Head of Procurement

Head of Procurement – GNFR and International Sourcing – Whitbread – Dunstable

Salary: £100 - £110 K+ £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 suppliers and occasional international travel to our team in Shanghai.

We’re Whitbread the UK’s largest hospitality business. With over 85,000 rooms in the UK and another 7,000 in the pipeline, we’re the number one operator in the UK and with a growing presence in Germany, that’s thousands of beds, kettles, coat hangers that our procurement team are sourcing responsibly every day.

Our Award-winning procurement team manage a world-class supply chain that helps to create memorable experiences for our millions of guests worldwide, and a place where our team are proud to work for, whilst remaining a Force for Good in everything we do from sourcing products to our environmental impact and community engagement.

You’ll work closely with our teams in Germany and Shanghai to source goods ethically, and partner across several internal stakeholders (including Proposition and Property teams) and front-line operational teams in our Hotels and Restaurants.

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:

As Head of Procurement - GNFR and International Sourcing for Whitbread you’ll report to the Procurement and Supply Chain Director, managing our Goods Not for Resale function to develop and deliver a refreshed strategy and product availability, at the right costs, that supports our business growth in UK and Germany through:

• Developing and implementing optimal sourcing strategies for GNFR products across the UK and German market providing insight on best practice, trends and appointing key suppliers.
• Work closely with our Supply Chain to ensure full availability, manage supplier performance, improve logistics costs and find mutual efficiencies in end-to-end category management.
• Identify key suppliers across the category and establish appropriate supplier management activities to oversee supplier performance against SLA/ KPI
• 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 procurement team across UK and Shanghai on day-to-day activities and department strategy.

What you’ll need:

• Previous experience of developing, documenting and implement procurement strategies having worked across international markets and ideally having worked with similar product categories.
• A CIPS qualification would be beneficial but not essential.
• A commercially driven individual with the ability to analyse financial information to influence procurement strategy and drive cost efficiencies.
• Skilled at developing new approaches through strategic and innovative thinking.
• An exceptional communicator with the ability to build effective relationships across internal stakeholders at all levels of the business up to Executive team/Board level and external 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.