Procurement Director - Growth and Business Services

Role Overview

The Procurement Director is responsible for leading the strategic sourcing, supplier management, and commercial optimization of the Marketing, Facilities and Business Services spend across Merlin Entertainments. The role will lead the development and implementation of a best-in-class category strategy, delivering value through cost optimization, supplier innovation, and risk management.

A key element of the role is to drive procurement transformation, including building structured category management frameworks, improving governance, and embedding procurement as a strategic partner to technology leadership.

The role will work closely with Leadership, Operations, Finance, and Legal to ensure category strategies deliver strong commercial value while supporting Merlin’s transformation and long-term agenda.

Key Responsibilities

Category Strategy Development

· Lead a team to develop and implement global category strategies

· Establish the category management framework, including spend analysis, supplier segmentation, sourcing pipelines, and performance KPIs.

· Build a multi-year strategic sourcing roadmap aligned with the strategy of Merlin       Entertainments.

· Identify opportunities for supplier consolidation, cost reduction, and service optimization.

Procurement Transformation

· Drive the maturity and transformation of the procurement function within the global category.

· Implement best-practice sourcing processes, governance models, and procurement policies.

· Introduce structured category management tools, supplier performance management frameworks, and contract lifecycle management practices.

· Support the adoption of digital procurement tools, spend analytics, and sourcing platforms.

· Lead initiatives to improve procurement visibility, compliance, and commercial discipline across spend.

Strategic Sourcing & Commercial Leadership

· Lead complex RFx processes, commercial negotiations, and contract development for high-value and high-risk suppliers.

· Deliver measurable cost savings, cost avoidance, and value creation across spend.

· Provide commercial leadership on strategic initiatives

· Ensure strong contract structures covering SLAs, performance metrics, security, and risk mitigation.

Supplier Relationship Management

· Develop and manage strategic supplier partnerships

· Establish a supplier performance management framework including regular reviews and innovation roadmaps.

· Collaborate with suppliers to deliver continuous improvement, innovation, and value.

· Monitor supplier risk and ensure compliance with governance, cybersecurity, and data protection requirements.

Stakeholder Engagement

· Act as a trusted commercial partner to the Leadership team and business stakeholders.

· Provide guidance on sourcing strategies, supplier selection, and technology commercial models.

· Build strong relationships with finance, legal, and risk teams to ensure effective contract governance.

· Support business cases and investment decisions through commercial analysis and procurement insights.