Leading procurement change at scale in a highly regulated public sector environment
THE ISSUE
As public sector organisations undergo large-scale restructuring, procurement and commercial functions are expected to play a more strategic role in enabling change, resilience, and value for money. Yet without the right leadership in place, these functions can struggle to shift beyond operational delivery and realise their full impact across the organisation.
Strong commercial and procurement leadership is critical to delivering better outcomes, greater value for money,
and sustainable public services.
THE COMPANY
London Fire Brigade is one of the largest and most complex fire and rescue services in the world, serving the capital and operating at significant scale.
As a critical public sector organisation, London Fire Brigade is responsible not only for emergency response but also for ensuring robust governance, commercial accountability, and value for money across its operations. Following a major organisational restructure, the Brigade sought to strengthen its procurement and commercial leadership capability to support long-term transformation and operational resilience.
THE CHALLENGE
Following a comprehensive organisational restructure, London Fire Brigade identified the need to create a new senior leadership role, Assistant Director of Procurement and Commercial. The position was critical to strengthening strategic capability across procurement and commercial functions, while supporting a wider transformation agenda.
The challenge was to identify an individual with the credibility and experience to lead at scale within a complex public sector environment. This required a proven track record of managing large teams, navigating governance and stakeholder complexity, and driving meaningful change across an established organisation.
Given the seniority and importance of the role, London Fire Brigade required a retained search partner capable of delivering a targeted, discreet headhunting campaign and of engaging high-calibre leaders who were not actively in the market.
Procurement leaders play a vital role in shaping organisational strategy, managing risk, and delivering long term value, particularly within complex and regulated environments.
OUR APPROACH
Procurement Heads was appointed on a retained basis to deliver a targeted and discreet headhunting campaign for London Fire Brigade.
Our approach included:
- A detailed briefing to understand the newly created role, organisational context, and transformation objectives
- Comprehensive market mapping across the public sector and adjacent environments
- Proactive engagement of senior procurement and commercial leaders with experience operating at scale
- Rigorous assessment of leadership capability, governance expertise, and cultural alignment
- Close collaboration with stakeholders, providing clear insight, challenge, and progress throughout the process
THE OUTCOME
Procurement Heads successfully appointed a highly experienced Assistant Director of Procurement and Commercial, providing London Fire Brigade with the leadership capability required to support its transformation agenda.
As a result:
- A critical senior leadership role was filled through a retained, headhunted search
- The appointment acted as a catalyst for wider transformation across the procurement and commercial function
- Procurement Heads went on to deliver 15 further permanent and interim placements into the organisation
- All additional hires were made outside of the agreed MSP framework, reflecting the scale, complexity, and trust established
- A long-term partnership was formed, supporting ongoing capability building within the function.