Interim Procurement Lead


Company:	Hays Specialist Recruitment
Salary:	£500 - £550
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	, S40 1PF
Job type:	Temporary
Posting date:	11 Aug 2026
Closing date:	12 Aug 2026

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Summary

A public sector organisation is seeking an experienced Interim Procurement Lead to take ownership of its procurement and contract management agenda, supporting the delivery of compliant, value-driven procurement activity across the organisation.This is an excellent opportunity to join a forward-thinking local authority and play a key role in shaping procurement strategy, advising stakeholders, managing key supplier relationships and ensuring compliance with the evolving public procurement landscape.The successful candidate will act as the organisation's lead procurement professional, working across departments to drive best practice procurement, contract management and commissioning activities, while supporting the implementation of the Procurement Act 2023.

Your New Role

As Interim Procurement Lead, you will provide strategic procurement leadership and support the organisation in delivering an effective procurement and contract management function.

Key responsibilities will include:

Acting as the lead procurement officer and providing strategic procurement advice across the organisation.

Ensuring procurement activity complies with the Procurement Act 2023, Public Contracts Regulations and internal Contract Procedure Rules.

Managing the relationship with the outsourced procurement service and acting as the primary organisational contact.

Supporting departments in identifying appropriate procurement routes and commercial strategies.

Developing and maintaining the organisation's Procurement Plan, ensuring early procurement engagement on high-value, complex and high-risk projects.

Providing expert guidance on contract management, supplier performance and the development of KPIs and performance measures.

Maintaining and developing the Contracts Register.

Working closely with Legal colleagues on contractual matters, mitigating risk and resolving issues proactively.

Supporting procurement projects through all stages, including needs assessments, specification development, tendering, evaluation and contract award.

Developing procurement policies, guidance and best practice resources for stakeholders across the organisation.

Identifying collaborative procurement opportunities with partner organisations, councils and procurement hubs.

Leading procurement improvement initiatives and supporting the ongoing implementation of the Procurement Act 2023.

Supporting supplier engagement activities and promoting effective relationships with suppliers, including SMEs.

Producing procurement reports, briefings, governance papers and recommendations for senior stakeholders.

Supporting responses to Freedom of Information requests, supplier challenges and procurement-related enquiries.

What You'll Need to SucceedTo be successful in this role, you will ideally have:

Proven procurement experience gained within a public sector environment.

Strong understanding of the Procurement Act 2023 and wider public procurement legislation.

Experience developing procurement strategies, plans and governance frameworks.

Strong contract management and supplier relationship management experience.

Experience managing end-to-end procurement and tendering processes.

Ability to provide commercial and procurement advice to senior stakeholders and service leads.

Experience maintaining contracts registers and procurement pipelines.

Strong stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to influence and challenge constructively.

Experience working with legal teams on contractual matters and risk management.

Knowledge of local government procurement practices and governance requirements.

Excellent commercial, analytical and problem-solving skills.

Strong written communication skills, including experience producing reports, business cases and recommendations.

CIPS qualification, working towards CIPS, or equivalent procurement experience.

What You'll Get in Return

6+ month interim assignment.

Flexible hybrid working arrangement.

Opportunity to lead and influence procurement strategy within a public sector organisation.

Exposure to high-profile procurement, contract management and transformation projects.

Opportunity to support Procurement Act 2023 implementation and procurement modernisation activity.

Collaborative and supportive working environment.

Competitive day rate dependent on experience.

Apply Now

If you're an experienced public sector procurement professional with expertise in procurement governance, contract management, stakeholder engagement and Procurement Act 2023 compliance, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply today with your latest CV or contact us for a confidential discussion regarding this opportunity.

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