end procurement operations, including PR, PO, vendor master data, catalogues, supplier queries and procurement support services.
• 5–10+ years of people leadership experience, preferably managing managers, Service Managers or senior team leads.
• Proven experience managing SLA, KPI, productivity, backlog, ageing, quality and operational performance.
• Strong understanding of procurement policies, approval workflows, controls, compliance and audit requirements.
• Experience with procurement platforms such as SAP, Ariba, Coupa, Oracle or equivalent.
• Demonstrated experience in process standardisation, operational transformation, automation or continuous improvement.
• Strong senior stakeholder management, escalation management, analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Experience working across regional/global teams, multiple geographies or offshore/onshore service delivery models is highly desirable.
• Professional certifications such as CIPS, CPSM or equivalent are advantageous but not mandatory.