Director/Head - Procurement

About the role

Role Summary: The Director/Head - Procurement is responsible for leading the end-to-end procurement strategy for the company's exhibitions, trade fairs, conferences, and live events. The role ensures the timely, cost-effective, and compliant sourcing of all goods and services required to deliver world-class exhibitions, including venues, stand contractors, freight and logistics, AV, signage, registration technology, security, cleaning, staffing, catering, and other event infrastructure. This position also drives vendor performance, contract governance, commercial savings, service quality, and risk control across the event portfolio. What do we offer: -A senior leadership role shaping the procurement policies of a leading B2B trade fair organization across India, Middle East, and Africa. -Exposure to global exhibition networks and international best practices. -A culture that values foresight, innovation, and performance excellence. 1. Procurement Strategy & Leadership -Strategic Alignment: Develop and execute an organizational procurement strategy mapped to business goals and the exhibition calendar. -Category Management: Build sourcing strategies for critical spend areas (venues, contracting, logistics, production, IT, marketing, and staffing). -Financial Planning: Lead annual procurement planning, budget forecasting, and cost-allocation models. -Governance & Team Leadership: Establish standard policies and workflows; mentor and lead the procurement team to drive high accountability. 2. Strategic Sourcing & Vendor Management -Lifecycle Management: Identify, prequalify, onboard, and manage end-to-end RFPs, tenders, and commercial negotiations. -Partnership Development: Build long-term strategic alliances with key vendors, venues, and specialized service providers. -Commercial Terms: Negotiate optimal pricing structures, payment terms, SLAs, rebates, and performance penalties. -Performance Evaluation: Deploy supplier scorecards and conduct business reviews to track quality, cost-competitiveness, and innovation. 3. Event-Specific Procurement Execution -End-to-End Delivery: Oversee timely sourcing for all exhibition needs, including venues, stand construction, AV, logistics, registration tech, security, branding, and catering. -Timeline Management: Secure all operational deliverables within strict pre-event milestones and timelines. -Cross-Functional Synergy: Partner with Operations, Marketing, Sales, and Finance to translate project needs into actionable sourcing plans. 4. Contract Management & Commercial Control -Contract Architecture: Lead the drafting, negotiation, and execution of robust vendor contracts focusing on scope, liability, force majeure, and cancellation terms. -Cost Control: Monitor live event spend against budgets to drive cost-containment, year-on-year savings, and cost avoidance. -Compliance Tracking: Manage contract variations, renewals, amendments, and strict vendor adherence to agreed commercial terms. 5. Risk, Compliance & Governance -Risk Mitigation: Address vulnerabilities regarding single-source dependency, event postponement, vendor insolvency, and health & safety standards. -Regulatory Compliance: Enforce internal policies, ethical sourcing practices, anti-bribery standards, and transparent audit readiness. -Data Maintenance: Secure up-to-date vendor documentation, including legal licenses, insurance, NDAs, and tax registrations. 6. Financial & Performance Management -KPI Tracking: Monitor metrics across savings, purchase order (PO) cycle times, budget adherence, and contract coverage. -Data Analytics: Analyze historical spend data across recurring exhibitions to maximize long-term buying power. -Reporting & Finance Alignment: Deliver executive dashboards and partner with Finance on forecasting, accruals, and invoice reconciliation. 7. Continuous Improvement & Innovation -Digital Transformation: Implement procurement tools, automated contract management systems, and centralized vendor databases. -Process Standardization: Standardize sourcing templates and evaluation criteria to scale processes efficiently across all events. -Value Creation: Introduce supply-chain Skills & Competencies -Strong commercial negotiation and contract management skills -Deep understanding of procurement lifecycle and spend management -Knowledge of exhibition/event operations and vendor ecosystems -Ability to manage multiple projects under tight deadlines -Strong financial acumen and budget control capability -Excellent leadership, stakeholder management, and team development skills -Analytical mindset with strong reporting and decision-making ability -High attention to detail, risk awareness, and problem-solving ability -Excellent communication and relationship-building skills -Proficiency in ERP/procurement systems, Excel, and reporting dashboards Candidate Requirements: -Bachelor's degree in supply chain, Procurement, Business Administration, Operations Management, or related field, preferred -Master's

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