Head of Procurement -Construction – Whitbread – Dunstable

Salary: £110k - £120K+ £7K Car allowance + Bonus up to 40%

Location : Hybrid Role based in Dunstable, Bedfordshire LU5 5XE (3 days minimum at our Whitbread Campus). Role will also require UK travel to meet contractors and suppliers.

We’re Whitbread the UK’s largest hospitality business with over 1,200 hotels and restaurants across the UK but we’re more than that. We’re the 38,000 people who make every day experiences special that delight over 5 million guests every month.

We are now recruiting a Head of Property Procurement to join our award-winning procurement team, who will be responsible to create and develop our property procurement strategy in line with our business growth plans, which include our planned pipeline commitment of 7,000 rooms.

You’ll be working closely with our wider Procurement leadership team and partner across several senior stakeholders including Property, Proposition and Sustainability to deliver a long-term property procurement strategy for our UK business that is sourced responsibility and reduces our environmental impact, at the right costs to support our business growth.

Why you’ll love it here:

• Bonus: Annual Whitbread performance incentive worth up to 40% of base salary
• Car or Car Allowance up to £7,420
• Healthcare: Family BUPA Healthcare
• Up to 10% Matched Pension, 25 Days holiday (and Bank Holidays) and Company Share Save Scheme.

What you’ll do:

Reporting to the Procurement and Supply Chain Director you’ll be responsible for sourcing all construction service activity for our UK business including the appointment and management of key contractors and suppliers through;

• Developing and implementing optimal sourcing strategies for all construction procurement, using your procurement expertise and deep category knowledge, providing valuable insight on best practice, trends and innovations.
• Build strong value adding relationships with cross functional teams to support and deliver plans aligned to category procurement strategies to both maximise savings and align with overall business objectives.
• Identify key suppliers across the category and establish appropriate supplier management activities to oversee supplier performance against SLA/ KPI and build greater value across the business.
• You will be responsible for all tender management, negotiation and implementing of supplier agreements through determining the right approach to market and contract strategy.
• Embed our Sustainability Strategy ‘Force for Good’ throughout all activities and decision making, working closely with our sourcing function.
• Lead, coach and set direction for group property procurement team across UK on day-to-day activities and department strategy.

What you’ll need:

• Previous proven experience of developing, documenting and implement procurement strategies working in property, construction or similar background managing large multi-million-pound budgets.
• A CIPS qualification or Quantity Surveyor would be beneficial but not essential.
• You will be a commercially driven individual with the ability to analyse financial information to influence procurement strategy and drive cost efficiencies.
• Able to demonstrate strong problem-solving, lateral thinking, project management, planning organizational and interpersonal skills.
• An exceptional communicator with the ability to build effective relationships across internal stakeholders at all levels of the business up to Executive level and with external contractors/suppliers.
• You’ll be a natural leader and motivator who recognise and reward great talent, developing individuals to be the best they can.

Be part of our Procurement Team

Our award-winning Procurement team isn't just about making sure we get the right products at the right price, in the right place at the right time. These subject experts in supply chain are raising the bar in the profession, making sure we are sourcing sustainable goods for our hotels and restaurants in the UK and beyond. Working collaboratively and commercially across the business with an eye on always doing the right thing, there’s a lot to go after and modify here, which keeps things really exciting.