Job Title
Senior Procurement Programme Manager
Ref #
58596
Date posted
Thursday, October 23, 2025
Country
United Kingdom
Location
Woking
Business area
Procurement
Department
Programme Procurement
Position level
4
Working time
Full Time
Contract type
Permanent
Working pattern
9am - 6pm Monday to Friday
What to Expect
As a member of the Program Purchasing team, your main task is to be the Purchasing and SQA spokesperson in assigned product development projects. Working in a cross-functional setting, you will contribute to overall project delivery and company profitability by proactively work closely with New Model Launch and Product Development, to ensure alignment on key issues at stakeholder Gateway readiness reviews. 

The scope and size of the projects will predominately be the development of a vehicle derivative. Purchasing is working in a truly cross functional environment with cross-border solutions, process applications and product commonality with opportunities to influence future development.
What You'll Do
  • Manage the supplier activity with the purchasing team from pre-nomination through to end of production. 
  • Jointly lead activities with Finance, Engineering and Program to ensure that robust cost targets for both bill of materials and investment are established and maintained throughout. 
  • Define and manage the Purchasing and SQA activity plan ensuring that the deliverables are achieved at each of the program gateways. 
  • Formulate and manage the department KPIs for the program to ensure that the required activities are completed to the required standard in the defined timescales. 
  • Represent the department in cross function reviews such as Project Meetings / ETRS / Change Management / Build review / Commercial meetings. 
  • Engaging with project team and other business areas and be a key decision-maker and able to exert influence. 
  • Support and foster a cross-functional approach to achieve your objectives. 
  • Work cross functionally with the total project team to ensure that the required input and output activities meet the key stakeholder expectations. 
  • Develop a culture of continuous improvement throughout the business. 
  • Provide strong and robust leadership; working within purchasing as well as the wider business. 
  • Identify and highlight any incremental resource requirement needed in enough time to enable senior Management review / approvals.  
  • Champion Program Management process discipline, to ensure supplier manufacturing feasibility is not compromised by Design changes and programs do not proceed through Gateways with open Red supplier related issues. 
  • Engage the Purchasing & SQA teams to ensure new program competent supplier sourcing strategy is maintained.   
  • Ensure all new tooled parts have APQP reporting established at the earliest opportunity (No later than at Sourcing Confirmation). 
  • Develop and maintain Supplier Master list for all new parts. 
  • Lead and Drive Critical Supplier / Part Risk Assessments with the participation of cross functional partners and develop risk mitigation actions. 
  • Track and drive delivery of committed Supplier PPAP part delivery for the builds.  
  • Provide supplier progress reporting for: Unsourced parts, APQP open issues, Non PPAP part pedigree prior to each build phase and PPAP delivery forecast / actual performance growth charts.  
  • Prepare Program Milestone Management summary report including recommendations on whether to proceed through Gateway and the supporting rationale to the Purchasing & SQA Director to gain buy in. 
  • Manage Non PPAP part Concession process to ensure “Plan for every part” is established to support the builds. 
  • Manage QCR process for new parts, to ensure Supplier Quality issues are correctly assigned and containment actions implemented within 24 hours.  
  • Work with Cross Functional Leadership partners to drive collaborative behaviours to achieve optimum outcome to deliver McLaren Performance to plan. 
  • Compile and share lessons learned for next program. 
  • Monitor Engineering Change Management to maintain build support plan.  
  • Drive Supplier selection & development process to achieve a self-sufficient supply base (IATF16949). 
  • Drive Major open issue resolution at Key suppliers, to ensure Supplier Senior Management team are fully engaged in the resolution process. 
  • Lead Robust Manufacturing Feasibility strategy deployment and reviews. 
  • Drive Supplier Quality QCR issue resolution (8D) process to closure, to prevent reoccurrence. 
What You'll Bring
  • University degree in Engineering or Business/Economics, MSc/MBA or equal 
  • Previous experience in Manufacturing Engineering, Production, Quality, Major Project Management   
  • Previous experience in Automotive is advantage 
  • 5+ years of purchasing program and/or supplier quality program experience  
  • Strong management/leadership qualities and excellent influencing and interpersonal skills 
  • Worked within an automotive purchasing environment in a direct buying role or as a program manager. 
  • Excellent organisational skills, deadline adherence and exceptional attention to accuracy and detail and ability to analyse and summarise large data sets. 
  • Ability to create / lead and energise a team to deliver superior results, continuous process improvement. 
  • The determination to drive forward the business to ‘Best in Class’ performance standards. 
  • Must be capable of lateral thinking and be able to make structured and objective decisions. 
  • Results driven and the ability to deliver against aggressive targets to achieve the overall business objectives. 
  • Good working knowledge of both manufacturing and quality processes. 
  • Structured Problem Solving (8D) 
  • Good knowledge of Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project, Visio etc. 
  • Working ability in the English Language. 
What We'll Do for You

We offer a wide – ranging benefits package, which includes:

  • Structured career development framework
  • 25 days’ holiday, plus bank holiday. Annual buy & sell up to five days
  • Enhanced company pension scheme
  • Discretionary annual bonus award
  • Private medical insurance and health cash plan
  • Life assurance benefit
  • Ability to apply for a sabbatical of up to one year after only two years’ service
  • Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping
  • Generous parental leave policies
  • A range of wellbeing initiatives, such as employee assistance programme and free financial & mortgage advice
Who Are We?

No restraints. No limitations. We don’t simply push boundaries. We completely rethink them. McLaren Automotive exists to create breath-taking performance road cars.

It takes a community to do what we do. A diverse group of people with many areas of expertise, united by their passion to deliver visionary products and set new benchmarks. 

McLaren Automotive commits to equal opportunity for all. Diversity, Equality and Inclusion is at the heart of our impact, it drives our innovation and enables us to truly create something special. Join us on our journey. 

< Back to job list