Head of Procurement and Commercial

Affinity Water

Head of Procurement & Commercial leading strategic procurement and operational improvement at Affinity Water. Driving transformation and stakeholder management to enhance procurement functions.

Posted 5/16/2026full-timeHatfield • 🇬🇧 United KingdomLeadWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Develop and deliver Affinity Water’s Procurement & Commercial Strategy in partnership with the CFO and Executive Leadership Team
Align procurement activity to wider business goals, operational priorities, and financial targets
Lead procurement transformation initiatives that improve efficiency, resilience, and value creation
Build trusted relationships across the business, including Executive and Board-level stakeholders
Act as the organisation’s procurement ambassador, promoting commercial best practice and strategic supplier management
Lead key supplier negotiations and manage strategically significant commercial relationships
Own procurement savings targets and deliver measurable commercial benefits across the organisation
Manage the Procurement & Commercial team budget and oversee category strategies and savings plans
Drive robust spend analysis, forecasting, reporting, and financial insight to support business planning
Ensure procurement activity complies with all relevant legislation, including procurement regulations and sustainability obligations
Identify and mitigate supply chain and sourcing risks
Improve procurement processes and support efficient purchase-to-pay operations across the business
Promote innovation and industry best practice to maximise value from the cost base
Lead, inspire, and develop a high-performing Procurement & Commercial team
Set clear objectives, monitor performance, and foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Significant experience leading procurement and commercial functions within a complex organisation
Strong commercial acumen and negotiation expertise
Experience developing procurement strategies that deliver measurable savings and operational improvements
Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence at Executive and Board level
Strong knowledge of procurement legislation, governance, and supplier relationship management
A collaborative leadership style with experience developing high-performing teams
Passion for sustainability, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Competitive salary dependant on skills and experience
Car Allowance which is an additional £5,530 on top of your base salary
Entry into the Senior Leader Bonus scheme.
Annual leave from 26 days rising with length of service, and the option to purchase up to 5 extra days.
A generous 'double match pension scheme' that doubles the contributions you make (company contribution capped at 12%)
We offer a range of family benefits including enhanced Maternity, Adoption, Paternity, Shared Parental Leave, Fertility Support Leave and up to 5 full or 10 half days of paid Carers Leave.
Menopause policy and Reasonable Adjustment policy to help everyone perform at their best.
Access to our Wellbeing Centre with support for looking after your physical and mental health.
Discounts at a Range of Retail Outlets and on Dental and Medical Insurance through our Tap4Perks scheme.
Up to 4 Affinity days a year to volunteer in the community.
x7 Life Assurance.
Disability Confident As a Disability Confident employer, we’re committed to offering interviews to disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria and opt in on the application form.

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Hard Skills & Tools

procurement strategysupplier managementnegotiationspend analysisfinancial forecastingbudget managementcategory strategysavings plansprocurement regulationspurchase-to-pay operations

Soft Skills

stakeholder managementcollaborative leadershipinfluencingteam developmentperformance monitoringrelationship buildinginnovationcontinuous improvementaccountabilityculture fostering