Head of Procurement

About the role

Illovo Sugar (Malawi) plc, Malawi's leading producer of raw, refined and specialty sugars and part of ABF Sugar, is hiring a Head of Procurement. The role owns how the company sources goods, services and contracts across its multi-site operations, driving strategic sourcing, supplier performance and procurement governance while leading a team that protects business continuity and supports a safe, quality-driven operation.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the procurement and inventory function end to end, covering strategic sourcing, supplier management, contract support, procurement operations and analytics.
• Develop and execute procurement strategies that protect business continuity, strengthen supplier reliability and drive cost discipline, leading sourcing for key spend categories.
• Build strong supplier partnerships, overseeing selection, onboarding and performance against cost, quality, delivery and service standards.
• Deliver measurable savings through competitive sourcing, negotiation, demand challenge, standardisation and disciplined contract management.
• Ensure stock availability and materials readiness by optimising inventory levels and planning critical spares.
• Uphold procurement governance, including approval limits, audit requirements, ethical sourcing and anti-bribery controls, working with Finance on budget and payment governance and with Legal on commercial and contractual risk.
• Use procurement and inventory data to monitor supplier performance, lead times, savings and risk, and resolve supply issues quickly with site and functional teams.
• Drive continuous improvement of procurement workflows, controls and internal customer service.
• Lead and develop the procurement team, escalate material risks to executive leadership and uphold health, safety, environmental, food safety and quality standards.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Procurement, Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Commerce, Finance, Engineering, Operations Management or a related field.
• Professional procurement or supply chain qualification, such as CIPS or equivalent, strongly preferred.
• Minimum of 8 to 10 years' progressive experience in procurement, sourcing or supply chain, including 5 years in senior management.