Head of Supply Chain Management: Construction

This is a rare opportunity to step into a senior commercial leadership role overseeing supply chain management for a construction programme of national significance. The successful candidate will guide the delivery of over thirty major projects, shaping infrastructure that will define the future of a organisation. You will be entrusted with leading an established and rapidly growing team, supported by expert consultants, and collaborating closely with executive stakeholders.

Flexible working arrangements, generous benefits, and a clear path to further progression make this position ideal for someone seeking both impact and career growth. If you are ready to influence high-value projects and foster a culture of collaboration and excellence, this is your chance to make a lasting difference.

• Lead the commercial and supply chain strategy for a multi-billion-pound construction programme spanning more than 30 projects over 12 years, with genuine national importance.
• Manage and develop an inclusive team of commercial professionals, working alongside senior directors and supported by third-party cost consultants, ensuring best practice and continuous learning.
• Enjoy flexible hybrid working arrangements, generous pension contributions, private healthcare, enhanced family leave, share options, wellbeing support, relocation assistance, and employee discounts.

What you'll do:

As Head of Supply Chain Management – Construction you will play a pivotal role in steering the commercial direction of one of the most significant infrastructure programmes in the country. Your day-to-day activities will involve strategic planning across multiple high-value projects; nurturing an inclusive team environment; engaging with executive stakeholders; implementing best-practice procurement frameworks; negotiating complex contracts; managing risks; ensuring financial oversight; and championing supplier performance. Success in this role requires you to balance operational detail with big-picture thinking guiding your team through challenges while maintaining focus on long-term objectives.

• Define and deliver comprehensive commercial and supply chain strategies across all construction projects within the programme, ensuring alignment with organisational objectives.
• Lead, nurture, and expand a professional team of commercial leads while directing third-party consultant support to achieve programme goals.
• Act as a key focal point for communication with executive stakeholders up to government level, fostering trust and clarity throughout the project lifecycle.
• Drive best-practice processes in commercial management and supply chain operations, mentoring colleagues and promoting continuous improvement.
• Oversee procurement frameworks, contract strategy, negotiation, administration, and close-out for complex construction projects ranging from £20m packages to multi-hundred-million-pound facilities.
• Lead negotiations on major contracts predominantly under NEC forms, providing guidance on contract alignment with prime agreements.
• Manage end-to-end supply chain engagement both upstream and downstream across critical programmes to ensure seamless delivery.
• Own commercial risk management responsibilities including dispute resolution, audit compliance, governance adherence, and timely implementation of improvement actions.
• Provide financial insight through cost control measures and savings tracking while delivering clear reporting to senior stakeholders and boards.
• Strengthen supplier performance by promoting ethical practices, cross-functional collaboration, safety culture, quality standards, SHE processes, and robust risk controls.

What you bring:

The ideal Head of Supply Chain Management – Construction brings extensive experience managing large-scale construction programmes from inception through completion. Your proven track record includes navigating complex contractual landscapes particularly NEC and delivering strategic procurement outcomes that drive value. You excel at fostering inclusive teams where each member feels supported in their growth journey. Your interpersonal skills enable you to connect with stakeholders at all levels building consensus even amidst ambiguity or competing interests. A background combining client-side exposure or tier-1 contractor leadership equips you with unique insights into both sides of the commercial equation. Degree-level education underpins your analytical approach while familiarity with various contract forms broadens your adaptability. Political awareness helps you read organisational dynamics effectively so you can facilitate rather than direct progress. Above all else, your commitment to ethical practice ensures supplier relationships are built on trust and mutual respect.

• Proven experience in end-to-end commercial and supply chain leadership on complex multi-project construction programmes is essential for success in this role.
• Expertise in NEC contract forms coupled with strong commercial acumen to price and negotiate intricate work efficiently is required.
• Demonstrated ability in people leadership: building, guiding, and developing sizeable teams within commercial environments is vital.
• Resilience paired with outstanding communication skills enables you to bring stakeholders together even when outcomes diverge from their preferences.
• Eligibility as a UK national able to obtain security clearance is mandatory due to programme requirements.
• Client-side experience or commercial leadership at major tier-1 contractors is highly valued for this position.
• Degree qualification (or equivalent) provides foundational knowledge necessary for strategic decision-making.
• Experience leading large-scale sourcing initiatives and delivering strategic procurement outcomes with sound category management expertise is important.
• Familiarity with other contract forms such as FIDIC enhances your versatility within diverse project contexts.
• Political astuteness allows you to build influence across complex stakeholder landscapes while facilitating programme progress.

Robert Walters Operations Limited is an employment business and employment agency and welcomes applications from all candidates