Spend Control Manager
Newton-le-Willows | Performance Review Team
Salary: £47,500 per annum
Hours: Full-time, Monday to Friday
Location: Newton-le-Willows
The Kingdom Group delivers award-winning service solutions with care across Security, Cleaning, Recruitment and Training.
We are looking for a Spend Control Manager to take ownership of Group spend — delivering clarity, control, and value while ensuring strong governance and best value from our suppliers.
This role focuses on spend discipline, visibility, and procurement leadership, working closely with Finance, Commercial, Operations, and Service Leaders to embed consistent processes and accountability across the Group. Automation, data, and technology will be central to how you strengthen controls and drive insight.
Experience/Qualifications/Licenses/Competencies
(holding or working towards is a distinct advantage)
* Proven experience in spend management, procurement, or commercial governance, ideally within a large multi-service or facilities-based organisation.
* Demonstrable success in establishing spend controls, spend out/down and improving compliance and visibility across multiple divisions.
* Strong analytical and data-handling skills, with experience in spend reporting, dashboards, and category analysis.
* Experience leading supplier negotiations, preferred supplier frameworks, and rebate mechanisms that deliver measurable value.
* Confident using automation, workflow approvals, or AI-based analytics to monitor spend activity and detect anomalies.
* Working towards or qualified to CIPS Level 4 or higher.
* A proactive, structured, and improvement focused mindset.
* Five-year checkable employment history including 2 work references, personal credit check, and right to work documentation.
Live Our Culture
* Aligned to our CARE values.
* Thrives working in a fast-paced, service-led, entrepreneurial environment
* Confident to change the status quo and look for better ways of working with a can-do approach.
* Takes ownership and accountability to follow through tasks
* Champions consistency, process compliance and communication.
* A confident brand ambassador, passionate about delivering service with care
Skills
* Hands-on and analytical, able to turn data into clear insight and action.
* Expert in controlling spend, authorisations, and budgets while maintaining operational agility.
* Commercially minded and experienced in managing supplier performance and relationships.
* Highly systems-savvy and confident using automation and AI to strengthen controls and detect anomalies.
* Collaborative and confident communicator — able to win buy-in from operational teams while maintaining governance.
* Calm under pressure with a solutions-focused mindset and commitment to continuous improvement.
Results
* Proven track record in tightening spend controls, improving compliance, and delivering measurable cost avoidance, savings, and supplier value.
Below is not an exhaustive list and any other reasonable and fair role relevant tasks may be added
SPEND CONTROL & VISIBILITY
* Establish and maintain Group wide spend controls covering authorisations, approvals, and budget compliance.
* Ensure all spend is visible, categorised, and validated against budgets and approved suppliers.
* Analyse spend trends to identify opportunities for consolidation, cost avoidance, and efficiency.
* Use AI and automation to detect anomalies, highlight overspend risks, and improve forecasting accuracy.
* Build a culture of spend discipline across all divisions, ensuring accountability at every level.
PROCUREMENT LEADERSHIP & VALUE CREATION
* Manage and improve supplier frameworks, ensuring pricing, performance, and compliance are consistent across the Group.
* Lead supplier negotiations to achieve value and strengthen commercial terms.
* Develop and maintain preferred supplier and rebate programmes to deliver measurable benefit and transparency.
* Drive continuous improvement in supplier management through structured reviews and data led feedback.
PROCESS IMPROVEMENT & GOVERNANCE
* Standardise purchase order, approval, and invoice processes across the Group.
* Define and enforce clear thresholds and approval limits.
* Ensure accurate 3-way match (PO, GRN, invoice) and robust audit trails.
* Collaborate with Finance to build a single, accurate source of truth for spend data.
REPORTING & INSIGHT LEAD BY EXAMPLE
* Deliver monthly spend and procurement reports to the Group Board, highlighting trends, risks, and opportunities.
* Maintain a live savings and value tracker, reporting verified benefits against budget and baseline.
LEAD BY EXAMPLE
* Recruit, retain, and develop top talent through controlled structures, salaries, terms and conditions and succession planning. Install a united and together high-performing teamwork culture.
* Build team culture, capability, and accountability.
* Lead structured performance reviews with clear KPIs.
* Promote wellbeing, recognition, and balanced high performance.
* Support resolution of conflict and low-level disciplinary issues.