Head of Procurement

Role overview

The Head of Procurement will establish and steer the company’s procurement capability across its international retail network. The position is centered on generating lasting value from managed spend through strategic sourcing, demand shaping, contract management, and supplier governance.

Reporting to the CFO, this leader will oversee procurement-related financial outcomes, reinforce internal controls, and make sure sourcing decisions contribute to profitability, cash flow, and risk mitigation while also supporting brand expansion, new store growth, and omnichannel initiatives.

Strategic sourcing and value creation

• Drive sourcing programs that prioritize total cost of ownership rather than focusing only on purchase price.
• Create long-term savings and value through demand management, better specifications, and collaboration with suppliers.
• Personally lead major negotiations and stay directly involved in contracts that are especially high-value or high-risk.
• Build category strategies and sourcing guidelines for priority indirect spend areas so the approach stays consistent, scalable, and aligned to business needs.

Indirect spend ownership

• Take full accountability for the strategy and optimization of indirect spend across areas such as marketing and media, PR, creative and agencies, IT, software and SaaS, digital and e-commerce platforms, logistics, 3PL, warehousing, last-mile delivery, store development, fit-out, fixtures, maintenance, facilities, travel, professional services, and other corporate services.
• Ensure sourcing plans support store openings, omnichannel growth, and brand-led initiatives in key markets.

Supplier, risk, and ESG management

• Monitor and manage financial, operational, and supplier concentration risks.
• Set up structured supplier performance and risk checks covering financial stability, continuity, and ESG factors.
• Build responsible sourcing practices that reflect sustainability and ethical expectations in supplier selection and ongoing management.
• Run effective supplier relationship management through regular reviews, scorecards, and joint improvement plans for strategic suppliers.

Financial leadership and KPI ownership

• Own procurement KPIs tied to savings, cost avoidance, margin uplift, and working capital impact.
• Translate procurement initiatives into measurable outcomes across the P&L, cash flow, and balance sheet.
• Work closely with FP&A to embed savings tracking, budget discipline, and forecast accuracy into procurement workflows.
• Ensure realized benefits are tracked in a way that is measurable, auditable, and sustained in financial reporting.
• Maintain dashboards and reporting that give the Management Committee clear visibility into spend, savings, risk, and compliance.

Governance, controls, and compliance

• Set up and enforce strong procurement governance, approval thresholds, and delegation of authority.
• Ensure all procurement activity follows internal policies, audit expectations, and relevant regulatory requirements.
• Strengthen contract lifecycle management with standardized templates, playbooks, and proactive renewal oversight to reduce exposure, liabilities, and commercial risk.
• Serve as a key control owner for internal and external audits related to procurement and third-party spend.
• Improve source-to-pay processes and tools to raise compliance, transparency, and speed while reducing manual effort and transactional work.

Stakeholder and executive partnership

• Act as a trusted advisor to the CFO and Management Committee on spend governance, cost structure, and third-party risk.
• Support business transformation programs from a procurement and cost-control perspective.
• Lead change efforts to move the organization away from transactional purchasing toward insight-led procurement, especially across Marketing, IT, Store Operations, and Corporate Functions.
• Influence senior stakeholders on category strategy, demand shaping, and standardization while still protecting brand, customer experience, and speed to market.

Team and capability building

• Build a lean procurement organization with strong commercial, analytical, and financial capability.
• Develop the team’s skills in cost modelling, contract risk evaluation, and value tracking.
• Promote accountability, transparency, continuous improvement, and ethical behavior.
• Define and refine the operating model for indirect procurement, whether central, regional, local, or outsourced, to suit business growth and complexity.
• Clarify roles, career paths, and coaching for a high-performing procurement team and relevant external partners.

Requirements

Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Supply Chain, Engineering, or a closely related discipline, along with 10 to 15 years of progressive experience in procurement or supply chain. At least 5 years should be spent leading indirect procurement at regional or global scale.

The role calls for a strong history of delivering measurable value in indirect categories, ownership of financial KPIs, and governance experience in a complex or multinational setting. Candidates should also bring experience with audits, internal controls, and large-scale spend governance.

Success in this position requires excellent commercial judgment, sharp negotiation ability, strong analytical and financial literacy, and a solid understanding of how procurement affects the P&L, cash flow, and balance sheet. The ideal candidate can operate both strategically and at a detailed execution level.

High integrity, strong risk awareness, and a governance-first mindset are essential, as are change leadership skills and the ability to manage stakeholders across cross-cultural, matrix organizations. The person must be able to shift buying habits and influence senior non-finance stakeholders.

Clear, concise communication is important, especially when explaining trade-offs and recommendations to creative, commercial, and operational teams.

Experience with e-procurement or source-to-pay platforms such as SAP Ariba, Coupa, Ivalua, Oracle, or SAP is beneficial. Professional certifications like CIPS, CPSM, PMP, or Six Sigma are also an advantage. Background in fashion, specialty retail, or consumer products with a multi-country store network would be a plus.

Additional information

This role is focused on building a procurement function that supports brand growth, store expansion, and omnichannel development while safeguarding profitability, cash flow, and risk management.