Head of Procurement

Opportunity Brief: Head of Procurement Gemini Rail Ford & Stanley Executive Search (Part of the Ford & Stanley Group) are specialists in Executive Interim and Permanent appointments to the UK & North American, Rail, Engineering and General Manufacturing Industries. We have been exclusively entrusted and appointed by Gemini Rail Group on a retained search for a Head of Procurement that will be pivotal in ensuring the continued growth and evolution of the business. Below you will find an opportunity brief developed from notes taken during the scoping meeting (Situational Discovery) held between the Business Manager of F&S Executive Search, Senior Research Associate and Gemini Rail s Chief Operating Officer. This brief is designed to give candidates a deeper insight into the opportunity inherent within the role, the challenges the role presents and provide access to the detail that sits behind the job specification. Client Opportunity Statement:

Fundamental to the continuous development of the business, is the appointment of a commercially astute Head of Procurement. Someone who can think outside the box , challenge the status quo, and implement commercial improvements to the processes and procedures within the team. You will take ownership of a capable Procurement team who, although they have significant potential, are in need of stronger leadership and management. We are looking to establish a collaborative, dynamic and team centred culture where all members are valued with opportunities for support and professional development. You will have full involvement across the procurement team, remaining operationally involved (60%), focusing on improving processes and procedures (15%) and ensuring you provide strong support in the team to allow them to flourish (25%). Additionally, you will have a firm focus on building relationships across the business to increase commercial input from the procurement team. The Opportunity Main challenges that will be encountered in the 1st year:

• Whilst the business has an exceptionally strong orderbook, the cashflow is an area of improvement resulting in a requirement for a more in–depth thought process around purchasing & supplier engagement, particularly when it comes to that of payments.
• The new Head of Procurement will ensure visibility, engagement and presence within other areas of the organisation, proactively contribute to strategy and key operational decisions.
• The Head of Procurement will be tasked with developing and implementing a new team culture and positive dynamic to allow team members to flourish.

Top deliverables in the 1st year:

• You will have built strong relationships across the business with internal stakeholders to ensure high levels of collaboration.
• Evidenced the implementation of an improved team ethos that encourages personal growth, smarter working and increased productivity.
• Notable improvements to the procurement systems and processes

Agreed Hard Skills for candidates to secure an interview: MCIPS qualified, working towards or willing to work towards Would suit a Senior Procurement Manager, Senior Purchasing Manager, Senior Supply Chain Manager ready for a step up into Head of. Experience of Category/Procurement management within engineering or similar environment. A proven track record of empowering procurement teams and gaining a seat at the table . Capable of building strong relationships across the business to ensure collaboration between departments and stakeholder management. Able to operate in a hands–on fashion in addition to motivating the team Previous line management experience (2+ heads) Experience of managing tight cash flows and engaging / managing close relationships with key suppliers Ability to improve processes and procedures to streamline workload. Agreed Soft Skills for candidates to secure an interview: High emotional intelligence, gravitas who can build strong relationships but challenge when necessary. An ambitious individual who is keen to learn and progress their career. A strong motivator of people, able to set a culture and foster a strong working environment. Intrinsically motivated and able to self manage / work with a high degree of autonomy. Good to know:

• Gemini Rail Services are committed to delivering better journeys for rail passengers through maintaining, upgrading, and repairing the UK's rolling stock through innovative programmes and solutions.
• They are owned and operated by Mutares who have a vested interest in investing in the business as it continues on its journey.
• The role reports into COO and has 3 direct reports who are all performing but in need of increased leadership and mentorship.
• The position has become available due to the segregation process between Gemini and ADC under the Mutares ownership and the previous group Head of Procurement moving into / TUPE the ADC business.
• A new COO has joined the business with fresh ideas and a track record on how to take a good business and make it great , this is one of several hires that will make up his senior leadership team.
• It has been identified that a key aim for this position is to establish a strong culture and team dynamic within the department.
• In addition to the culture, the ELT is keen for the Head of Procurement (and the team) to build strong relationships across the business and ensure that procurement is involved in all conversations, having a seat at the table .
• The business has an exceptionally strong order book but cashflow is a key area for improvement. With this in mind procurement is seen as pivotal to the success of the business.
• The business is profitable and turns over roughly GBP24m with a procurement spend of GBP10m.
• The procurement process is currently initiated by either engineering or projects, transferred through to procurement and distributed based on capacity.
• Gemini complete both soft and hard procurement activities.
• In particular, the ELT are keen to establish procurement process that will allow the business to complete repeat projects quicker in areas where repetition is common.
• The business is looking to bring in a Head of Procurement who can think outside the box and implement commercial improvements to the processes and procedures.
• The role is expected to be 70% operational, with the other 30% dedicated to team management and relationship building.
• Historically, the procurement function has operated in a manual and hands off fashion. We are looking to establish a collaborative, and dynamic team environment where all members work shoulder to shoulder .
• The expectation is that the team will be able to quantify output against their key deliverables to ensure that the businesses continues its evolution.
• We are looking for someone ambitious who is keen to progress their career in line with business growth.
• The Head of Procurement will be required to challenge the status quo, hands on, implement the training and development of the team and break down the barriers between procurement and the other commercial areas of the business.
• There is currently a 16 week wait time on procurement transactions due to the efficiency and lead time of processes and materials.
• The Head of Procurement will have with category/procurement management experience from within an engineering discipline (Or similar).

About Gemini Rail Services:

Gemini Rail Services carry out major overhauls, heavy maintenance, modernisation, Incident Repair & Spares & Component Repairs delivered from our Wolverton facility in Milton Keynes. Gemini Rail Technology is a specialist rail vehicle engineering and turnkey project management company capable of delivering projects and rail solutions from any location. GemEco is Gemini Rail brand for new Technology, providing development of new/hybrid technologies, Hydrogen, Battery & advanced Fuel cells solutions. Decarbonisation, emission reduction and end to end delivery. Gemini bring together many years experiences in a Rail Market that is evolving at an ever–increasing pace. This earned trust makes them the partner of choice to provide innovative and competitive life cycle solutions to customers throughout the Rail industry, and makes them a vital part of their success. Our history

• Wolverton railway works was established in Wolverton, Buckinghamshire, by the London and Birmingham Railway Company in 1838 at the midpoint of the 112 miles–long route from London to Birmingham. In 1865 Wolverton was designated as the LNWR Carriage Works, eventually becoming the largest carriage works in the UK and In 1901, Wolvertonwas the first railway works to use electricity for lighting and driving machinery throughout and had a workforce rising to 4000 people.
• Post–war it continued its carriage construction work, including making large numbers of the all–new British Railways Mark 1 carriage, until the intervention of Dr. Beeching. In 1962, the works was downgraded to a repair facility, with the last new vehicle being completed in 1963. By 1964 the workforce had dropped from 4000 to 2000.
• More recently in February 1986 British Rail Engineering Limited split into two new groups, with Wolverton becoming part of the new BR Maintenance Group, which reduced staff to 850.
• Following ownership by Siemens Babcock, Alstom, Railcare and Knorr–Bremse . click apply for full job details