Interim Head of Procurement (m/f) – Technical wholesale
Keep procurement moving until permanent leadership is in place.
The assignment and starting situation
A technical wholesale business in North Rhine-Westphalia is bridging a vacancy in procurement leadership. It needs an Interim Head of Procurement who can get up to speed quickly, lead the team and move important decisions forward. Supplier discussions, operational escalations and commercial priorities continue in parallel. You bring structure to the transition without overloading the organisation with an unnecessarily broad change programme.
Your brief
Your assignment is dependable procurement leadership until handover to a permanent solution. You review urgent decisions, clarify accountability and prioritise negotiations and actions with the team. You connect supply continuity with commercial performance and establish clear coordination with stakeholders and finance. Improvements should be achievable within the available period and easy for successors to continue.
Your responsibilities
- Clarify the brief, leadership scope and procurement priorities.
- Assess the team, supplier situation and ongoing initiatives and prepare urgent decisions.
- Lead negotiations, sourcing events and operational escalations within the agreed remit.
- Structure collaboration with stakeholders, finance and executive leadership.
- Prepare results and open issues for handover to permanent leadership.
- Structure the handover of ongoing supplier negotiations and contract decisions so incoming leadership can continue immediately.
Your experience
- Experience as a Head of Procurement or in a comparable sourcing leadership role.
- Confidence in leading teams, managing suppliers and handling demanding negotiations.
- Ability to get up to speed quickly and work in a structured, transparent way.
- Business-fluent German and English.
Your scope of responsibility
You work within an explicitly agreed mandate. Leadership scope, budget responsibility and decision authority are defined in the briefing. The title alone does not grant unrestricted powers. What matters is taking ownership, making decisions transparent and involving the appropriate stakeholders promptly when priorities conflict.
What should remain after your assignment
At completion, the incoming procurement leader should inherit a capable team and a transparent picture of suppliers, contracts and outstanding decisions. You leave clear priorities and documented negotiation outcomes. The handover should reduce the risk of important issues being lost again during the leadership change.
Assignment arrangements
- Industry: Technical wholesale
- Region: North Rhine-Westphalia
- Start: At short notice by agreement
- Planned duration: 4–6 months
- Commitment: 4 days per week
- Working arrangement: 3 days on site, 1 remote day
- Travel: Up to 15% travel within Europe
- Engagement model: independent interim assignment. Commercial terms and the specific engagement are agreed before starting.
Working with DP
Dümpelfeld Partners supports selection and the assignment through personal dialogue. The client remains anonymous in the public advert. Apply with your CV and, if you wish, add your availability and experience from comparable assignments. No cover letter or account is required. We share your full CV with the client only with your explicit consent for that disclosure. Joining the talent pool is optional and is not a condition of this application. Contact [email protected] with questions about the role.
Frequently asked questions
Is a comprehensive transformation programme planned?
The focus is bridging a leadership vacancy and keeping procurement effective. Necessary improvements are prioritised selectively rather than automatically becoming a full transformation.
Must I be available immediately?
A short-notice start is planned. Tell us your actual availability; the specific start date is agreed before the engagement.
Apply for this assignment
No account and no cover letter required. The role and reference number are included automatically.
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