Director of Procurement – Centrica Power

Job Description

We are Centrica! We’re so much more than an energy company. We’re a family of brands revolutionising a cleaner, greener future. Working here is #MoreThanACareer - we’re powered by purpose. Together we can make an impact that will truly change tomorrow. Whether you’re developing cutting-edge green tech, helping customers on the front line or simplifying operations behind the scenes.

Your work here isn’t just a job – it’s a mission. We all play a vital role in energising a greener, fairer future.

An opportunity to play your part – Centrica Power aims to be a world-leading flexible power asset business that energises a greener, fairer future while delivering superior shareholder returns. Operating on an international scale, it maximizes value through integrated operations across the Centrica Group.

This is a strategic leadership role responsible for driving the procurement agenda to support Business Unit’s operations. The role is crucial in aligning procurement objectives with business goals and ensuring their delivery.

Reporting directly to the Group VP of Procurement, Supply Chain, Fleet, and Property, you will lead a team responsible for the development and execution of procurement strategies. This includes ensuring the efficient and cost-effective acquisition of essential materials and services while maintaining high standards of quality and supplier relationships. This will involve leading and developing the procurement operating model within their Business Unit to create long-term strategic plans and foster a high-performance culture. This culture aims to minimize costs, mitigate risks, and contribute to achieving key business objectives.

Location: UK (talk to us about flexible working)

The day to day –

• You will take responsibility for implementing the Group Purpose and Procurement Evolution Roadmap, which includes driving initiatives to support Centrica’s Net Zero goals and reducing the environmental impact of third-party activities.
• The role ensures the selection and management of suppliers is fair and transparent, advocates for the Group Procurement Evolution Roadmap within the Power BU and aligns the procurement agenda with the Business Unit’s goals.
• Aligning the capabilities of the direct BU team with BU targets, ensuring team members are suitably challenged with a focus on performance, growth, and enjoyment, implementing People Plan targets, instilling a mindset of rigorous execution, and driving a commercial mindset in the development and execution of procurement strategies.
• In terms of business integration, you will engage in Business Planning to inform Opex/Capex targets and identify third-party cost improvement targets.
• You will be involved in identifying strategic categories that will materially impact the BU bottom line, embedding the Procurement Evolution RACI, optimizing opportunities to aggregate and leverage spend across the Centrica Group through collaboration with BU and Procurement peers, developing and executing optimal Category Strategies, deepening SRM for key strategic contracts within the BU, providing clear reporting of third-party delivery within the BU against Group standardized KPIs/Scorecard, and ensuring the development and delivery of robust documentation and presentations to support Group Contracts Committee, CIC, and Board submissions.
• The role includes optimizing processes, systems, and tools by embedding standard, fit-for-purpose systems, tools, and processes. This involves improving the user experience related to the procurement and management of third-party equipment and services, collaborating with BU users and Procurement/Global Business Services colleagues to simplify and rationalize the end-to-end procurement process, ensuring effective dialogue with Procurement Director peers on the Procurement Leadership Team, delivering standardized ways of working including the use of digital tools and AI to access efficiency improvements, and embedding the use of standardized Procurement reports within BAU to inform decisions and drive efficiencies.
• Additionally, you will ensure the implementation and effective procurement controls across the wider BU’s operation, providing a first line of defence to assure compliance.
• Identify, promote awareness, mitigating third-party risks within the BU, driving continuous improvements in BU safety performance through the selection and performance management of contractors, implementing accurate safety metrics across third-party activity to promote best-in-class safety performance management, championing sustainability and ethical procurement practices, ensuring suppliers adhere to responsible business standards, and aligning procurement strategies with the company’s corporate social responsibility goals.

About you –

• Must have a minimum of 10 years of experience in a leadership role within capital construction projects procurement
• The ideal candidate will have a background in the power sector, including experience with battery, wind, solar, or nuclear projects. Y
• You will ideally have a proven track record of managing multiple projects simultaneously and possess a solid understanding of capital project procurement.
• Degree level or equivalent experience and capability, with MCIPS or equivalent.
• Proven track record in developing contracting strategies, executing contracts, and managing post-award contracts for equipment and construction services on large-scale energy industry projects.
• Comprehensive understanding of the tender process and contractor evaluation for construction and equipment supply contracts.
• Expertise in negotiating construction and equipment supply contracts within a project finance environment.
• Familiarity with FIDIC Silver Book, NEC, and equipment supply agreements.
• Interaction with industry contractors, suppliers, and advisors in utility-scale renewable projects.
• Experience in leading Category Management initiatives, including supplier management.
• Strong negotiation skills with a proven record of significant cost reductions in goods and services related to indirect spend.
• Programmatic approach to delivery using six sigma, lean, and scrum methodologies.
• Commitment to sustainability and ethical procurement practices.

What’s in it for you –

• Competitive salary and bonus potential.
• Company car allowance.
• Employee Energy Allowance at 15% of the government price cap.
• Pension scheme.
• Company Funded Healthcare Plan.
• 25 days holiday allowance, plus public holidays, and the option to buy up to 5 additional days.
• Excellent range of flexible benefits, including technology vouchers, electric car lease scheme & travel insurance.

At Centrica we embrace diversity and actively seek to attract individuals with unique backgrounds and perspectives. To build a more sustainable future, we need the best team – a team with a diverse mix of people and skills, where everyone feels welcome and able to succeed. We are dedicated in helping to close the diversity gap and would love to see more females, people of colour and LGBTQ+ employees, as well as those from a variety of cultures and ethnicity to veterans and the differently abled. Supporting diversity and inclusion is a big part of who we are, we are not looking for people to fit into our culture but to add to it!

PLEASE APPLY ONLINE by hitting the 'Apply' button.

Applications will ONLY be accepted via the ‘Apply’ button.

This role is being handled by the Centrica recruitment team and NO agency contact is required.