Head of Procurement

Job Title : Head of Procurement

Location: Isolo, Lagos State.

About the role

ECS Group is a multi-vertical company supplying critical infrastructure to Nigeria's food and industrial sectors. We are hiring a Head of Procurement to transform how we buy — cutting costs, building a world-class vendor network, and eliminating the supply gaps that slow us down.

What you will own

Vendor Management & Negotiation

We have not invested systematically in vendor management — this is where the biggest opportunity lies. You will:

• Audit and evaluate all current vendors across pricing, quality, reliability, and delivery performance
• Aggressively renegotiate pricing and terms using volume leverage and market benchmarks
• Identify and qualify alternate suppliers in every key category to create genuine competitive pressure
• Build a vetted, multi-source vendor network that eliminates dangerous single-source dependencies
• Establish vendor performance metrics and hold suppliers accountable to them

2. Process Improvement

We are uncertain about what procurement processes currently exist and how well they function. You will:

• Investigate, document, and assess current procurement processes across the organisation
• Identify gaps, inefficiencies, and control weaknesses in how purchasing is managed today
• Design and implement improved processes that bring structure, visibility, and control to procurement
• Establish a standardized vendor approval system and purchasing controls
• Drive adoption of improvements across operations, production, and engineering teams

3. Inventory Management

We have experienced hand-to-mouth situations and stockouts — this must stop. You will:

• Establish optimal inventory levels across all procurement categories
• Eliminate stockouts that disrupt factory operations and supply chains
• Prevent excess inventory that ties up capital and increases carrying costs
• Align purchasing with actual consumption and production schedules through demand planning
• Build clear visibility and tracking of all raw materials, consumables, and managed service inputs

Current Situation — What You Are Walking Into

• Factory operations are running overall, but occasional hand-to-mouth supply and stockouts indicate gaps in inventory planning
• Current procurement processes are unclear and inconsistently applied — this needs investigation and rebuilding
• Vendor management and negotiation have not been approached systematically — cost savings are available but unrealised
• Each procurement category has distinct suppliers, market conditions, and complexity levels
• You will be entering an environment that is opportunity-rich but structure-light — your job is to build that structure

What We're Looking For

Must-Have Experience

• 8 - 15 years in a procurement, supply chain, or purchasing leadership role
• Proven, demonstrable track record of cost savings through vendor negotiation — bring specific ₦ or % outcomes
• Experience managing procurement across multiple categories simultaneously (direct materials, consumables, and managed services)
• Comfort and track record of building procurement processes from scratch in unstructured environments
• Strong vendor management skills: you build relationships and you hold vendors accountable
• Experience coordinating external service vendors (not just direct goods procurement)

Skills & Attributes

• Hands-on and practical — you audit, negotiate, execute, and close without waiting to be told
• Analytically rigorous — you use data to build negotiation positions and track outcomes with precision
• Ownership mentality — you take full accountability for procurement outcomes across your categories
• Strong cross-functional collaborator — able to influence production, engineering, and operations without direct authority
• Intellectually curious — you challenge assumptions, question processes, and push for better answers
• Organized and disciplined — managing 10+ categories and multiple vendor relationships simultaneously

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