Senior Procurement Manager – Construction

We are supporting a leading international data centre developer and operator in the appointment of a Senior Procurement Manager to join its European team.

This is a key hire into a growing procurement function and requires someone with a deep understanding of construction procurement, contracting and major capital projects.

The business is continuing to expand across Europe and is evolving the way it engages with its construction supply chain. Rather than relying solely on traditional project-by-project RFI/RFP processes, the team is looking to develop long-term strategic partnerships with a select group of General Contractors across its key European markets.

The successful individual will play an important role in making that happen.

The role

Working closely with Procurement, Construction, Design, Legal, Finance and senior leadership, you’ll take ownership of complex procurement activity supporting major data centre developments across Europe.

Responsibilities will include:

• Leading procurement strategy for major construction projects and associated services
• Developing strategic relationships with General Contractors and key supply-chain partners
• Helping establish longer-term GC partnerships across individual countries and regions
• Leading contractor engagement, commercial evaluation, negotiation and contract award
• Working with construction and design teams to establish appropriate procurement and contracting strategies
• Providing commercial input throughout the project lifecycle
• Understanding and applying European construction procurement processes, including RIBA stages and German VOB frameworks
• Working with construction contracts including FIDIC Yellow Book and comparable design-and-build arrangements
• Negotiating commercial terms and appropriate allocation of contractual and delivery risk
• Supporting contractor and consultant selection and challenging qualifications, exclusions and assumptions
• Resolving commercial and contractual issues during project delivery
• Managing supplier performance and developing relationships beyond individual transactions
• Supporting the development of procurement processes, policies, templates and governance as the function continues to mature
• Identifying opportunities to improve procurement efficiency, consistency and commercial outcomes across Europe

The formal brief also gives the position exposure beyond pure construction, including professional services, IT contracts and managed services, so there is scope to broaden your remit over time.

What we’re looking for

The key requirement is strong construction knowledge.

We’re looking for someone who understands the construction lifecycle and can operate credibly with Project Directors, Construction Directors, General Contractors, consultants and commercial teams without requiring extensive technical hand-holding.

Ideally, you’ll bring:

• 8-12+ years of procurement, commercial or strategic sourcing experience
• Significant experience within construction procurement and major capital projects
• Strong understanding of construction contracting and commercial risk
• Experience engaging and negotiating directly with major General Contractors
• Knowledge of RIBA project stages
• Knowledge or experience of German VOB procurement/contracting
• Working knowledge of FIDIC Yellow Book
• Experience developing strategic supplier or contractor relationships
• Strong commercial negotiation and contract management skills
• Experience working across multiple European markets would be advantageous
• Data centre, mission-critical or major infrastructure experience would be beneficial but is not essential
• CIPS or equivalent professional qualification would be beneficial

Just as importantly, we’re looking for someone who is adaptable, collaborative and comfortable working in an evolving environment.

The procurement function is developing rapidly, so this isn’t an opportunity for somebody looking to simply inherit an established playbook. You’ll need to listen, understand the business, challenge where appropriate and help develop practical solutions rather than assuming the way things have always been done is the way they should continue to be done.

Why join?

The business is at an interesting point in the development of its European procurement strategy.

There is an opportunity to influence how the company engages with major contractors, help build strategic GC relationships across Europe and contribute to the development of procurement processes that will support a growing development pipeline.

You’ll be joining a highly active team with significant projects underway across multiple European markets and genuine scope to influence how the procurement function evolves.

Location: UK based, ideally able to work from the London office approximately three days per week
Travel: European travel required

To discuss the opportunity confidentially, click apply or contact Ben Palmer at DataX Connect.