Strategic & Commercial Supply Chain Lead @ Unitedliving

Social Housing | Main Contractor Experience Essential

Are you an experienced Supply Chain or Procurement professional looking to make a strategic impact within the social housing sector?

We are seeking a Strategic Commercial Supply Chain Lead to drive sourcing strategy, supplier performance, commercial negotiations, and supply chain excellence across our growing Social Housing division. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a leading main contractor and play a key role in supporting operational delivery, work-winning activities, and long-term business growth.

The Role

As the Strategic Commercial Supply Chain Lead, you will take ownership of assigned spend categories, developing and implementing sourcing strategies that deliver measurable commercial value, reduce risk, and strengthen supplier partnerships.

Working closely with Operational, Commercial, Estimating, and Delivery teams, you will ensure the supply chain strategy aligns with business objectives while supporting the successful delivery of social housing programmes, including responsive repairs, planned maintenance, decarbonisation, retrofit, and refurbishment projects.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Supply Chain & Category Management

• Develop and implement long-term category strategies and procurement roadmaps.
• Analyse spend, market trends, and supplier performance to identify cost-saving and value-creation opportunities.
• Drive supplier consolidation strategies to maximise buying power and efficiencies.
• Collaborate with operational and commercial teams to forecast demand and optimise supplier frameworks.
• Monitor market conditions and emerging industry trends to mitigate risk and identify innovation opportunities.

Commercial & Strategic Sourcing

• Lead end-to-end sourcing activities including RFIs, PQQs, RFPs, and tender processes.
• Negotiate high-value framework agreements, pricing structures, rebates, and service level agreements.
• Partner with Estimating, Commercial, and Operations teams to support work-winning and project delivery objectives.
• Ensure all procurement activity complies with governance, policy, and regulatory requirements.
• Deliver measurable savings and commercial improvements across the supply chain.

Supplier Relationship Management

• Manage supplier onboarding, compliance, and performance processes.
• Establish and monitor supplier KPIs, ensuring continuous improvement and accountability.
• Conduct supplier reviews and performance management meetings.
• Identify and mitigate supply chain risks, including financial stability, capacity, material availability, and single-source dependencies.
• Build strategic partnerships that drive innovation, sustainability, and long-term value.

What We're Looking For

Essential Experience

• Proven experience within a Main Contractor environment.
• Strong background in Social Housing, including planned maintenance, repairs, refurbishment, retrofit, decarbonisation, or asset investment programmes.
• Minimum 5 years' experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, category management, or supply chain leadership.
• Demonstrable track record of delivering significant cost savings and commercial value.
• Experience managing supplier frameworks, commercial negotiations, and performance improvement programmes.

Skills & Knowledge

• Excellent commercial acumen with a strong focus on value creation and cost optimisation.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret spend data, trends, and market intelligence.
• Outstanding stakeholder management and relationship-building abilities.
• Strong understanding of procurement governance, contract management, and risk mitigation.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive strategic change.

Qualifications

• Degree-level qualification in Supply Chain Management, Business, Commercial Management, or a related discipline preferred.
• Professional procurement qualifications (CIPS or equivalent) desirable but not essential.
• Full UK Driving Licence.

What Success Looks Like

• Delivering measurable cost savings across key spend categories.
• Improving supplier performance and framework utilisation.
• Reducing supply chain and commercial risk.
• Building strong, strategic supplier partnerships.
• Supporting operational delivery and business growth through a high-performing supply chain.

If you're a commercially focused procurement professional with social housing and main contractor experience, we'd love to hear from you. Join us and help shape a best-in-class supply chain strategy that delivers value, quality, and long-term success.

Join us at United Infrastructure and be part of our mission to deliver innovative and sustainable solutions to the complex infrastructure needs of the UK.