Interim Procurement Specialist

Your new company You will be joining a large and complex public sector organisation responsible for supporting critical national infrastructure, operational capability, and secure strategic programmes across the UK. Operating within a highly regulated and security conscious environment, you will play a key role in delivering value through robust procurement practices, strategic sourcing initiatives, and the effective management of supplier and contract relationships. Supporting high-profile programmes and essential services, you will contribute to the successful delivery of outcomes that are critical to national resilience and operational effectiveness. Your new role As a Commercial & Procurement Specialist, you will lead and support end-to-end sourcing, supplier management and contract delivery across a varied and commercially diverse portfolio, including: • Full sourcing and tendering activity inline with PA23 and Public Regulations. • Managing both large, high value contracts and small, fast turn procurement exercises. • Supporting commercial activity within operational environments where reliability, continuity and performance are essential. • Overseeing supplier performance, service delivery, KPIs and risk mitigation. • Using CP&F/CPNS systems to manage procurement processes, financial controls and commercial governance. • Working across multiple defence-related buying areas (i.e goods and services; education/training services, specialist and generalist equipment, support services and medical). • Ensuring commercial alignment with security requirements, compliance frameworks and audit standards typical of the defence sector. • This is a hands on role requiring ownership, commercial confidence and the ability to support stakeholders in time-critical or operational environments. What you'll need to succeed To be successful, you should demonstrate: • Recent, hands on sourcing experience - leading tenders and commercial processes within the last 1-3 years. • Experience within defence, secure operations, or other regulated environments, understanding the pace, governance and assurance levels required. • Confident buying across multiple defence aligned categories and demonstrating experience in these relevant key areas. • Ability to handle both high-value strategic procurements and smaller, urgent requirements. • Security Clearance (SC) is essential; candidates without this being live will not be considered. • Strong stakeholder engagement skills, comfortable working with engineers, operational teams, project delivery, and senior decision-makers. What you'll get in return • The opportunity to work within one of the UK's most complex and respected defence aligned environments. • A supportive, collaborative environment focused on professional excellence and continuous improvement. • Competitive day rate with potential long-term development and extension opportunities. • Hybrid working options - South West based with a regular commute to site. Candidates who don't reside in the South West or based locally will not be considered. What you need to do now If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now. If this job isn't quite right for you, but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion about your career. Hays Specialist Recruitment Limited acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and employment business for the supply of temporary workers. By applying for this job you accept the T&C's, Privacy Policy and Disclaimers which can be found at hays.co.uk