APUC Dunfermline, Scotland, United Kingdom
Head of Procurement
Location: Hybrid (on‑site attendance at Fife College's Dunfermline campus)
Employment: Permanent, Full‑time – 9 day fortnight (other working patterns/hours will be considered)
How to Apply: Send your CV and covering letter to careers@apuc-scot.ac.uk, noting your current salary and notice period.
The Head of Procurement is responsible for contributing directly to the success of Fife College, one of the largest colleges in Scotland. The College has five campuses located across Fife: Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes, Levenmouth and Rosyth.
This is an exciting time to join the College, with the newly opened, state‑of‑the‑art Dunfermline City Campus – carefully designed to provide learners with the best possible experience and facilities for their course. It is also the first major development to adopt the Scottish Government’s Net Zero Public Sector Buildings Standard.
This role presents a unique opportunity to collaborate strategically with a strong, pragmatic College Leadership Team across a wide range of areas — from Estates and Digital to Professional Services. The postholder will have the College Services: East Team to lean on – a collaborative, experienced, and friendly bunch who are always happy to share best practice.
The prospective Head of Procurement should have demonstrable experience of working within a procurement role with some autonomy, relevant tendering experience, and an appropriate knowledge of EU / Scottish procurement regulations. Excellent stakeholder management, organisational and communication skills are essential.
The post holder will be required to utilise techniques of cost reduction, supplier selection and demand management, along with production/leverage of enhanced management information, market intelligence and advanced supplier/contract management techniques, including monitoring and delivery of improvements in ethical/social and environmental aspects and continuing to maintain APUC’s position as a leading Centre of Procurement Expertise.
Responsibilities
* Establish and maintain Procurement Strategy (statutory duty) and the annual Procurement Report (statutory duty).
* Manage senior, operational and key centrally managed supplier relationships.
* Support directly employed Fife College staff involved in procurement, where required.
* Coordinate a procurement network within Fife College of people involved in devolved operation procurement activity / procurement process gatekeeping.
* Undertake appropriate spend analysis activity and manage tendering of institution‑wide specific supplies/services where significant benefit for Fife College is evident.
* Oversee Contract & Supplier management in partnership with stakeholders across Fife College.
* Develop and facilitate procurement processes based on the "Procurement Journey" and provide operational guidance for lower-value procurement exercises.
* Enshrine robust and relevant sustainable procurement principles within FC supply chain, within EU procurement directives, Scot‑Gov, UK‑Gov CE declarations and sector adherence to Climate Commission targets.
* Implement the Sustain Supply Chain Code of Conduct and the Scottish Government Sustainable Procurement Duty.
* Plan and deliver FC‑focused procurement awareness training.
* Act as the key link between FC and the APUC collaborative procurement team and facilitate the implementation of suitable framework agreements.
* Represent FC on the sector‑wide Procurement Strategy Group and contribute to sector‑wide joint initiatives.
* Conduct a contract sweep and populate and manage ongoing the Hunter contract register, contract update tools, etc.
* Undertake statutory reporting for FC and routine reporting within FC.
* Provide options appraisal for FC in higher‑risk or ambiguous procurement matters to support informed judgement.
About APUC
Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges (APUC) is the Centre of Procurement Expertise for, and owned jointly by, all of Scotland’s Universities and Colleges. With collaboration, responsibility, and integrity at the heart of what we do, we help our member institutions achieve their objectives, whether it is putting together Framework Agreements, reducing the sector’s carbon emissions or working directly in one of our client institutions.
Joining APUC means joining a community of peers and gaining network opportunities throughout the year. Peer support and collaboration are integral at APUC. We currently employ around 90 people, most of whom are based within Colleges and Universities but with some based in our regional offices in Stirling (HQ), Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Why work for us
* Work‑life balance with flexible options (flexible start/end times, longer/shorter lunches). Full‑time hours are 35 per week, compressible to 4.5 days per week, 9 days per fortnight, or 5 × 7‑hour days.
* Holiday entitlement of 26 × 7‑hour days plus 14 fixed and floating days, pro‑rated for part‑time hours.
* Closed for the festive period (Christmas to New Year) and Good Friday/Easter Monday.
* Automatic pension enrolment and Group Life Assurance based on annual salary from day 1.
* Enhanced maternity, paternity, and shared parental pay.
* Career development via regular performance reviews, professional and leadership qualification funding, procurement skills programmes and internal workshops.
* Employee Representative and Consultation Group that meets quarterly; regular feedback mechanisms.
* Cycle‑to‑work schemes available through Cycle Solutions and Halfords (max £3,000).
* Retail and gym membership discounts via the mydiscounts portal.
* Home & Technology benefit – affordable access to new tech by saving on National Insurance; includes tablets, laptops, desktops, SmartTVs, game consoles, garden furniture, tools, etc.
* Access to Scotwest Credit Union for loans, mortgages and savings.
* Employee Well‑being Policy, Annual Plan, trained Mental Health First Aiders and all people managers trained to support employees with mental health issues.
* EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) available online, including health and wellbeing articles and counselling bookings.
* Well‑being activities and events throughout the year aligned with national mental and physical health awareness dates.
Job Details
Seniority level: Director
Employment type: Full‑time
Job function: Purchasing and Supply Chain
Industry: Higher Education
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