Head of procurement

Band 8c · Head of procurement · 646 job evaluation points

Leads the procurement function, setting procurement procedures and standards and managing the procurement and purchasing teams.

Responsibilities

Lead and manage the procurement and purchasing teams.
Set the organization's procurement procedures, templates, and thresholds, in line with public procurement rules and financial rules.
Assure the most complex and high-value procurements and their award decisions.
Manage the procurement pipeline and make sure procurements start in time.
Report procurement compliance, savings, and social value to the audit committee.
Hold the procurement team budget and develop the team's skills.

Skills

Skill	Expected level	What this level means
Procurement processThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: set the organization's procurement procedures and templates lead the most complex, high-value, or novel procurements assure procurement decisions for the board
Public procurement rules and policyThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: interpret new procurement rules and lead the organization's response advise the board on procurement compliance and risk manage formal challenges with legal advisers
Tender evaluationThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: set the organization's evaluation standards and approach to price and quality defend evaluation decisions when they are challenged review evaluations on high-risk procurements
Category managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: write and deliver a category strategy with budget holders and technical leads plan the pipeline of procurements and contract renewals for the category track savings, value, and risks for the category
Social value and sustainable procurementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: set social value and sustainability criteria that fit the contract manage supplier commitments, such as local jobs, skills, and carbon reduction check supply chains for risks such as forced labor and other human rights abuses
Commercial managementUK GDaD PCF	Expert (4)	You can: act as the escalation point and resolve large or high risk commercial management issues coach others in appropriate commercial management
Creating value for moneyUK GDaD PCF	Expert (4)	You can: develop and own a business case and iterate it throughout the life cycle coach others on identifying benefits whilst balancing user and business needs communicate the delivery of incremental value build the case for an organisational approach to value through product strategy coach and empower teams to take a value for money approach
Leadership and guidanceUK GDaD PCF	Expert (4)	You can: change organisational structures to fixable and sustainable designs lead on the strategy for the whole organisation, marrying business needs with innovative analysis make and justify decisions characterised by high levels of risk, impact and complexity build consensus between organisations (private or public) or highly independent and diverse stakeholders solve and unblock issues between teams or departments at the highest level understand the psychology of a team and have strong mediation skills coach the organisation on team dynamics and conflict resolution
People managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: line manage a team, setting objectives and running appraisals support wellbeing and manage attendance, performance, and conduct plan the team's development and succession
Budget managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: hold and manage a budget, forecasting and explaining variances build a business case with costs and benefits

Typical qualifications and experience

A recognized procurement professional qualification at the highest level, or a master's degree in a related subject, or equivalent experience.
Extensive experience of leading procurement under public procurement rules.

Band 8c outline

Knowledge: Expert knowledge, and wide organizational and sector understanding.
Autonomy: Sets strategy for a function; accountable to a director.
Scope: A function or department.
Leadership: Leads a function through several management layers.
Accountability: A function's performance, workforce, and budget.

Job evaluation (illustrative)

Factor	Level	Level summary	Points
Communication and relationship skills	6	Gives highly complex, highly contentious information where there are significant barriers to acceptance, using the highest level of communication skills.	60
Knowledge, training, and experience	7	Highly developed specialist knowledge across the range of the specialism (master's level or equivalent).	196
Analytical and judgmental skills	5	Judgments on highly complex facts or situations needing analysis, interpretation, and comparison of options.	60
Planning and organizational skills	5	Forms long-term strategic plans, with uncertainty and effects across the organization.	60
Physical skills	2	Skills gained through practice, such as standard keyboard use or driving.	15
Responsibility for patient and client care	1	Helps patients, clients, or relatives during incidental contact.	4
Responsibility for policy and service development	5	Implements and develops a range of policies or services for a directorate.	45
Responsibility for financial and physical resources	5	Holds or sets budgets, or manages assets, for several services.	45
Responsibility for people	4	Line manages a function or department, designs training programs as a main duty, or delivers a full range of HR services.	32
Responsibility for information resources	4	Adapts or designs information systems to others' specifications, or runs information systems for a department as the main duty.	24
Responsibility for research and development	2	Regularly does research, development, trials, or equipment and system testing as part of the job.	12
Freedom to act	6	Interprets overall policy and strategy to set goals and standards.	60
Physical effort	1	Sitting, standing, and walking, with little physical effort.	3
Mental effort	4	Frequent prolonged concentration, or occasional intense concentration.	18
Emotional effort	1	Rare exposure, or occasional indirect exposure, to distressing circumstances.	5
Working conditions	2	Occasional unpleasant conditions, frequent travel or outdoor work, or near-continuous screen use on most days.	7
Total (Band 8c: 630 to 674)			646

Health-sector adverts place this role at Band 8c. Policy is level 5 because the job sets procurement procedures for the whole organization, and freedom to act is level 6 because it interprets procurement rules and strategy to set the organization's standards. Financial resources is level 5 because it controls how spending is bought across many services; communication is level 6 for contentious award decisions and challenges.