Head of Procurement

Job Title: Head of Procurement
Starting Salary: £72,268 progressing to £80,062 per annum
Hours: 37 per week
Location: Stevenage
Contract Type: Permanent
Directorate: Resources

About the team

Are you an ambitious procurement professional keen to lead and inspire a busy procurement team? Do you thrive on managing through change?

This is an exciting opportunity to lead a high performing procurement team which provides strategic advice and tender management services to all departments within Hertfordshire County Council

You will guide a team which acts as the Council’s strategic centre of excellence for procurement, providing advice on procurement and commissioning activities for all departments, detailed technical support for above UK threshold tenders, and advice on national frameworks and quotation procedures.

You will act as a strategic adviser to major procurements, working closely with colleagues in the Commercial Law team.

The council has a significant track record of implementing successful contracts offering value for money outcomes while delivering quality services and you will play a key role in continuing to improve the service.

About the role

• You will ensure the provision of quality advice to new procurements, support negotiations with suppliers, and champion a commercial approach.
• You will develop and maintain a corporate procurement strategy, defining the council’s ambitions in local economic development, social value and sustainability
• You will ensure that the council’s contract regulations are maintained and improved regularly, and in line with any changing legislation / govt. guidance.
• You will ensure the council continues to be compliant with UK procurement legislation, including the requirement for transparency notices
• You will promote best practice procurement across the council and support the development of commercial, procurement and contract management skills.
• Reporting to the Director of Finance, and as a member of the leadership team of the Finance Department, you will work with senior colleagues to ensure the council’s contract spend is effective and well managed
• You will ensure effective systems are in place to support procurement activities, including eTendering, data analysis, data transparency and financial risk management.
• You will represent the council at local, regional and national level to promote Hertfordshire and act as a conduit for good practice nationally to be brought back into the council
• You will represent the council as required in the transition period of the local government reorganisation process, working collaboratively with colleagues in district and borough procurement to shape strategic direction and develop new structures and delivery mechanisms
• You will use your excellent communication skills to lead and manage this service, provide inspirational leadership, as well as contribute towards broader strategic objectives.

About you

Essential

• Educated to degree level with a recognised professional qualification (e.g. CIPS (Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply) Level 6)

or

• A proven leader in public sector procurement with a comprehensive understanding of relevant procurement legislation
• Demonstrable ability to lead, manage and motivate staff, as well as drive and implement best practice
• Ability to translate strategic business objectives into targeted projects and deliverables, with particular focus on delivering savings from the council’s third party spend
• Ability to build effective teams and relationships and to support others in developing and achieving their personal, professional and organisational goals
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely orally and in writing to a range of audiences and the ability to listen and respond to feedback
• Ability to develop and manage effective relationships with internal and external partners on a range of issues, including local government reorganisation
• Ability to encourage innovative approaches to delivery of services to improve cost effectiveness and quality levels, embracing the use of new technologies such as AI

Desirable

• Wide ranging knowledge of local government and health service organisations, priorities, delivery models etc.
• Broad knowledge of current issues facing the local government sector and Hertfordshire County Council particularly
• Experience of developing strong personal professional networks
• Budget management experience

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

This job role is within the Organisational Leadership, level LDR15 job profile. Please locate this via:

Job profiles - Organisational Leadership

To hear more about this opportunity please contact Steven.Pilsworth@hertfordshire.gov.uk for an informal discussion about the role.

Interview Date: 9th December 2025

Benefits of working for us

How to apply

As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.

Additional information

Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

Safeguarding
This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.