Head of Procurement

Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) is the Scottish Government Agency that manages Scotland’s national forests and land – 640,000 hectares or 9% of Scotland’s land area. FLS delivers commercially sustainable forestry, conserving and enhancing the environment and delivering benefits for all of Scotland’s people and wildlife. Its mission is ‘to look after Scotland’s forests and land, for the benefit of all now and for the future’ with a vision of enhancing ‘forests and land that Scotland can be proud of’.

This is an extremely exciting time for FLS. It is almost entirely self-funded from its own operational and commercial activities and is currently on a transformation journey to ensure its long-term sustainability. As such, the Procurement & Contract Management team plays a key business enabling role within the structure of the organisation in relation to an annual expenditure budget of £85m across a range of goods, works and services.

The Head of Procurement will report to the Director of Commercial Development and be instrumental in driving forward the procurement strategy and operations. They will deliver agile solutions for the business, ensuring appropriate governance, best value and practice with continuous improvement underpinned by a culture of collaboration with frontline staff in FLS to ensure great operational outcomes.

1. Lead the development, consultation and maintenance of the FLS procurement strategy and drive its implementation across the business.
2. Lead and develop the procurement function, helping to ensure staff are connected to the operational business they support and build great relationships with suppliers to secure the best commercial contract outcomes, and contribute strongly to the wider strategic direction of the organisation.
3. Drive innovation and best practice with a proportionate approach to risk management to deliver continuous improvement across procurement and the wider business.
4. Work effectively with a wide range of stakeholders internally and externally (including Scottish Government and the wider forest industry), to identify and deliver commercially advantageous and sustainable contracts.
5. Financial and budgetary management of the procurement function.

• Excellent leadership and communication skills, with proven ability to understand business requirements and articulate procurement and commercial issues clearly to a wide range of stakeholders.
• Capability in motivating and developing a team of procurement staff, with strong relationship building and people management skills ensuring that they are well connected to the business and can see the big picture.
• Subject matter expertise in all aspects of the end-to-end procurement process, and proven proficiency in strategic procurement techniques, supplier management and negotiation.
  Professional/Technical qualifications:
• Full CIPS membership with a minimum 5 years of experience in a senior procurement role, preferably within a large, multifaceted organisation involving a good mix of both centralised and delegated procurement activities.
• A blend of private sector experience and a sound understanding of public procurement legal frameworks and knowledge of Scottish Public Procurement Legislation would be a distinct advantage.

The Head of Procurement will be a strategic thinker who is passionate about developing the team to deliver agile business solutions, cost savings, value for money and driving best outcomes across the organisation.

You will possess excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to lead, motivate, influence and negotiate with confidence and integrity at all times.