Ref Number
B28-00358
Professional Expertise
Commercial and Procurement
Department
Finance, Commercial and Estates (B28)
Location
London
Working Pattern
Full time
Salary
£68,284-£78,386
Contract Type
Permanent
Working Type
Hybrid
Available for Secondment
No
Closing Date
09-Sept-2026
UCL is London’s leading multidisciplinary university, home to more than 18,000 staff and 51,000 students from over 150 countries. Alongside our global reputation for teaching and research, UCL operates at significant commercial scale, spending more than £900 million each year with third-party suppliers.
Our Commercial & Procurement function is focused on building an optimal, high-performing supply chain that delivers value for UCL while supporting our Sustainable Procurement Strategy and wider strategic ambitions. Through more effective sourcing, supplier management and demand management, the team plays an important role in ensuring UCL can continue to invest in its estate, people, research and long-term 2034 strategy.
We are looking for an experienced Head of Category – Estates Development to provide senior commercial and procurement leadership across UCL’s Estates Development portfolio.
Reporting to the Director of Supply Chain – Estates Development and leading a team of three Category Managers, you will take ownership of procurement and commercial contract management activity across the category. You will develop and deliver procurement strategies, lead large-scale tenders and complex negotiations, and ensure UCL secures robust commercial arrangements that deliver tangible value for money.
You will work closely with Faculties, Departments and senior stakeholders to understand their priorities and translate these into effective commercial solutions. You will lead supplier relationship management, drive non-pay savings and identify opportunities to improve processes, introduce new ways of working and strengthen commercial performance.
As a senior member of the Commercial function, you will also make a significant contribution to the Commercial Leadership Team, helping shape three-year plans and driving their successful delivery.
You will be an established senior procurement and commercial leader with significant experience of delivering complex, large-scale commercial solutions. You will have a strong track record of developing and implementing robust procurement and contracting strategies and operating successfully within a large, complex organisation.
Strong leadership will be essential. You will have experience of building and developing high-performing teams and of leading transformation and change. Commercially astute and an expert negotiator, you will be able to identify opportunities, build compelling cases for change and translate these into successful outcomes.
You will also be a credible and influential communicator, comfortable building relationships and influencing stakeholders at all levels. Collaborative and evidence-led in your approach, you will combine strategic thinking with the ability to deliver, bringing the commercial leadership needed to support a complex and ambitious Estates Development portfolio.
Alongside the exciting opportunity this role presents, we also offer some great benefits: • 41 Days of holiday (27 days annual leave, 8 bank holidays and 6 closure days)
- Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme
- Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
- Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
- Relocation scheme for certain posts
- Enhanced maternity,paternityand adoption pay
- Employeeassistanceprogramme: Staff Support Service
- Discounted medical insurance
Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/rewards-and-benefits to find out more.
As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.
