Head of Group Commercial & Procurement

About KCR Group

KCR Group is a UK-based premium womenswear holding company operating two internationally recognised brands - Club L London and Lavish Alice - across 13 Shopify storefronts. The Group also owns Beyond Fulfilment, its UK fulfilment centre, giving KCR an integrated supply chain from production through to consumer delivery. Headquartered in Manchester with a growing presence in Dubai and a London Hub opening in September 2026, KCR is in an ambitious phase of international expansion across the EU, GCC, US, and Australia, with wholesale partnerships at Harvey Nichols, Bloomingdale's, and Ounass.

As the business scales across multiple entities, markets, and functions, commercial rigour and disciplined spend management across every category are critical strategic priorities. This role has been created by the CEO directly in response to that need.

The Role

The Head of Group Commercial & Procurement is a newly created, senior individual contributor role and the first dedicated procurement hire in KCR Group's history. Reporting directly to the CEO with a dotted line to the CFO, this person will own the full commercial spend agenda across the entire group - from garment production and fulfilment through to technology platforms, creative agencies, professional services, and everything in between.

The scope is intentionally broad. KCR is a multi-brand, multi-entity, multi-market business that has scaled rapidly without a centralised commercial function. The result is fragmented supplier relationships, unconsolidated spend, and significant untapped savings potential across nearly every category. This role exists to fix that - building the infrastructure, governance, and category strategies that bring discipline and commercial intelligence to how KCR spends its money.

This is a hands-on, high-ownership role. The right person will be as comfortable renegotiating a logistics contract as they are reviewing SaaS licence renewals, challenging agency retainers, or presenting a savings roadmap to the CEO and CFO.

Key Responsibilities

Procurement Strategy & Governance

• Design and implement KCR Group's first formal procurement framework, covering all direct and indirect spend categories across both brands and all group entities

• Build a group-wide supplier register, vendor tiering model, contract repository, and spend database from scratch

• Establish procurement policies, approval thresholds, and spend governance aligned to the CEO and CFO's financial controls agenda

• Conduct a comprehensive group-wide spend analysis to identify and prioritise savings opportunities across all categories

• Deliver a phased savings roadmap with quantified targets, presented to the CEO and CFO within the first 90 days

Garment Production & Supply Chain

• Own the commercial relationships with KCR's external garment manufacturers, fabric suppliers, and trims suppliers across Club L London and Lavish Alice

• Lead renegotiation of production contracts, MOQs, lead times, and payment terms to improve cost and margin

• Work closely with the design and product teams to ensure sourcing decisions align with brand quality standards and seasonal timelines

• Monitor and respond to evolving trade conditions including UK–India FTA implications and EU/GCC import duty structures

• Identify consolidation opportunities across the two brands' supply bases where quality and brand positioning allow

Fulfilment & Operational Procurement

• Act as the commercial lead for Beyond Fulfilment (KCR's owned UK fulfilment centre), owning supplier contracts, service agreements, equipment procurement, and operational input costs

• Drive cost-per-unit efficiency across fulfilment operations through competitive supplier management and ongoing contract review

Technology & Systems Spend

• Own and manage all technology and SaaS procurement across KCR Group, including Shopify storefront licences and apps across 13 storefronts, CRM platforms, PIM and DAM tools, search and discovery platforms, payment processors, and warehouse management systems

• Conduct an annual tech stack audit across both brands, identifying redundant tools, unconsolidated licences, and renegotiation opportunities

• Lead commercial negotiations and renewals for all major technology vendors, ensuring KCR is not auto-renewing at list price

• Work with the ecommerce and technology teams to evaluate new platform investments with robust commercial due diligence and ROI modelling

• Manage IT hardware, software licences, and communications contracts across all KCR offices and operational sites

Creative, Marketing & Agency Spend

• Own the commercial management of all creative and marketing supplier relationships, including photography studios, shoot production, video, design agencies, and freelance creative talent

• Review and renegotiate agency retainers across both brands, ensuring fee structures are benchmarked to market and scoped appropriately

• Manage paid media, PR, influencer platform, and affiliate programme supplier contracts in partnership with the marketing leadership

• Work with the Head of Creative and Marketing Manager to introduce production cost controls and approval processes for campaign and content spend

Professional Services, HR Tech & Facilities

• Manage procurement of legal, accountancy, consultancy, and recruitment agency services across the group, ensuring competitive terms and clear scope agreements

• Own facilities and utilities contracts across Manchester HQ, warehouse DC, and the Dubai office, including energy procurement and the DEWA/solar strategy

• Manage HR technology and people platform contracts including payroll, workforce management, and benefits providers

• Oversee procurement of travel, accommodation, and events across the group, implementing a policy framework to manage costs

Reporting, Performance & Commercial Intelligence

• Provide monthly procurement and commercial reporting to the CEO and CFO, including group spend dashboards, savings delivered versus target, contract coverage, and supplier performance

• Define and track a clear set of procurement KPIs: cost savings (£ and %), contract coverage %, supplier on-time delivery, and category-level cost trend

• Build commercial intelligence across key spend categories to inform budget-setting and strategic planning

• Ensure all procurement activity meets internal compliance requirements and supports KCR's ethical sourcing and ESG commitments

Essential Experience

• 5+ years in a senior procurement, commercial, or strategic sourcing role with broad category ownership

• Demonstrable track record of delivering material, measurable cost savings across a multi-category portfolio

• Experience building or significantly maturing a procurement function in a scaling or entrepreneurial business

• Proven ability to manage and negotiate complex, high-value supplier contracts across diverse categories

Desirable Experience

• Experience in a founder-led, fast-growth, or multi-brand retail environment

• Familiarity with international supply chains across UK, EU, and GCC markets

• Exposure to fulfilment, logistics, and warehouse operational cost management

• Understanding of DTC e-commerce cost structures and Shopify ecosystem

• Experience supporting international market expansion from a commercial cost perspective

Skills & Competencies

• Highly commercially minded and financially literate - able to build business cases, model savings scenarios, and present compellingly to senior leadership

• Analytical and data-driven, with the ability to interrogate spend data and develop category strategies from first principles

• Strong negotiator - confident, well-prepared, and effective across both strategic and transactional supplier conversations

• Broad and intellectually curious - equally engaged by a garment production contract and a SaaS platform renewal

• Collaborative and influential - able to work across functions without direct authority and bring stakeholders on the journey

• Entrepreneurial and self-sufficient - comfortable building from scratch with limited infrastructure and no team beneath them initially

• High personal standards and attention to detail, with natural alignment to a premium brand environment
  
  

What's on offer?

• Annual bonus scheme