Our head offices based in the beautiful village of Hook Norton near Banbury. Here you will find our teams of finance, HR, purchasing, marketing & creative that support all of our locations across the Thomas Franks family. There is ample parking space available when visiting.
The Chief Procurement Officer has overall responsibility for the Group purchasing and supply chain strategy in line with ESG principles to maximise commercial value, operational efficiency, and quality standards across all business areas internationally. Working closely with operational leadership, finance, culinary, and compliance teams, the role ensures the effective procurement of goods and services internationally, strong supplier partnerships, contract compliance, and sustainable purchasing practices that support the Group’s financial and operational objectives. Managing and supporting the Group Purchasing Director.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Purchasing Strategy & Commercial Performance
- Lead the Group purchasing strategy by country, aligned with business objectives and growth plans.
- Deliver cost savings, margin improvement, and value optimisation across all purchasing categories in all countries.
- Monitor market trends by country, pricing movements, and supply risks to ensure proactive commercial decision making.
- Collaborate with the Chief Culinary Officer, The Group Commercial Director, the Chief Finance Officer, Managing Directors and operational teams to ensure purchasing supports operational efficiency and service excellence.
- Drive consistency in procurement processes, controls, and reporting across all business locations.
Supplier Management & Contract Negotiation
- Oversee effective supplier selection, negotiation, and contract management to secure best value, quality, and service.
- Build and maintain strategic supplier partnerships that support innovation, sustainability, and operational reliability by Country.
- Work with the Group Commercial Director and Group Purchasing Director to ensure supplier agreements are commercially robust, compliant, and aligned with Group risk management frameworks.
- Oversee with the Group Purchasing Director regular supplier performance reviews, identifying opportunities for improvement and consolidation.
- Resolve for all countries, supplier issues and disputes in a timely and commercially effective manner.
Compliance & Governance
- Implement and develop purchasing policies by country to ensure compliance and stream line processes and working practices in line with legal requirements.
- Ensure all purchasing activities comply with internal policies, contractual obligations, and regulatory requirements by country.
- Maintain strong governance over procurement procedures, approvals, and audit controls.
- Support compliance initiatives relating to food safety, sustainability, ethical sourcing, and health & safety standards.
- Work closely with legal counsel, the Group Commercial Director, the Chief Finance Officer and Group Purchasing Director to manage purchasing risk and contractual compliance.
- Ensure accurate purchasing data, reporting, and documentation are maintained across the Group and utilised to influence future decision making.
Operational & Supply Chain Support
- Ensure continuity of supply across all operational areas and in all countries while maintaining agreed quality and cost standards.
- Support the Group Commercial Director and mobilisation teams with procurement planning and supplier coordination for new contract launches.
- Lead and oversee departmental collaboration with culinary and operational teams by country to identify innovative products and category opportunities.
- Drive efficiencies within the supply chain of each country to improve service delivery and reduce operational disruption.
- Lead contingency planning for supply chain risks and market volatility.
Leadership & Team Development
- Lead the Group Purchasing Director and their team to support the development of the purchasing and procurement teams across the Group.
- Foster a culture of kindness, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Provide coaching, performance management, and professional development opportunities for the Group Purchasing Director and their team members.
- Build strong cross functional relationships at the most senior level with operations, finance, HR, compliance, and culinary teams.
- Act as a senior advisor to the executive team on procurement strategy, supplier markets, and commercial opportunities.
Qualifications, Skills & Experience
- Educated to degree level in a relevant business area
- Senior purchasing or procurement leadership experience within contract catering, foodservice, hospitality, or facilities management.
- Strong commercial and financial acumen with a proven track record of delivering cost savings and operational efficiencies internationally.
- Extensive experience in supplier negotiation, contract management, and strategic sourcing internationally.
- Knowledge of procurement compliance, governance, and risk management at the highest level.
- Experience managing complex supply chains and supporting multi-site operations internationally.
- Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to influence at senior executive level and build effective supplier partnerships.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
- Ability to lead and influence.
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Benefits
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Wider wallet scheme (discounts at major retailers, restaurants, gyms etc).
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Free meals on duty
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Volunteers leave - up to one day per year.
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Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoptive leave.
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Cycle to work scheme.
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Recommend a friend bonus.
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Unrivalled individual training and development.
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Well established apprenticeship programme.
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Team & company social events.
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Employee assistance programme.
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Workplace pension.
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Excellent career progression within a leading independent contract caterer.
About us
Thomas Franks is a founder led, fresh food catering business with a focus on excellence and service delivered with individuality, passion and style. We are unique in every approach and our clients, and our people are paramount to our daily success.
Disclaimer
All applicants must be able to demonstrate that they have the Right to Work in the UK to be considered for this role.
An enhanced DBS, Identity & reference checks (covering the last five years) will form part of the selection process. As an organisation using the Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) Disclosure service to assess applicants' suitability for positions of trust, Thomas Franks Ltd complies fully with the DBS Code of Practice and undertakes to treat all applicants for positions fairly. We are committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and undertake not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a Disclosure based on conviction or other information revealed. However, for any post in a school please be aware that any application is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such any criminal conviction, caution or bind-over must be declared.
Diversity and Inclusion at Thomas Franks
We actively encourage applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds and continue to develop a culture of growth and inclusion and would like to invite applications from groups who are currently under-represented, because we believe greater diversity leads to exceptional results and provides a better working life.
