Direct Procurement Specialist

Direct Procurement / Strategic Sourcing Manager

Location: Bristol

The Role

We are seeking an experienced Direct Procurement / Strategic Sourcing professional to lead the sourcing and purchasing of retail furniture for large-scale rollout programmes. This role is heavily focused on global sourcing, supplier negotiation, and cost competitiveness, with full autonomy to source from international markets to achieve best-in-class commercial outcomes.

You will play a critical role in securing competitive pricing, ensuring supply continuity, and handing over robust procurement strategies to production teams to enable successful project delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end direct procurement activities, from supplier identification through RFQ, evaluation, and contract award

• Source, assess, and onboard domestic and international manufacturing partners to optimise cost, quality, and lead times

• Manage RFQs, cost breakdowns, and comparative analyses to support data-driven sourcing decisions

• Lead commercial negotiations to secure competitive pricing, payment terms, and contractual conditions

• Develop sourcing strategies aligned to rollout schedules, volumes, and budget targets

• Present and hand over procurement strategies to production and project teams

• Act as the primary commercial contact for key suppliers and manufacturers

• Collaborate with design, quality, logistics, and project delivery teams to ensure solutions meet technical, aesthetic, and functional requirements

• Monitor market trends, raw material pricing, and global manufacturing conditions to identify cost-saving and risk-mitigation opportunities

• Audit and manage supplier compliance across quality, sustainability, and ethical sourcing standards

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across cost reduction, lead-time optimisation, and supplier performance

Knowledge & Skills

• Strong understanding of manufacturing methods, production capability, and cost structures

• Experience in value engineering and cost optimisation

• Knowledge of domestic and international manufacturing landscapes

• Ability to analyse complex cost data and select best-fit sourcing solutions

• Confident interpreting technical drawings and specifications

• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills

Manufacturing exposure across:

• Woodwork (solid surface, veneering, lamination)

• Metalwork (tube, sheet, folding, welding)

• Plastics (bending, vacuum forming, injection moulding)

• Print and glass

Experience

• Substantial experience in procurement, buying, and supplier negotiation

• Strong background in manufacturing or production-led environments

• Proven experience evaluating multiple tenders and cost models

• Ideally experience within retail furniture production or a closely related sector

• International sourcing experience preferred but not essential