Program Procurement Lead

Every day we deliver safe and secure energy to homes, communities, and businesses. We are there when people need us the most. We connect people to the energy they need for the lives they live. The pace of change in society and our industry is accelerating and our expertise and track record puts us in an unparalleled position to shape the sustainable future of our industry. To be successful we must anticipate the needs of our customers, reducing the cost of energy delivery today and pioneering the flexible energy systems of tomorrow. This requires us to deliver on our promises and always look for new opportunities to grow, both ourselves and our business.

At National Grid, we aim to create an environment where everyone is welcomed for who they are and where our differences are celebrated. We utilize the insights of our employees that come from all different cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs to better serve our customers and communities

The Program Procurement Lead is responsible for leading end to end sourcing, category strategy development, and supplier management across complex, high value procurement portfolios and capital programs.

This role combines hands on commercial execution with strategic category and program level procurement leadership, ensuring alignment with business objectives, delivery of measurable value, and long term supply chain resilience.

The individual will lead a team of Buyers and Associate Buyers, while supporting procurement strategy and execution across large scale capital programs and multi project portfolios.

Strategic Sourcing & Commercial Leadership

• Lead the end to end sourcing lifecycle (RFI/RFP/RFx, negotiation , contract execution) for complex, high value engagements
• Develop and execute commercial negotiation strategies, including pricing models, risk allocation, and contract structures
• Drive competitive sourcing events to optimize cost, quality, and service delivery
• Ensure contracts align with legal, regulatory, and risk management frameworks

Category Strategy

• Develop and execute multi year category strategies aligned with business priorities and capital investment plans
• Perform spend analysis, market intelligence, and supplier benchmarking
• Apply Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and lifecycle cost modeling
• Identify and deliver cost savings, cost avoidance, and value creation initiatives
  

Program Procurement

• Support procurement delivery across large scale capital programs (e.g., infrastructure, transmission, EPC projects)
• Develop and implement program level procurement strategies, aligned with project timelines, risk profiles, and delivery models
• Lead sourcing for major program packages (e.g., EPC, engineering services, equipment, construction services)
• Coordinate procurement activities across multiple concurrent projects within a program or portfolio
• Partner with Program Management, Engineering, and Commercial teams to ensure procurement integration into project delivery plans
• Support development of contracting strategies (EPC, EPCM, DBB, framework agreements)
• Identify and mitigate supply chain risks impacting program delivery (capacity constraints, market volatility, supplier dependency)
• Monitor and report on procurement performance across programs (cost, schedule, risk, supplier performance)

Supplier & Stakeholder Management

• Build and manage strategic supplier relationships and governance framework
• Establish preferred supplier programs, pricing mechanisms, and onboarding processes
• Collaborate with cross functional stakeholders (Engineering, Legal, Finance, Operations, Program Teams)
• Lead supplier performance management, including KPIs and continuous improvement initiatives

Team Leadership & Capability Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Buyers and Associate Buyers
• Provide direction on sourcing strategies, negotiations, and supplier engagement
• Foster a high performance, collaborative procurement culture
• Support capability development, training, and knowledge sharing
  

Operational Excellence & Governance

• Ensure compliance with procurement policies, governance standards, and regulatory requirements
• Drive process standardization and continuous improvement across sourcing and contract management
• Manage multiple concurrent sourcing and program initiatives effectively
• Support implementation and optimization of procurement systems (e.g., SAP, Ariba)

What You'll Need

• 7-10+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, category management, or procurement leadership
• Proven experience supporting capital programs, infrastructure projects, or large scale sourcing portfolios
• Strong expertise in commercial negotiations and complex contract structures
• Demonstrated track record delivering cost savings, value creation, and risk mitigation
• Experience leading and developing procurement teams (buyers)
• Strong stakeholder engagement across technical, commercial, and program environments
• Bachelor's degree required; certifications (CPSM, CIPS, APICS) preferred
  
  Additional Preferred Qualifications
• Experience with EPC / EPCM / DBB contracting models
• Familiarity with transmission, utilities, or energy infrastructure programs
• Experience in program procurement governance and portfolio level planning
• Strong knowledge of TCO modeling, supplier risk management, and market intelligence
• Experience working within US energy markets, with exposure to Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) and PJM is a plus