Description
Head of Supply Chain - Submarines
Full time
Derby
This role will provide strategic leadership for the Operational Procurement team(s), ensuring the cost, quality, and delivery performance of the Aerospace commodity group while driving value creation through effective supplier engagement, relationship management, and continuous improvement. The role is responsible for developing and executing procurement and supplier management strategies and mitigating risks to ensure sustainable and efficient supply chain and procurement operations.
Why Rolls-Royce?
Rolls-Royce is one of the most enduring and iconic brands in the world and has been at the forefront of innovation for over a century. We design, build and service systems that provide critical power to customers where safety and reliability are paramount.
We are proud to be a force for progress, powering, protecting and connecting people everywhere.
We want to ensure that the excellence and ingenuity that has shaped our history continues into our future and we need people like you to come and join us on this journey.
We’ll provide an environment of caring and belonging where you can be yourself. An inclusive, innovative culture that invests in you, gives you access to an incredible breadth and depth of opportunities where you can grow your career and make a difference.
What we offer
We offer excellent development opportunities, a competitive salary, and exceptional benefits. These include bonus, employee support assistance and employee discounts.
Your needs are as unique as you are. Hybrid working is a way in which our people can balance their time between the office, home, or another remote location. It’s a locally managed and flexed informal discretionary arrangement. As a minimum we’re all expected to attend the workplace for collaboration and other specific reasons, on average three days per week.
What you will be doing
1. Ensure the Commodity Group achieves its goals in cost, quality, and delivery across the commodities within your Pillar
2. Drive effective supplier engagement and relationship management to maximize value propositions
3. Develop and implement an overarching strategic direction and strategy for the commodity
4. Execution of sourcing approaches that maximize value in line with strategic goals
5. Identify and select the best suppliers to meet organizational needs
6. Achieve optimal pricing and service terms through strategic negotiation
7. Build and sustain high-level relationships with key suppliers.
8. Manage and oversee the placement of orders for required components and services
9. Pursue claims and penalties from suppliers for any underperformance or deviations
10. Drive cost improvements while adhering to contractual rights and obligations
11. Assess and mitigate strategic risks within the procurement landscape
12. Review supplier order books and monitor capacity
13. Ensure suppliers are making necessary investments to meet organizational requirements
14. Evaluate if suppliers can meet immediate capacity needs
15. Assess suppliers’ systems, processes, and tools for long-term performance, capability and capacity
16. Oversee daily parts ordering, status tracking, and expediting processes
17. Coordinate delivery locations and methods
18. Manage concessions for technical approvals related to deviations in parts or processes
19. Address issues related to delivered quality and ensure corrective actions are implemented
20. Monitor and improve supplier performance through sponsoring and driving active development programs
21. Implement risk management practices to ensure we identify and mitigate risks at the earliest point
22. Lead improvement projects to reduce costs and defects, including technical cost reduction initiatives
Who we’re looking for:
At Rolls-Royce we put safety first, do the right thing, keep it simple and make a difference. These principles form the behaviours that guide us and are an essential component of our assessment process. They are the fundamental qualities that we seek for all roles.
23. Proven track record in Procurement and Supply Chain Management and in leadership of large and diverse teams
24. Experience of working in complex organisations and in large, regulated manufacturing environments
25. High level of procurement and commercial acumen, backed up by relevant professional qualifications and/or accreditations
26. Demonstrable record of delivering and sustaining performance improvements through high performing teams, focussed on simplification, efficiency and waste reduction
27. Delivery and stakeholder/ customer focus
28. Being a role model for positive and engaging leadership
29. Displays energy, drive and urgency in all aspects of their role
30. A role model of the Rolls-Royce core values & behaviours
We are an equal opportunities employer. We’re committed to developing a diverse workforce and an inclusive working environment. We believe that people from different backgrounds and cultures give us different perspectives which are crucial to innovation and problem solving. We believe the more diverse perspectives we have, the more successful we’ll be. By building a culture of caring and belonging, we give everyone who works here the opportunity to realise their full potential.
You can learn more about our global Inclusion strategy at
To work for the Rolls-Royce Submarines business an individual has to hold a Security Check clearance. Rolls-Royce will support the application for Security Clearance if you do not currently already have this in place. Due to the nature of work the business conducts and the protection of certain assets we can only progress applications from individuals who are a UK national or, in MoD approved cases, a dual national.
Job Category
Procurement
Posting Date
21 Nov 2025; 00:11
Posting End Date
06 Dec 2025