Strategic Procurement Manager

All Locations Bournemouth Position Supply Chain/Procurement Vacancy Type Permanent Function Contracts Commercial & Supply Chain
The Role

Strategic Procurement Manager

Location: Hurn

Hours: Full-time 37 hours | Permanent

Draken believes in fair reward and recognition for our employees. As such, we offer competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits package including up to 12% matching pension contributions, bonus incentives, discounted PMI, electric car scheme, tech vouchers, wellbeing programmes and much more.

The Role

Draken is a leader in Electronic Warfare and Red Air Aggressor Training, delivering innovative, mission-critical solutions to our customers. We pride ourselves on collaboration, forward-thinking, and continuously improving how we operate

We’re looking for a commercially astute Procurement Manager to play a key role in supporting our programmes and bid activity from the outset. This is a highly strategic position where you’ll provide early procurement input into bids, lead supplier and contract activities, and ensure robust, compliant routes to supply that meet cost, quality, and schedule requirements.

Working closely with Engineering, Technology, and Programme teams, you’ll support the full procurement lifecycle—from bid and source selection through to contract award and in-service support—while driving value, managing risk, and improving performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver procurement strategies aligned with programme and business objectives
• Provide early procurement input into bids, including pricing and supplier engagement
• Lead tendering, negotiation, and contract execution activities
• Build and manage key supplier relationships to ensure performance, quality, and competitiveness
• Support engineering lifecycle activities (e.g. PDR/CDR) and programme delivery
• Identify and mitigate supply chain and commercial risks
• Ensure compliance with procurement governance, export controls, and company policies
• Capture and deliver cost savings and value improvements

Experience / skills / qualifications

• Proven experience in procurement within a complex manufacturing or engineering environment
• Strong commercial judgement, balancing cost, risk, quality, and schedule
• Experience managing high-value, complex negotiations and contracts
• Solid understanding of contract risk and supplier management
• Ability to analyse procurement data and use ERP / supplier systems effectively
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with the confidence to influence and challenge
• Knowledge of regulated environments and compliance requirements
• CIPS (or working towards) is desirable

We are looking for an adaptable, pro-active problem solver with a can-do attitude, who has strong stakeholder management experience and good organisational skills.

Our employee values

Draken is committed to eliminating unlawful and unfair discrimination and we celebrate the differences that a diverse workforce brings. A range of perspective and talent supports our values and drives our success, with a mix of voices generating better discussions, business decisions and outcomes for all.

At all our sites internationally, every member of the Draken team is accountable to ensure that we are all treated fairly and with respect.

We are also an Armed Forces friendly organisation, and as part of our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, welcome applications from veterans and services spouses and partners who met the criteria in our job specifications.

In line with our Disability Confident Commitments, we provide reasonable adjustments to facilitate our interview process, please liaise with us if any reasonable adjustments are required.

About Us Whether it is adversarial support, electronic attack or customised rotary-wing training, we offer the most accurate and advanced readiness training in the industry. Our vast, differentiated fleet, cutting edge hardware and experienced instructors are engaged to help your mission take off Being ready is not only a matter of when. But where. We provide services in the UK, US and across the NATO countries. Making sure that our allies can manoeuvre around defeat and prepare to prevail