Procurement and Procure to Pay Lead

About the role

Here at Joseph Rowntree, we are seeking a Procurement and Procure to Pay Lead – someone to be responsible for setting the strategic direction and overseeing the effective delivery of procurement and payables activities across the organisation.

Providing leadership and support to the Procure to Pay team, which includes a Procurement and Supply Chain Manager, two Contracting Officers, and the Payables team, you will operate at the heart of Group Shared Services, ensuring the procurement function effectively supports the distinct needs of JRHT and JRF. You will also support group-wide procurement requirements across central functions. In partnership with the Head of Group Shared Services, you will shape and implement procurement strategies that align with the strategic goals of both JRHT and JRF. You will work closely with stakeholders to ensure procurement activity reflects the unique priorities of each partner—whether that be capital investment in housing and care or delivering social value through charitable programmes.

The role carries responsibility for all aspects of the procure-to-pay lifecycle, including policy development, operational performance, risk management, systems improvement, and compliance with external regulations and internal standards. You will foster a culture of strong procurement practice and continuous improvement, embedding social value principles and sustainability throughout procurement processes and decision-making.

A key focus will be enhancing supplier relationship management, ensuring contracts are robust, performance is consistently high, and renewals or re-tenders are conducted effectively. You will also lead initiatives to improve efficiency, maximise value for money, and support the delivery of the organisation’s Value for Money strategy—working with managers across the group to proactively identify opportunities and implement cost-effective solutions that enhance service quality and long-term impact.

About you

As our Procurement and Procure to Pay Lead, we would like you to hold a CIPS membership (or other equivalent qualification), have previous experience of managing and leading a team, providing mentorship and direction and be an experienced procure to pay manager with demonstrable experience of delivering an integrated and efficient end-to-end process. You will have a demonstrable track record of supporting managers to initiate and deliver savings with previous experience of developing procurement policies and processes, including the inclusion of social value aspects.

With excellent stakeholder engagement, communications and customer service skills, you will be able to deliver training to colleagues with varying degrees of procurement, payables, contract management experience and systems (basic to advanced) and have knowledge and experience of the application of the Public Contracting Regulations. You will have experience in using a range of e-procurement systems including linkage to supplier portals and a strong understanding of procurement best practices, strategies, and cost management techniques.

Proficient with procurement and contract management systems and tools, you will have knowledge of procurement legislation, regulations, and compliance requirements for public and charitable sectors. With excellent negotiation skills with the ability to build and maintain strong supplier relationships, you will be detail-oriented with a proactive approach to identifying areas for cost savings and efficiency improvements.

How to apply

If you share our passion and this role sounds like you, then we’re looking forward to hearing from you.

Please submit your CV and supporting information via our online application platform.

The closing date for applications is 4th July 2025.

Interviews will take place at the start of July (date tbc).

We reserve the right to bring the closing date forward should enough quality applications be received prior to the current closing date.

Additional Information

Applications are welcome from all, regardless of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief, race, sex, sexual orientation, trans status or socioeconomic background.

We positively encourage applications from people from marginalised backgrounds, including but not limited to those with experience of living in poverty.

We are committed to being an anti-racist organisation and operate an anonymised recruitment process so that bias is eliminated from the shortlisting process.

In support of our approach to flexible working, we are happy to receive applications from those seeking full-time employment, as well as those who may want to share the role on a part-time basis. When making your application, please state whether you want to be considered for either full or part-time work and, if part-time, the number of hours per week you would be looking for.

At JRF we’re at our best when we’re continually building on trust, showing we care and making a difference – and hope others will do the same. So, for those roles which allow it, we’re developing a more blended approach to how and where you work. This means you can expect to work flexibly between the office and home (with an expectation of two days a week in your home office).

We encourage you to read our EVP, which is located here: https://jrf-jrht-brand.frontify.com/share/7C1kD2FusMtEVnje2ijA

We are a Disability Confident Employer. This means that we are committed to the recruitment, progression and retention of disabled individuals. We shall also offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for the job. If you have a disability, please tell us if you would like to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme.

If you have any additional needs and need reasonable adjustments to be made to the interview process, please let us know.