Procurement Manager

Procurement Manager

Chemring Countermeasures is a world-leading and innovative company, designing and manufacturing advanced countermeasure solutions for armed forces across the globe. As part of the Chemring Group, we combine the agility of a specialist manufacturer with the strength and stability of an international organisation.

We are looking for an experienced and driven Procurement Manager to lead our Procurement function and help shape the future performance of our supply chain. This is an exciting opportunity to join a business where procurement plays a critical role in supporting operational excellence, customer delivery, business growth, and risk management.

Overview of the role

The Procurement Manager is responsible for leading the Procurement function to secure the materials, products, and services required by Chemring Countermeasures at the right quality, cost, and time.

This role will lead the development of sourcing and supplier strategies, drive supplier performance, reduce supply chain risk, and ensure continuity of supply in a complex manufacturing environment. Working closely with Planning, Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Finance, and Commercial teams, you will be instrumental in ensuring the business can successfully deliver on its commitments while identifying opportunities for value creation and continuous improvement.

This is an excellent opportunity for a procurement professional who enjoys combining strategic thinking with operational delivery and wants to make a real impact within a growing and innovative organisation.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop the Procurement team, creating a high-performing culture with clear objectives, accountability, and continuous development.

• Develop and implement procurement and category strategies aligned with business objectives, customer demand, product lifecycle requirements, and supply chain resilience.

• Ensure material and supplier plans support production requirements and customer delivery commitments.

• Own supplier performance management, driving improvements in quality, delivery, responsiveness, cost, and overall supplier effectiveness.

• Establish strong supplier relationships and lead regular supplier reviews, ensuring performance issues are addressed through robust recovery and improvement plans.

• Identify, assess, and mitigate supply chain risks, including supplier capacity constraints, obsolescence, financial stability, and single-source dependencies.

• Lead sourcing, tendering, supplier selection, and commercial negotiations to achieve best value while managing risk.

• Negotiate and manage supplier agreements and contracts to ensure commercial competitiveness and compliance with business requirements.

• Drive cost reduction and value improvement initiatives through strategic sourcing, supplier development, market analysis, and commercial challenge.

• Partner with Planning and Operations teams to optimise inventory, lead times, material availability, and working capital.

• Support engineering changes, new product introduction, configuration management, and product lifecycle activities.

• Monitor supply market trends, supplier developments, technology advances, and commodity movements to inform procurement strategy.

• Ensure procurement data, supplier records, lead times, pricing, and purchasing information are accurately maintained within Business Central and associated systems.

• Maintain effective procurement processes, governance, and controls that support compliance, auditability, and sound decision-making.

• Represent Procurement within cross-functional projects, business reviews, change programmes, and strategic supplier engagements.

• Support bids, proposals, and business development activities through the provision of sourcing, cost, lead-time, and risk assessments.

• Champion continuous improvement across Procurement and the wider supply chain, driving smarter and more efficient ways of working.

• Promote and support a safe working environment through compliance with all Health, Safety, and Environmental requirements.

Essential Qualifications, Skills and/or Experience

• Strong procurement or supply chain experience within a manufacturing or similarly complex environment.

• Significant experience in procurement, purchasing or supply chain, including leading people and supplier performance.

• Strong understanding of procurement within a manufacturing environment, including MRP, production requirements, inventory and material planning interfaces.

• Demonstrable experience of strategic sourcing, tendering, negotiation and supplier selection.

• Experience of supplier relationship management, supplier development and performance improvement.

• Commercial and contractual awareness, with the ability to balance cost, service, quality and risk.

• Experience identifying and mitigating supply chain risk and improving resilience.

• Ability to use data and KPIs to identify issues, prioritise action and drive sustainable improvement.

• Working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems.

• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, including the ability to constructively challenge and operate in a cross-functional environment.

• Experience of change and continuous improvement, with the ability to move a team from reactive expediting towards controlled, proactive procurement.

• Strong leadership, people development, analytical thinking, planning, prioritisation, problem-solving and communication skills.

• Resilience and the ability to operate effectively in a complex, changing manufacturing environment.

Desirable Qualifications, Skills and/or Experience

• CIPS qualification or equivalent professional procurement qualification.

• Degree, HNC, HND, or equivalent qualification in Business, Engineering, Supply Chain, or a related discipline.

• Experience using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

• Experience working within a regulated manufacturing environment.

Performance Measures/KPIs

• Supplier OTIF and delivery performance.

• Material availability and supplier-caused shortages.

• Supplier quality performance.

• Purchase price, cost performance and value improvement.

• Overdue purchase orders and supplier recovery actions.

• Inventory value, material cover and excess or obsolete exposure relevant to Procurement.

• Supplier review and corrective action completion.

• Supply chain risk mitigation and resilience actions.

• Procurement team objectives, capability and compliance.

This role will be worked over a 4.5 day week; Monday to Thursday 08:00 – 16:45 and Friday 08:00 – 12:30.

Please note: We do not engage with recruitment agencies. We kindly ask that you refrain from sending speculative inquiries or CVs. Should we wish to collaborate with agencies, we will initiate contact accordingly.