Global Head of Procurement

CompanyControl Risks

LocationCardiff, Wales, United Kingdom

Posted At3/6/2026

UK Visa Sponsorship Analytics

Occupation Type

Purchasing managers and directors

Occupation Code Skill LevelHigher Skilled

Sponsorship Salary Threshold

£54,700 (£28.05 per hour)

Occupation rate applies

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Description

We are seeking a highly strategic, commercially driven Global Head of Procurement to design, build, and lead Control Risks' Procurement function from the ground up. This newly created leadership role will define global procurement strategy, governance, and operating models, while embedding best practice across a complex, international business.

This is a highly visible leadership role requiring strong change-management capability, global stakeholder influence, and hands-on delivery. You will partner with senior leadership to create value, manage risk, and deliver a scalable procurement framework that balances local operational needs with global consistency, and is aligned with business objectives and growth plans.

Requirements

What You'll Do:

Function Creation & Strategy

Design and implement a global Procurement strategy aligned with company growth plans, operational priorities and financial goals.
Together with the office of the CFO, architect and implement a highly agile, global and scalable Source-to-Pay (S2P) operating model that centralises rigorous governance while meticulously preserving the operational velocity required by autonomous, client-facing project teams.

Partner with executive leadership to drive enterprise-wide commercial transformation, acting as a highly visible internal diplomat and change agent.

Establish global policies, processes, governance frameworks, and performance metrics that elevate Procurement from a back-office function to a strategic business enabler.

Global Supplier & Commercial Management

Develop global supplier strategies, including selection, negotiation, and performance management, including scorecards, dynamic service level agreements (SLAs), and periodic reviews.
Drive cost optimisation and value creation while protecting service quality and risk standards.
Oversee strategic sourcing activities across all major third-party spend categories (e.g., technology, facilities, travel).
Establish and maintain strategic supplier relationships to ensure service quality, innovation, and cost optimization.
Lead high-value, complex contract negotiations to drive favourable commercial and operational outcomes.

Operational excellence & process optimisation

Standardize Procurement processes across regions, while allowing for local regulatory and market adaptation

Ensure robust Procurement analytics, reporting, and spend visibility to support informed decision-making

Act as the strategic business owner for the global procurement technology architecture

Drive the evaluation, implementation, and optimisation of procurement technology solutions (e.g., e-sourcing, contract management, Procure To Pay (P2P)), and modern procurement orchestration platforms (e.g., Coupa, Zip, Ariba).

Leverage agentic AI and predictive analytics to automate intake workflows, accelerate contract cycle times, and provide a seamless purchasing experience for all internal stakeholders

Promote best practice procurement methodologies such as category management, strategic sourcing, and total cost of ownership (TCO).

Stakeholder Partnership

Act as a strategic advisor to senior leadership on procurement and commercial matters
Drive cultural adoption of procurement discipline across a decentralised global organisation
Partner with Finance to ensure budgeting alignment, cost-saving initiatives, and accurate forecasting
Collaborate with Finance and Legal, Risk & Compliance teams on supplier frameworks.

Collaborate closely with business units, functional heads and regional leaders to support operational needs and commercial outcomes, and to embed best-practice procurement into local operations.

Communicate procurement strategy, performance, and business impact to Executive Committee (EXCO) and Board-level stakeholders, as required.

Governance, Risk & Compliance

Develop and enforce global procurement policies, standards, and internal controls.
Strengthen contractual governance and third-party risk management.
Ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, and ethical standards across all procurement activities
Mitigate supplier risk through due diligence, contract rigor, and contingency planning.
Protect Control Risks' premier brand reputation by ensuring zero tolerance for ethical breaches within the multi-tier extended supply chain.
Lead sustainability initiatives within the supply chain, including ESG-aligned sourcing and responsible supplier practices, and embed sustainability natively into the core of all sourcing decisions in alignment with ISO 20400 guidelines.

Team & Capability Building

Build and lead a high-performing global Procurement team over time.
Develop Procurement capability and training across the organisation.

Who You Are:

Proven experience building and scaling Procurement functions in a global professional services, legal or financial services organisation from early stage to maturity.
Deep domain expertise and advanced, practical knowledge of complex professional services procurement on an international scale
Strong commercial negotiation and supplier management expertise across major spend categories and in differing global supplier ecosystems
Experience designing Procurement governance and operating frameworks
Track record of delivering cost-optimisation and value-creation initiatives
Ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive organisational change
Strong understanding of risk, compliance and contractual governance
Excellent leadership, communication, and cross-cultural collaboration skills

Essential

Strategic and commercial mindset.

Understanding and experience of management of a professional services firm and associated procurement systems.

Analytical and capable of processing information and taking data-driven decisions quickly.

Communication and relationship-building skills at all levels.

Ability to synthesise, simplify and communicate complex financial issues succinctly.

Effective team worker, sympathetic to other cultures.

Well-organised in a pressured environment of changing priorities and able to meet tight deadlines.

Change management and transformation capability.

High integrity, sound judgment, and resilience.

Educated to degree level.

Fully qualified MCIPS (Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply) designation or equivalent globally recognised procurement accreditation is strongly preferred.

Candidates lacking formal MCIPS but possessing a top-tier MBA or advanced commercial degree, accompanied by 10+ years of dedicated, senior-level procurement experience (with about half of this in a supervisory or management capacity) will be considered.

Exposure to commercial (customer-facing) financial management and financial reporting.

Technologically fluent, with proven experience implementing modern Source-to-Pay (S2P) orchestration suites and a strong understanding of how AI is transforming supply chain data and workflows.

Benefits

What We Ofer:

Control Risks offers a competitively positioned compensation and benefits package that is transparent and summarised in the full job offer.
We operate a discretionary global bonus scheme that incentivises, and rewards individuals based on company and individual performance.
Control Risks supports hybrid working arrangements, wherever possible, that emphasise the value of in-person time together - in the office and with our clients - while continuing to support flexible and remote working.
As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join us and are fully committed to equal treatment, free from discrimination, of all candidates throughout our recruitment process

Control Risks is committed to a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age or veteran status"

If you require any reasonable adjustments to be made in order to participate fully in the interview process, please let us know and we will be happy to accommodate your needs.