Interim Senior Procurement Specialist

£45,740 + benefits | Bath | Hybrid

Full Time | 12-Month Fixed-Term Contract | 37 hours per week

Your Commercial Thinking. Our Pipeline. Real Community Impact.

Curo's supply chain pipeline over the next 12 months is packed with high-value, high-impact projects — and we're looking for an experienced Interim Senior Procurement Specialist to help us deliver them. This is a role for someone who thinks strategically and commercially, not transactionally. You'll lead complex, above-threshold public procurement competitions, shape category strategies, negotiate contracts that run into the millions, and use our supply chain to create real value for the communities we serve.

You'll run these competitions under the Procurement Act 2023, working across direct and indirect spend, building strong relationships with suppliers and colleagues, and bringing fresh commercial thinking to a team that's known its way around public procurement for years. It's a chance to get your hands on projects that genuinely matter — to Curo, and to the people who call Curo home.

What you'll be doing

You'll take the lead on a portfolio of above-threshold and regulated below-threshold competitions across Curo's procurement and supply chain function, shaping strategy and delivery from start to finish. The bulk of the pipeline sits in Property Services — planned and reactive maintenance, building safety, cyclical works and the operational contracts that keep homes safe and well looked after — alongside corporate frameworks and estates contracts that touch every part of the business.

Curo's housing stock is genuinely mixed, from modern blocks through to listed Georgian and Victorian properties, which means the contracts you run have real texture: conservation considerations, building safety regulation, and a portfolio that asks more of a procurement professional than a one-size-fits-all framework. In any given quarter you might be running a competition for fire safety works, scoping a corporate framework, or negotiating contract terms for a cyclical maintenance programme on period stock. No two competitions look the same, and the projects you lead will be shaped around your experience and the team's evolving plan.

Alongside running competitions, you'll:

• Develop category management strategies and framework agreements that deliver cashable savings and measurable service improvements

• Negotiate and draft commercial contracts that protect value and build fair, long-term supplier relationships

• Use spend, performance and market data to shape practical recommendations for stakeholders across the business

• Build strong relationships with internal teams and supply partners through active contract management, resolving issues early and unlocking innovation

• Help embed social value into every contract, turning procurement activity into tangible benefit for our customers and communities across the South West

• Share your knowledge with colleagues across the team, including a trainee just starting their procurement journey

What you'll get in return

Beyond a salary of £45,740 and the chance to shape genuinely significant contracts, you'll get:

• 26 days annual leave per year (plus bank holidays) rising to 29 days after 3 years

• Your birthday off as an extra holiday

• Up to 10% matched pension contribution

• Hybrid working (3 days office, 2 days home)

• Flexible benefits which might include a Health Cash Plan

• Access to an Employee Assistance Programme for your own wellbeing

More about you

You're an experienced UK public sector procurement professional with a commercial mindset and a track record of delivering compliant, above-threshold competitions end to end. You know the Procurement Act 2023 and Procurement Regulations 2024, and you're comfortable applying them to real projects rather than just referencing them.

You're analytical and methodical, with the patience and attention to detail to interrogate spend data, contract performance and market information — and the communication skills to turn what you find into practical, trusted advice for colleagues who aren't procurement specialists.

You build relationships easily, influence without friction, and are just as comfortable negotiating with suppliers as you are supporting a colleague through a tricky tender. CIPS qualified or qualified by experience — either works for us. Fresh ideas are welcome here; we want someone who'll bring a point of view, not just process a pipeline.

Essential:

• Proven experience of running compliant above-threshold public procurement competitions and regulated below-threshold contracts end to end, gained within a UK public sector or public body environment (for example local authority, housing association, NHS, central government or arms-length body)

• Strong working knowledge of the Procurement Act 2023 and Procurement Regulations 2024

• A track record of delivering measurable value for money and social value through procurement and contract management

• Experience of negotiating and drafting B2B commercial contracts, and carrying out market analysis

• Experience of managing supplier relationships and performance in a way that drives service improvement and resolves issues early

• Strong commercial judgement, analytical skills and the ability to communicate clearly with non-specialists

Desirable:

• A procurement qualification such as CIPS Level 4, or working towards MCIPS or equivalent (we welcome candidates qualified by experience — the depth of what you've delivered matters more than the certificate on the wall)

• Experience of procurement within a housing association or registered social landlord

• Working knowledge of Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, TUPE and the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

We welcome applications from candidates returning to work after a career break — if you have strong UK public sector procurement experience and want a meaningful project-led role to step back in with, we'd love to hear from you.

About Curo

We're a leading South West housing association with social purpose at our heart. We provide affordable homes and create positive futures in our communities. We're proud to be among the UK's top 100 companies to work for, and the 5th best housing association nationwide.

We actively welcome applications from candidates who identify as disabled, LGBTQ+, from ethnic minority backgrounds, and from our Curo customers.

We're committed to making our recruitment process accessible to everyone — if you need any adjustments to help you apply or interview, please contact our recruitment team at recruitment@curo-group.co.uk