Procurement Manager - Utilities

Based - St Albans, AL1 2RE (Hybrid 50%)

Permanent, Full Time

Join Premier Foods — where people, brands and purpose come together.

We’re proud to be one of the UK’s largest listed food businesses, with over 4,000 colleagues across 13 sites shaping the future of some of Britain’s best‑loved brands, found in 94% of households nationwide, making us one of the UK’s top three ambient food suppliers. From much‑loved household names such as Mr Kipling, Bisto, Oxo, Batchelors and Sharwoods, to our recently welcomed brands Fuel10k and Merchant Gourmet, our portfolio is packed with iconic favourites — and continues to grow.

Role Purpose

This is your opportunity to take ownership of a critical category, work across our business, and help shape a more sustainable future through smarter energy and utilities procurement.

As Procurement Manager – Utilities, you’ll lead the strategy and sourcing of key utility categories including electricity, gas, renewables, diesel, water, ETS and PRNs.

You’ll play a pivotal role in balancing cost, sustainability and risk, ensuring our supply base is resilient, compliant and aligned to our business goals. Working cross-functionally, you’ll bring insight, energy and expertise to support operational performance and long-term planning.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll take ownership of utility procurement and drive value across the business by:

• Developing and delivering category strategies for Utilities, including energy and water
• Leading sourcing activity end-to-end, from tenders through to negotiation and supplier selection
• Managing supplier relationships across utilities and service providers
• Monitoring utilities markets, regulatory changes and global trends to inform strategy and mitigate risk
• Driving cost optimisation and value creation through strategic sourcing and continuous improvement
• Partnering with Engineering, Operations, Finance and ESG teams to support site requirements and improve efficiency
• Driving sustainability through carbon reduction, energy efficiency and responsible resource use
• Using market insight (including price, FX and regulatory shifts) to recommend and support hedging strategies
• Ensuring strong governance, supplier compliance and risk management across the supply base
• Supporting forecasting and budgeting processes with accurate cost insights

What you'll bring

• Proven experience in procurement
• Strong negotiation and supplier management skills
• Ability to develop and execute category strategies
• Strong analytical, commercial and problem-solving capability
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills
• A proactive, results-driven approach with the ability to work independently
• Knowledge of utilities

What we offer in return

• Competitive salary
• Car Allowance
• Bonus
• Holiday Purchase Scheme
• Sharesave Scheme
• EV Car Scheme
• Private Medical
• Up to 7.5% pension
• Life assurance
• Wide range of online and in-house training
• Access to an employee discount scheme, with access to hundreds of nationwide retailers

At Premier foods we believe in inclusion, authenticity and individuality. We aim to ensure all existing and future colleagues are given equitable opportunities and are respected, valued and encouraged to bring their true authentic selves to work no matter who they are, what they look like, who they love or what they believe in. Our culture is one where everyone is welcome.

We're proud to be a Disability Smart employer and are committed to supporting disability inclusion throughout our recruitment process. If you experience any access issues or require reasonable adjustments at any stage, please let us know so we can ensure you have the support you need.