Arriva Group
Procurement Manager
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Procurement Manager – IT & Systems
Location: Birmingham / Hybrid
Closing date: 8 October 2026
Shape smarter procurement at CrossCountry
Are you an experienced procurement professional with a strong background in IT and systems? Do you enjoy combining commercial expertise with stakeholder management to deliver better value, stronger supplier relationships and robust contracts?
CrossCountry is looking for a Procurement Manager – IT & Systems to join our Procurement team and play a key role in shaping and delivering our procurement strategy.
Reporting to the Head of Procurement & Property, you’ll lead a small team and take ownership of a broad portfolio of IT and systems procurement, including hardware, software, cloud services and IT-related contracts.
This is an opportunity to make a real commercial impact — from identifying opportunities and shaping sourcing strategies, through to tendering, negotiation, contract award and ongoing supplier management.
You’ll help ensure that our procurement activity delivers value for money, strong commercial outcomes and fit-for-purpose contracts, while maintaining the governance and controls required across CrossCountry.
What you’ll be doing
You’ll lead and support procurement activity across the full lifecycle, working closely with colleagues throughout the business and with our suppliers.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Leading major procurement projects, both regulated and non-regulated, from initial market engagement through to tender, evaluation, negotiation and contract award.
- Developing and implementing procurement strategies that support value for money, including opportunities for supplier consolidation and cost optimisation.
- Managing and maintaining a forward plan of procurement activity, ensuring business needs are understood and appropriately resourced.
- Producing high-quality tender and commercial documentation, including invitations to tender, instructions, evaluation criteria, scorecards and reports.
- Building strong relationships with stakeholders across CrossCountry to understand business requirements and identify the best commercial solutions.
- Developing strategic supplier relationships and proactively managing supplier performance.
- Working closely with Legal and Procurement colleagues to ensure contractual terms are understood, adhered to and commercially effective.
- Identifying and addressing supplier performance issues and non-conformances, helping to resolve problems quickly and improve service delivery.
- Identifying and delivering cost savings, efficiencies and wider value-added opportunities.
- Benchmarking supplier pricing and performance and negotiating appropriate contract changes where required.
- Using spend analysis, demand profiling, supply-market intelligence and external data to inform procurement and pricing strategies.
- Preparing and presenting clear, insightful reports and recommendations to senior stakeholders.
- Supporting continuous improvement across procurement processes and procedures.
- Ensuring effective use of Purchase-to-Pay systems across requisitioning, approvals, suppliers and Accounts Payable.
- Maintaining strong knowledge of relevant supply markets, technical services and key suppliers.
- Collaborating with Group Procurement and AUKT Central Procurement teams on wider projects.
- Applying knowledge of Crown Commercial Service framework agreements where appropriate.
- Supporting other procurement categories and projects as required.
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The role will involve working across regulated procurements under the Procurement Act 2023 as well as non-regulated procurement activity.
About you
We’re looking for a commercially minded procurement professional who can confidently lead complex sourcing activity while building positive relationships with stakeholders and suppliers.
You’ll bring:
- 4+ years’ procurement experience, with demonstrable experience of managing the full procurement lifecycle.
- Experience of running tenders and leading complex procurement projects.
- Demonstrable experience of commercial negotiations, including preparation, strategy and execution.
- Experience procuring direct and indirect goods and services, ideally with experience in IT and systems, rail or transport.
- Ideally, 2+ years’ experience in IT and systems procurement.
- A good understanding of technical services and relevant supply markets.
- Strong stakeholder management, influencing and relationship-building skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce high-quality tender documents, reports and presentations.
- Strong commercial acumen and the confidence to challenge existing practices constructively.
- Strong supplier and supply-chain management skills.
- Excellent analytical and spend-analysis capability, with advanced Excel skills.
- Experience using Office 365, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, Excel and Purchase-to-Pay systems.
- Excellent attention to detail and strong organisational skills.
- The ability to identify problems early and resolve them constructively.
- The ability to work collaboratively across functions, teams and organisational levels.
- A self-starting, resilient and flexible approach, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
- A degree-level qualification or equivalent capability.
- CIPS membership is required, with MCIPS Level 6 desirable.
- Knowledge or experience of procurement under UCR 2016 and/or the Procurement Act 2023 would be desirable.
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Most importantly, you’ll be someone who learns quickly, works well as part of a team, is comfortable asking questions and is committed to delivering high-quality commercial outcomes.
Why join us?
This is more than a role focused on running tenders. You’ll have the opportunity to influence how CrossCountry works with its technology and systems suppliers, improve commercial performance and help shape a procurement function that delivers real value to the business.
You’ll work with colleagues and stakeholders across the organisation, build strategic supplier relationships and have the opportunity to make a tangible contribution to CrossCountry’s wider objectives.
Diversity & Inclusion
At CrossCountry, we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and experiences, including women, people from ethnic minority / global majority backgrounds, people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, LGBTQ+ colleagues and those with caring responsibilities.
We believe inclusion drives innovation. We’re committed to creating a culture where everyone can thrive, contribute their ideas and reach their full potential.
If you’re an experienced procurement professional ready to take on a role where your commercial expertise can make a genuine difference, we’d love to hear from you.
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