Home. There’s no place like it.
And there’s no feeling like helping people create the joy of feeling truly at home. At Dunelm, that’s what we do. We’re the UK's number one choice for homewares because we make home life lovelier for our customers. And the caring and supportive culture we've created makes this a place you'll feel right at home too.
The Non-Stock Procurement function plays a central role in supporting Dunelm to achieve strong commercial value, appropriate risk management and robust governance across third-party spend. The team oversees procurement activity outside of resale goods, partnering closely with the business to shape how non-stock spend is planned, challenged and managed. Remit includes procurement from professional services, technology, marketing, logistics, and property suppliers, and indirect operational spend. Working closely with Finance, Legal and senior business stakeholders, the team supports strategic decision-making and delivers strong commercial outcomes. As the function continues to mature, there is a clear expectation that Non-Stock Procurement will engage earlier in planning cycles and strengthen commercial insight to deliver improved cost and value outcomes for the business.
The Head of Non-Stock Procurement sits at the centre of Dunelm’s ongoing focus on cost discipline and is accountable for the governance, optimisation and performance uplift of c.£300m+ of annual non-stock spend, operating as the single senior point of accountability across the enterprise. Therefore, the role comes with a clear mandate to materially increase the operational effectiveness, pace, and commercial impact of the Non-Stock Procurement function, evolving it from a predominantly reactive model to a more proactive, insight-led and value-driving capability.
The role partners closely with senior leaders to enable investment decisions, shape demand earlier in the lifecycle, improve cost of ownership, and actively challenge demand and manage cost, whilst balancing commercial opportunity with control and risk management. It also plays a key role in embedding clear procurement processes (working closely with the Head of Legal to ensure alignment with legal reviews and processes) and developing a high-performing Procurement team. This role needs to operate effectively in a fast-moving, margin-sensitive retail environment where pace, pragmatism and commercial judgement are critical.
Strategy & Governance
- Lead the end‑to‑end non‑stock procurement strategy, ensuring alignment with Dunelm’s commercial priorities and financial plans
Own and evolve procurement governance frameworks, including approval routes, policies, and controls for non‑stock spend
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Commercial Leadership
- Act as a visible role model for commercial discipline across the business, raising the baseline capability of senior stakeholders in demand management, supplier risk and value realisation
- Act as a senior commercial partner to Exec and senior stakeholders on major investments, supplier contracts, and business cases
- Oversee sourcing and negotiation for key non‑stock categories, ensuring value for money and risk mitigation
- Drive earlier and more proactive procurement involvement in business planning and investment cycles, reducing late-stage interventions and avoidable cost
- Demonstrate and evidence material cost reduction, cost avoidance, cost efficiency and TCO improvement, not just compliance or process adherence
- Provide clear insight and challenge on demand, cost drivers, and supplier performance across the business
- Support transformation initiatives and major programmes by providing strong procurement leadership and commercial input
Use external market insight, supplier intelligence and benchmarking to inform sourcing strategies and challenge internal assumptions
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Stakeholder Partnering
- Partner with Finance, Legal and business leaders to ensure appropriate commercial protections and robust control across non-stock spend
- Manage senior stakeholder communication on the procurement pipeline and project progress, with early visibility of risks and issues
Ensure that material contracts requiring Board approval are presentation ready
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Team & Capability
- Lead, develop and coach the Non‑Stock Procurement team, setting clear objectives and building capability
- Lead the ongoing maturity and evolution of Dunelm’s non‑stock procurement capability towards a best‑in‑class function
Define and deliver a multi‑year roadmap to materially improve visibility, control and Value for Money of non‑stock spend, using data, tooling and decision frameworks
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Risk & ESG
- Ensure non‑stock procurement activity supports Dunelm’s ESG commitments, including ethical sourcing, modern slavery compliance and responsible supplier practices.
Essential Skills
- Proven experience leading a step-change improvement in procurement performance, cost impact or commercial maturity
- Strong commercial and financial acumen, with experience managing complex indirect spend
- Proven senior stakeholder management skills, including influencing at Exec level
- Deep understanding of procurement governance, contract management and risk management
- Ability to balance pace, pragmatism and control in a fast‑moving business environment
- Experience leading and developing teams in a matrixed organisation
- Excellent analytical and problem‑solving capability, with the ability to simplify complex issues
- Experience in retail, multi‑channel or large consumer‑facing organisations
- Exposure to technology, digital, or transformation-related procurement
- Exposure to supply chain and logistics procurement
- Experience of procurement data, dashboards or spend analytics
Behaviours we look for:
- Commercially minded and outcome focused
- Confident challenger with strong judgment
- Collaborative and inclusive leadership style
- Clear communicator who brings structure and clarity
- Calm and resilient when managing complexity and ambiguity
