Case Study | Senior Procurement Manager recruitment in the Defence sector



The challenge

Having previously held multiple interviews prior to engaging Procurement Heads the client acknowledged it was a highly complex role with a tough brief to meet.

The brief also required political adeptness due to the following:

  1. The candidate needed the ability to lead – although initially they would have to undertake the majority of the activity themselves, they needed to have the capability to lead in the long term as the view was to grow a team around them. 
  2. The candidate had to demonstrate knowledge of a range of Procurement processes, such as the ability to run sourcing activities, create and implement framework agreements, and understand R2P process and how to apply due diligence process. 
  3. The role necessitated someone who was well versed with navigating very complex political landscapes – the candidate had to demonstrate the ability to operate in a politically challenging environment and the aptitude to build relationships with very challenging stakeholders who were resistant to change, both internally and externally. 
  4. The candidate had to have demonstrable evidence that they were able to deliver and had delivered in a similar role in the past. 
  5. The candidate needed relevant domain experience and to be a subject matter expert in Fleet Procurement as they’d be responsible for this organisation’s function and two very important contracts

The challenge was finding someone who had both the technical category experience and comprehensive Procurement knowledge, coupled with strong leadership skills and the emotional intelligence to win the trust of some very challenging stakeholders.

The solution – Procurement Heads deliver success

To help the client at a pivotal time, we agreed to pre-screen all candidates to achieve a higher success rate at interview. Leveraging our full network, we undertook a full search of the market, spoke to 52 candidates for the role and met 16.

Within 3 weeks we found the ideal candidate, and through the trust built with the client, from the initial telephone conversation to the offer being accepted, a huge time saving was achieved.

We met with the client multiple times throughout the process, built a strong rapport and were able to encourage the internal stakeholders to expedite the formal offer.

Through understanding the importance of finding the right candidate for the role we were invited to present at the organisation’s quarterly ‘Heads of’ meeting.

How did Procurement Heads successfully deliver against the client’s aims?

“James took time to fully understand the brief and ensured that all candidates put forward were suitable and prepared. James understands the importance of finding the right candidate for the role. It was a pleasure to work with him on this assignment and we will certainly be working with James and the Procurement Heads team in the future.”

What are the candidate’s thoughts about the hiring process?

“I can thoroughly recommend working with James Dobbin at Procurement Heads. James was great to work with and helped me in seeking a new Supply Chain and Procurement job. James kept me fully up to date with everything and was extremely professional throughout the whole process, always calling back in a timely manner. James is very forward-thinking and knowledgeable in his field and I would recommend him to anyone.”


Click here to read some of Procurement Heads’ client testimonials

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