Procurement Operations Director - C&P

Network Rail spends in excess of £8bn per year with its supply chain and operates in a devolved structure across 5 Regions and the national functions. The Procurement Operations Director reports directly to the Network Rail’s Group Commercial and Procurement Director and sits on the Commercial Leadership Group. This is critical role in the Commercial & Procurement (C&P) function, leading an experienced team of C&P professionals on the development and assurance C&P policy and processes, supporting to the C&P leadership team and the wider Network Rail executive.

To succeed in this role, you will need significant experience of managing commercial and procurement activities in a public sector environment under the procurement regulations. You will be recognised in the Procurement market for your procurement operational excellence and will also require; a wide range of cross-functional collaborative working approaches; experience in problem-solving expertise in large, complex organisations and excellent knowledge of procurement regulatory and legislative matters.

In this post you will use your knowledge and experience to:

· Create the overall direction for the C&P Policy, risk, assurance, governance and compliance matters.

· Maintain a strong understanding of all aspects of commercial activity and provide tools to deliver the Commercial Lifecycle.

· Advise and provide guidance to other members of the Commercial team, operate as an inspirational leader as well as empowering a team of specialists to deliver.

· Direct the conception and delivery of continuous improvement programmes, encouraging innovation maintaining an agile and proportional approach to support the delivery and success of the C&P function.

· Lead the execution of both planned and reactive assurance, auditing and monitoring activities.

· Provide expert guidance on matters of commercial and procurement policy breaches in support of Network Rail’s counter-fraud and ethics teams.

· Oversee the implementation and operation of commercial governance and controls in line with Cabinet Office guidance. Working with senior government officials so that outputs are delivered to the necessary standards.

· Lead the development, delivery and annual review of the C&P Strategic Business and Operational plans, monitoring output and supporting delivery of improvement plans.

· Oversee and report on business-critical supplier risk and assurance matters. Develop a judgement on all procurement risk, capability, and risk culture matters throughout Network Rail

· Oversee internal and external commercial reporting and analysis, developing efficient systems for collation of high-quality data sets of significant scale and complexity.

· Educated to a degree standard and MCIPS qualified (or equivalent professional body with chartered status)

· Procurement Operational expert, with an outstanding track record of delivering procurement operational and technology enabled efficiencies

· A demonstrable depth of senior procurement leadership: extensive experience with planning and implementing processes/systems for Operations, Risks and Governance

· Outstanding track record of analytics, problem-solving, innovator and risk mitigation

· Respected in driving innovative and collaborative operations in an infrastructure or engineering environment

· Proven senior level solution-driven/value-led approach with issue resolution skills

· Experience with cross-functional collaborative working methods

· Leading edge knowledge of procurement operation tools, system implementation, supply base, risk and procurement techniques

· Demonstrable leadership skills and problem-solving experience and in large, complex organisations

Desirable but not essential

· Detailed knowledge of the UK Rail Industry, including procurement processes in a reclassified environment

We're dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that reflects the passengers we serve. To achieve this, we're committed to becoming an open, diverse, and inclusive workplace, leveraging the skills and expertise of our talented workforce. Together, we strive to create a safe and accessible railway for everyone. Discover more about the importance of Diversity and Inclusion at Network Rail by clicking here.

Investing in our people is key to enhancing the safety, reliability, and efficiency of our railway system. If you're passionate about making a meaningful impact, then this opportunity is for you!

About our people and the recruitment process - We're an inclusive employer of choice and we welcome applications from everyone! We encourage our colleagues to work flexibly, as we know traditional working patterns don't always fit. If you want to consider working flexibly, just let us know and we'll do our best to help and invest in your career with us, whilst you have a healthy work life balance.

Employees will be entitled to a 75% discount off leisure travel this includes off peak and super off-peak tickets. Employees will also be entitled to 75% discount on season tickets.