Head of Procurement

Serco

Dubai, UAE

Ref: LP119-1030

Job description / Role

Employment: Full Time

Make a difference every day

The Job Opportunity

The role provides experienced leadership and expertise to the management and delivery of Procurement for the Middle East Division as the Middle East Divisional Procurement Functional Business Partner. The role has leadership accountability for the Procurement function in Middle East and delivery of performance targets agreed with the Middle East Division including in-year and annualised savings target as agreed through the planning process and aligned with the targets for Serco's third party Procurement Delivery Partner. The role will create, implement and manage a high-performing Business Partnering and Category Management function for the Middle East Division that:

- Is the 'Intelligent Customer' between the Middle East Division consuming procurement services and the Procurement function providing them
- Engages and builds strategic relationships with key stakeholders across the Middle East Division and Business Units and drive change and adoption of Procurement best practices
- Drives Procurement support to bids and transitions ensuring competitive supply chain architecture to support profitable growth
- Collaborates with key stakeholders, Procurement colleagues and Serco's third party Procurement Delivery Partner to ensure that Middle East business requirements are understood and supported by Procurement
- Optimises value delivery and risk mitigation from the Middle East supply base
- Ensures that benefits are recognised by key stakeholders to allow benefit delivery

Reason for role

Serco spends approximately £1.4bn globally with third party suppliers every year. Procurement supports the business by understanding business requirements and providing innovative solutions from the supply market throughout the business lifecycle that reduce cost, improve service and quality and protect the business from risk. Procurement is responsible for managing all third party supplier arrangements including sourcing and contracting and supplier & contract management to deliver competitive advantage to Serco.

Structure and reporting relationship

- Member of the Procurement Leadership team and reports to Director of Procurement
- Manages 4 employees with 3 direct reports
- Play a key role in the Middle East Divisional management team
- Engage and work across the Procurement function with global Category Management, other Divisional Procurement Directors, Procurement Service Management and third party Procurement Delivery Partner
- Engage and work with key stakeholders within the relevant Division, Business Unit and Contracts

Key accountabilities

- Be the Procurement Functional Business Partner to the Middle East Division providing the Middle East Executive with a primary point of contact for Procurement and act as the 'Intelligent Customer' interface point between the Middle East Division consuming procurement services and the Procurement function providing them
- Accountable for management and delivery of Procurement in the Middle East Division ensuring that the delivery of business outcomes and performance meets the requirement of both the Middle East Division and global Procurement strategy, and targets including in-year and annualised savings target as agreed through the planning process and aligned with the targets for Serco's third party Procurement Delivery Partner
- Accountable for the change management and compliance of the Middle East Division to Procurement Policy and Standards including the adoption and use of preferred suppliers ensuring that action is taken to improve compliance
- As a key member of the global Procurement Leadership team, the Middle East Procurement Director will have joint responsibility with the rest of the Procurement Leadership Team for the development and implementation of Serco's Procurement Strategy, Policy and Standards
- Form and establish the Business Partnering and Category Management functions in the Middle East in line with the Procurement Operating Model
- Lead and develop a high-performing and engaged Middle East Procurement team
- Budget holder for the Middle East Procurement team
- Act as Procurement Business Partner to the Corporate Functions in the Middle East Division covering IT and corporate services spend categories.
- Identify and regularly review business critical suppliers to the Middle East Division. Own the assessment, management and mitigation of the 'Failure of a Business Critical Supplier' principal risk in the Middle East Division
- Own and lead the development and management of key stakeholder relationships in the Middle East Division
- Lead and manage the provision of Procurement support to Middle East bids and transitions leveraging the capacity and expertise in the Middle East Procurement team, the global Category Management team and Serco's third party Procurement Delivery Partner
- Drive early engagement and collaboration with Business Development and Bid teams to ensure bid requirements are understood and Procurement deliverables, resourcing and budget are agreed to create competitive supply chain architecture that meets bid requirements, leverages the existing supply base or sources new suppliers as required, and mitigates risk to support profitable growth
- Represent Procurement on Middle East BLRT
- Ensure that Middle East Divisional and Business Unit strategies, plans and business requirements are understood and supported by Procurement and incorporated into global or regional category and sourcing strategies
- Lead the creation and continual review of comprehensive and forward looking regional category strategies and plans to deliver results and year on year continuous improvement in cost, service, innovation and risk for all categories, applying strategic thinking and leveraging any global category strategies whilst ensuring that local business and supply market requirements are understood and supported
- Lead and support the education and influencing of key stakeholders ensuring that the development of category strategies is supported, that recommended category strategies are endorsed, implementation is supported, and the capture of benefits is agreed
- Drive and facilitate the leveraging of deep category and market expertise of global and regional Category Management functions, Serco's third party Procurement Delivery Partner, Procurement Business Partners, other Divisional Procurement teams and key stakeholders to support Serco in optimising value, managing demand and mitigating risk from the third party supply base across all categories globally
- Ensure that global and regional category strategies are translated to a clear and prioritised pipeline of sourcing projects for execution by Serco's third party Procurement Delivery Partner
- Lead and support the education and influencing of key Middle East stakeholders ensuring that the development of category strategies is supported, that recommended category strategies are endorsed, implementation is supported, and the capture of benefits is agreed
- Support the governance and oversight to the execution of sourcing projects by Serco's third party Procurement Delivery Partner including the approval of gates in the sourcing process on behalf of the Middle East Division
- Lead the creation and continual review of a comprehensive and forward looking Middle East Procurement Plan derived from global and regional category strategies to deliver results and year on year continuous improvement in cost, service, innovation and risk for all categories ensuring that the benefits truly global and strategic thinking is applied whilst ensuring that local business and supply market requirements are understood and supported
- Ensure that all sourcing demand for the Middle East Division is channelled through to a clear and prioritised pipeline of sourcing projects for execution by Serco's third party Procurement Delivery Partner
- Participate in the planning and budgeting process across the Middle East Division providing input relating to cost pressures and savings
- Accountable for ensuring that benefits are recognised by key stakeholders and Finance in Middle East to allow benefit delivery
- Track Procurement delivery, spend, performance and compliance for the Middle East Division, ensuring that strategy and plans are refined, or improvement or corrective actions are initiated and implemented as required
- Drive adoption of supplier management processes to build relationships with key suppliers to the Middle East Division to ensure that performance and value is delivered whilst managing the risks
- Be a Procurement role model by living Serco's values, consistently delivering to the high standards expected in Procurement and promoting Procurement through engagement with key stakeholders
- Comply with and expect compliance with Serco Procurement Policy, Standards and Standard Operating Procedures and act within limits of delegated authority
- Empower all team members with good line management in accordance with Serco Management System

Requirements

What we are looking for in our candidates

- Has the Leadership Behaviour and Capabilities stated as most critical to this role
- Possesses strong business acumen, able to understand complex business needs and drivers and identify ways for Procurement to address
- Have worked in a complex changing environment with demanding business objectives in a competitive market sector
- Demonstrates extensive track record of developing and maintaining strong senior stakeholder relationships up to MD and Board level
- Possesses excellent communication skills with the ability to influence and sell at multiple levels especially Senior and to Board level
- Has category and market knowledge and experience across a number of categories
- Has a strategic mindset while being flexible to local differences and creative to encourage and seek innovative approaches
- Demonstrates personal and professional credibility and resilience

Specific requirements

- Graduate calibre with a Bachelor's degree
- Post-graduate qualification (e.g. MSc/MBA) or a professional qualification such as MCIPS is desirable but not essential
- At least ten years senior management experience demonstrating a consistent track record of delivery within large and complex Procurement organisations
- Demonstrates previous experience of creating, building, leading and managing successful Procurement teams

Working with Serco

At Serco, not only is the nature of the work we do important, everyone has important role to play.

We are a team of 50,000 people responsible for delivering essential public services around the world in areas including defence, transport, justice, immigration, healthcare and citizen services. We are innovators, committed to redesigning and improving public services for the benefit of everyone.

Join Us

Take pride in what you do

Serco is committed to Equal Employment Opportunities and is committed to ensuring the safety of all of its employees through its Zero Harm initiative.

About the Company

Serco is a FTSE 250 international service company which combines commercial know-how with a deep public service ethos.

Serco customers are looking for expertise in managing their people, processes, technology and assets more effectively. We advise economic decision makers, design innovative solutions, integrate systems and - most of all - deliver quality services directly to the public.

Serco supplies to governments, government enterprise, agencies and companies who seek a trusted outsourcing partner with a solid track-record of service excellence. Serco people offer operational, logistical and technical expertise in the Transport, Justice and Immigration, Defence, Education and Healthcare industries as well as in the commercial sectors of Facilities Management.

Serco Middle East have been in the Region since 1947, starting out delivering Air Traffic Control Services in Bahrain; a service we are proudly still running today and have expanded to include many other Airports in the region.

We have expanded significantly since that time across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. We have been supporting the RTA to operate the Dubai Metro since 2009, are preparing to launch the flagship Saudi Arabia Passenger Rail service from Riyadh to Qassim in 2016. We deliver Facility Management services to both Cleveland Clinic and Healthpoint Hospitals in Abu Dhabi, large-scale medical facilities in Saudi Arabia and a range of educational and commercial properties in the UAE. We also deliver postgraduate education to Officers in the Qatar Armed Forces through the Joaan Bin Jassim Joint Command and Staff College in Doha.

Focusing on our core values, and creating a positive environment for employees to thrive, we look forward to a bright future as we continue to grow with the region.

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