Head of Procurement - Oxford

Head of Procurement jobs

Whatever sector a company operates in - from manufacturing to IT, defence to education or medical to petrochemicals - having the right equipment, goods and services is essential for successful business dealings.

The position of Head of Procurement will vary from employer to employer, but in most situations, the role will entail planning and implementing procedures for ensuring every acquisition is the right one for the business in terms of price, quality and delivery schedule.

Depending on the type of work a company does, this could mean ordering items like raw materials, spare parts, packaging or components. It could also involve sourcing contractors to carry out specialist services.

The skills required

Those applying for a role as Head of Procurement will need a good working knowledge of the various software packages and technologies generally required and an ability to use other computer programs - like Word, Excel and Outlook.

Excellent organisation skills and an ability to think analytically and strategically are both vital for success as a Head of Procurement

In most situations, you will need to have previous management experience and you should be comfortable with training team members, providing motivation and dealing with any problems that may arise.

Head of Procurement Jobs in Oxford

The county town of Oxford and famous throughout the world for its university, Oxford is actually a thriving, self-contained city with a diversity of industries not directly related to its county status or education sector. It has been a successful city for so long that its architecture spans the millennia, and since much of the most important buildings were churches, it got the name “city of dreaming spires”.

Without doubt the university and its related activities (bars, cafes, hotels, shops, theatres etc.) is the key single employer of the city, and the university heritage also plays into its thriving tourism industry. All this contributes to the thriving nature of the city, which is busy all the year round.

But a major industry just to the south east of the city centre is car manufacturing, at the Cowley BMW plant, home of the new Mini. The plant used to be the Morris Motors plant during the First World War, and this attracted a railway and other communications to serve it. During World War Two the plant made training planes for the RAF. After the war mergers and acquisitions changed the company to BMC, then British Leyland, Austin Rover, the Rover Group and finally BMW (but locals still call the factory Morris’s).

With a thriving, ever changing population and various high-tech and heavy industries, Oxford often throws up Head of Procurement positions to help oil the wheels of commerce. It’s certainly an exciting place to live and work.

Popular locations

Search for Head of Procurement vacancies with Cast UK

Here at Cast UK, our team of specialist recruitment consultants have been carefully chosen for their knowledge of the procurement industry.

Having spent time working in the industry themselves, they have a strong understanding of what makes the right candidate-vacancy match and we work closely with applicants and clients to ensure that every placement we make is the best one possible.

What’s more, our network extends far and wide and we recruit roles throughout the UK & Ireland as well as in Europe.

To find out more about how Cast UK can help you recruit a Head of Procurement for your business or find you a job as a Head of Procurement then contact one of our consultant team on 0333 121 3345.

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