Chief Procurement Officer jobs
Maintaining the efficiency of the procurement efforts of the employer’s key operations will be the responsibility of the chief procurement officer. She or he will need to keep in constant touch with the suppliers to ensure they are aware of future needs and also to keep costs as low as possible. Because procurement is so closely tied to profitability, the chief procurement officer will also need to be constantly surveying the market to find out whether savings could be made by switching suppliers, or indeed to decide whether a close client relationship is worth paying extra for if it brings efficiencies in other ways.
The procurement officer will need to have a keen sense of the market in which his or her employer operates, in order to gauge good costs and spot trends that could lead to prices rising or falling. Good intelligence will allow better planning to take place at board level, and the longer in advance they are made aware of such changes, the better will be their decisions.
The job will probably also involve a good deal of negotiation with suppliers to drive down prices, but a sensitivity towards their own requirements will be required; in some markets, suppliers themselves have a lot of bargaining power.
Good chief procurement officers can make a huge difference to the company’s expenditure, and therefore particularly skilled and experienced operatives can be remunerated extremely well.
The skills required
For such a senior procurement role, the entry requirements will be strict. Typically, experience of working in a procurement environment should be several years, but ten or fifteen would not be an unusual request. Management skills will be required, as the chief procurement officer will be overseeing a whole team, especially in larger companies. And finally, experience in the type of goods being supplied to the employer will be hugely advantageous to potential candidates.
An ability to work independently of senior management and make critical decisions without constantly referring them to the board will be highly valued. Chief procurement officers will be judged on their experience and results, and as long as they are delivering and maximising profits, their personal stock will be forever on the up.
Chief Procurement Officer Jobs in the West Midlands
Comprising seven metropolitan boroughs - the city of Birmingham, the City of Coventry, Dudley, Solihull, Sandwell, Walsall and the City of Wolverhampton, the West Midlands is an English county with plenty of opportunities for those seeking Chief Procurement Officer vacancies.
Throughout history, the region has been known for its commerce and industry. During the Middle Ages, wool and cloth manufacture brought a significant amount of wealth to the West Midlands, particularly in Coventry.
By the 1700s, metalworking, small arms manufacture and mining were all important for the local economy, and this expanded to include bicycle building during the Industrial Revolution and beyond. In addition, two large banks - Lloyds and Midlands Bank (which later became HSBC) were both founded in the region during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Fast forward to today and the West Midlands is thriving. Birmingham, which vies with Manchester for the title of Britain's second city, has been called one of the best places in the country to have a business and it seems that big companies agree.
From finance and media, to manufacturing, engineering, tourism, retail and the service sector, there are many well-known organisations with headquarters or other large facilities in the region - including Cooks the Bakery, Marston's, Chubb Locks and Carillion.
Jaguar, Land Rover and MG cars are also manufactured in the West Midlands, along with London's iconic black taxis.
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Cast UK’s procurement opportunities
Cast UK were founded by specialists in the logistics, supply chain and procurement trade, and our consultants are also drawn from these backgrounds, so we know what employers and candidates are looking for.
If you’re looking for a job in procurement, whether you’re relocating for personal reasons or are simply looking for more job fulfilment, there could well be an employer who’s looking for the skills you have, so please get in touch with Cast UK. At any given time, we have jobs all over the UK, so wherever you live, or plan to live, we are well placed to find work that suits your skills. Employers often approach us to find managerial and executive candidates, so if you’re in logistics, we’d be delighted to hear from you.
To find out more about how Cast UK can help you recruit a Chief Procurement Officer for your business or find you a job as a Chief Procurement Officer then contact one of our consultant team on 0333 121 3345.
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