Job Title: Head of Procurement MEA
Location: Dubai, UAE
Reports to: CFO
PURPOSE OF POSITION
The Head of Procurement – Middle East & Asia is responsible for leading and managing all procurement activities across multiple business units within the region, ensuring strategic sourcing, supplier optimization, and cost-effective procurement practices aligned with NEP’s operational and project delivery needs.
This senior, hands-on role requires proactive ownership of key sourcing initiatives, spend reviews, and stakeholder engagement. The role also supports Group Procurement in delivering global goals and initiatives, collaborating closely with cross-regional teams to ensure consistency in procurement standards, supplier relationships, and compliance.
Reporting functionally to the CFO in the region and working in alignment with the Head of Global Procurement, this role plays a critical part in delivering value across our growing broadcast and media operations in the Middle East & Asia.
POSITION KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND JOB TASKS
- Lead and manage spend and category procurement projects across the Middle East & Asia region, ensuring alignment with business unit needs, project delivery requirements, and delegated group/global spend reviews.
- Establish and implement procurement best practices, including spend authority levels, vendor evaluation frameworks, procurement governance, and influencing major spend decisions.
- Support Group Procurement in improving global procurement strategy, governance, policy, compliance, best practice, measurement, and performance tracking.
- Work closely with regional and global technology leadership to align on vendor & technology strategy, ensuring regional procurement initiatives support global priorities.
- Benchmark suppliers and practices across regions, sharing insights with global teams and identifying opportunities for improvement, consolidation, and cost efficiency.
- Implement continuous improvement programs with key suppliers, focused on long-term partnerships, future savings pipelines, and service enhancements.
- Assess and manage procurement risks, including supplier performance, market volatility, and supply chain disruption, ensuring business continuity and disaster recovery measures are in place.
- Manage competitive bidding and tender processes, ensuring fairness, transparency, and alignment with category strategies, ensuring operational deliverables for NEP are met.
- Prepare for and support complex negotiations, including defining least and most desired outcomes, argumentation, and post-negotiation assessments, to secure optimal commercial terms.
- Develop and apply Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) models to guide decision-making and evaluate supplier proposals beyond price, ensuring full lifecycle cost analysis.
- Identify and implement digital tools to enhance procurement efficiency, visibility, and decision-making.
- Liaise with Legal to validate contract terms and conditions, and develop and maintain a central contract database.
- Collaborate with Finance and other stakeholders on budgets, capex/opex, risk management, and cost savings initiatives.
- Assess internal tools and platforms to implement efficient procurement workflows in line with company goals.
- Define and monitor key procurement KPIs, ensuring measurable improvements in cost savings, compliance, supplier performance, and process efficiency.
- Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing procurement team in the region, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning.
- Other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS / PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION / OTHER INDUSTRY REQUIREMENTS
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Procurement, Business Administration, or a related field; a business degree or equivalent will also be considered.
- Membership in CIPS and professional certifications such as CIPS, CPSM, or PMP are a strong advantage.
Experience
- 10+ years of procurement experience, ideally within the broadcast, media, or technology industry, or across a range of product and service categories.
- Demonstrated experience in sourcing technical equipment and working with international suppliers.
- Strong hands-on leadership experience in procurement, with the ability to drive initiatives independently.
- Commercial awareness gained through procurement experience in a blue-chip or fast-paced commercial environment.
- Proven experience in managing change within an organization.
- Experience in multi-country procurement operations, particularly across the Middle East & Asia.
Skills:
- Excellent negotiation and supplier relationship management skills, with the ability to build long-term, value-driven partnerships.
- Strong commercial and legal negotiation capabilities, including contract drafting, risk mitigation, and ensuring compliance with procurement policies.
- Solid understanding of procurement regulations, sourcing strategies, supplier management principles, and stakeholder engagement.
- Ability to collaborate with various departments to understand purchasing needs and ensure alignment with goals and strategies.
- Proven experience in leading or supporting change management initiatives within procurement environments, particularly during process improvements or system implementations.
- Strong project management and analytical skills to support strategic decision-making and cost optimization.
- Proficient in ERP systems and procurement software (e.g., SAP, Oracle, Coupa).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; Arabic is a plus.
- Ability to operate effectively across multiple countries and business units, collaborating with regional and global stakeholders.
- Willingness to travel across the Middle East and Asia as required to support procurement projects and stakeholder engagement.
