Navantia UK
Corporate Procurement Manager (Senior Leadership Role)
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Corporate Procurement Manager (Senior Leadership Role)
Corporate Procurement Manager – Procurement Leadership & Governance
About Navantia UK
Navantia UK is a UK-incorporated subsidiary of Navantia S.A., a global leader in shipbuilding, naval defence systems, and advanced maritime technologies. Formerly part of a legacy spanning over 300+ years, Navantia delivers cutting-edge state-of-the-art naval platforms, lifecycle support, and complex defence/offshore industrial transformation programmes. Navantia UK partners with UK industry to enhance sovereign shipbuilding capability and execute major defence and offshore energy programmes.
Role Purpose
The Corporate Procurement Manager acts as a senior leader, steering strategic direction, governance, and operational excellence across all UK shipbuilding procurement. The role:
- Standardises procurement processes across multi-site operations
- Optimises supplier performance for high-value, complex programmes
- Ensures commercial robustness while aligning with programme delivery, lifecycle support, and industrial capability objectives
- Drives cross-functional collaboration between procurement, engineering, production, and logistics
This is a high-impact leadership position, wielding influence over cost, schedule, risk, and operational performance within the UK business.
Key Responsibilities
Procurement Strategy & Governance
- Define and lead the corporate procurement strategy for UK shipbuilding, aligning with:
- Business growth plans
- Programme demands
- Corporate objectives for sustainability and resilience
- Establish enforceable governance frameworks, policies, and compliance standards across all UK sites
- Ensure adherence to:
- UK regulatory requirements
- Defence industrial standards (e.g., Defence Standard 02-094)
- Export controls and contractual obligations
- Champion standardisation, process improvement, and continuous compliance
- Provide strategic market intelligence to senior stakeholders on:
- Supply chain risks
- Commercial opportunities
- Emerging trends in industrial collaboration
Strategic Sourcing & Contract Management
- Lead high-value sourcing initiatives, including:
- Request for Quotations (RFQs)
- Invitation to Tender (ITTs)
- Supplier evaluations and definitive contract award negotiations
- Develop category-based sourcing strategies to:
- Drive cost competitiveness
- Enhance supply chain risk mitigation and resilience
- Foster long-term value creation for Navantia UK
- Negotiate and finalise complex commercial agreements, ensuring alignment with:
- Legal compliance
- Technical specifications
- Programme timelines and requirements
- Oversee supplier dispute resolution, claims, and escalations, protecting company and programme interests.
Supplier Relationship & Performance Management
- Build and maintain a supplier segmentation model, including:
- Approved supplier lists (ASL)
- Risk management frameworks
- Lead supplier performance improvement programmes, such as:
- Supplier audits and compliance reviews
- Performance scorecards and capability assessments
- Partnership development for innovation and resilience
- Monitor performance against KPIs for:
- Quality metrics
- Delivery schedules
- Cost efficiency
- Capacities and compliance standards
- Foster high-value supplier collaborations aligned with:
- Innovation initiatives
- Structural industrial defence partnership objectives
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Operational Procurement & Supply Chain Integration
- Align procurement activities with:
- Engineering and production schedules
- Programme delivery timelines
- Logistics and logistics interfaces
- Oversee critical supply chain operational components:
- Materials availability
- Multi-site warehousing coordination
- Support bid and proposal activities by:
- Providing competitive sourcing strategies
- Delivering market intelligence to technical and commercial teams
- Drive cost optimisation principles across programmes, including:
- Value engineering
- Alternative sourcing
- Long-term supply chain efficiency improvements
Systems, Data & Performance Management
- Lead the integration and optimisation of ERP systems, particularly:
- SAP and related procurement modules
- Document management platforms (e.g., OpenText)
- Develop and maintain procurement KPIs and dashboards, enabling:
- Real-time performance transparency
- Data-driven operational insights for leadership
- Enhance decision-making through proactive analytics in:
- Strategic planning
- Programme risk assessment
- Supply chain forecasting
Leadership & People Management
- Inspire and lead procurement teams across multiple UK locations, fostering:
- A culture of professional excellence
- Accountability and collaboration
- Oversee:
- Workforce planning and succession across procurement
- Recruitment and capability development initiatives
- Compliance with:
- Employment legislation
- Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) standards
- Wellbeing initiatives
- Support employee relations, including:
- Grievance and conflict resolution
- Union engagement where applicable
Qualifications
Essential Requirements
- Extensive procurement leadership experience (10+ years+) in:
- Shipbuilding, defence, engineering, construction, or heavy manufacturing industries
- Proven strategic expertise in:
- Procurement governance
- Strategic sourcing
- Contract management
- Supplier relationship management
- Track record in:
- Complex sourcing prioritisation (RFQs, ITT)
- High-value commercial negotiations
- Costcompetitive contract forecasting
- SAP or similar ERP system experience (familiarity preferred)
- Strong commercial acumen, with:
- Analytical, negotiation, and problem-solving skills
- Multi-site, cross-functional management experience in complex or international programmes
- Ability to:
- Influence senior decision-makers
- Drive cross-functional collaboration between IT, legal, engineering, and field teams
- Deep understanding of:
- Employment legislation
- Organisational development strategies
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Desirable Qualifications
- Experience in:
- Defence, maritime, naval, or shipbuilding procurement
- Knowledge or hands-on experience with:
- OpenText document management systems
- Procurement transformation and supply chain integration projects
- Background in managing systems implementation in SAP/Ariba
Leadership & Decision-Making
This role carries significant autonomy, requiring:
- Sound judgement and strategic foresight for complex procurement decisions
- Ability to:
- Analyse market and risk considerations
- Resolve costly supply chain challenges
- Influence cross-functional initiatives involving:
- Suppliers and subcontractors
- Senior management bodies
- programme teams
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Working Environment
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Primary base: Office (Paisley, Scotland)
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Frequent travel: UK-wide facilities (e.g., NH90, Type-26, and other slots)
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Occasional international travel to supplier visits
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Expectations of flexible working hours, not limited to 37-hours/week, to meet programme demands.
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Administrator will be provided.
Core Values – Navantia UK’s STEADY Framework
The successful candidate should embody Navantia UK’s foundational values agenda:
S = Service
- Deliver end-to-end procurement excellence aligned with industry and end-user requirements.
T = Trust
- Build transparent supplier relationships built on reliability and fair business ethics.
E = Excellence
- Demonstrate continual strategic insight in complex programming.
A = Agility
- Adapt quickly to internal stakeholder needs, programme changes, and external market trends.
D = Dedication
- Commitment to outstanding procurement governance in high-stakes environments.
You
- Believe in promoting career mobility within the company, and personal growth for your team members.
About the Onboarding Process
Applicants will undergo a dated security background check. Note: Due to the nature of defence industry residency, all candidates will undergo Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) security clearance.
All employees are Subject Access Requesters: Navantia UK subscribes to the government’s Data Protection Principals.
Navantia UK’s Commitment to Multiples Diversity & Inclusion
We are an Opening Doors Employer and firmly commit to:
- Removing skill barriers
- Fairness at recruitments stages (e.g., interview queue adjustments, compatibility considerations from applications forms).
If difficulties arise accessing online applications, please contact:
📩 people.skills or netsec@harland-wolff.com 📞 Harland-Wolff HR team: (+44) [204/XXXXX]
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