The President Hotel has a long and interesting history that can be traced back to the very beginnings of the areas now known as Bantry Bay and Sea Point. A hotel has stood on the site for some 150 years, and before that, the Society House - the first substantial building in the area - stood on this portion of land that once stretched down to the sea and up the slopes of Lion’s Head to Kloof Road.
At The President Hotel, we’re looking for an experienced, commercially astute and strategic Head of Procurement to lead our end-to-end procurement function. This is a senior leadership position responsible for ensuring that procurement decisions across our 349-room hotel deliver the right balance of quality, service, cost, reliability, risk and long-term value.
Reporting to the Director of Finance, the Head of Procurement will lead the Procurement and Cost Control functions and work closely with leaders across Food & Beverage, Rooms, Engineering, IT, Sales & Marketing, Human Resources, Finance and Administration.
As we continue our journey toward luxury, we need a procurement leader who can look beyond transactional purchasing and take ownership of procurement strategy, strategic sourcing, contracting, supplier performance, inventory oversight, cost optimisation and governance.
This role requires someone who is confident engaging with senior leadership, challenging historical purchasing practices where necessary, negotiating commercially, managing complex supplier relationships and using data to identify opportunities for greater value and efficiency.
If you understand that exceptional procurement is not simply about securing the lowest price, but about achieving the best overall value for the hotel, this opportunity is for you.
Minimum Requirements
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification in Procurement, Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Commerce or a related field
Recognised procurement qualification such as CIPS or equivalent professional certification preferred
Relevant postgraduate qualification advantageous
Minimum 7 years’ progressive procurement or supply management experience
Minimum 3 years’ experience leading a procurement team or procurement function
Experience within a large-volume hotel, resort, hospitality group or comparable high-volume service environment essential
Direct hotel or hospitality procurement experience strongly preferred
Demonstrated experience managing procurement across multiple operational spend categories
Strong experience in strategic sourcing, category management and tender processes
Proven commercial negotiation and contract-management experience
Experience managing supplier performance, service levels and strategic supplier relationships
Strong understanding of inventory management and cost-control principles
Experience managing operational and capital expenditure procurement
Experience procuring across categories including Food & Beverage, operational supplies, outsourced services, maintenance, technology and capital projects
Proven experience with supplier due diligence, onboarding and master-data controls
Experience developing and monitoring supplier KPIs and scorecards
Strong financial and commercial acumen with an understanding of total cost and value analysis
Ability to analyse spend, demand, market trends and supplier performance data
Experience measuring and validating procurement savings and cost avoidance
Strong understanding of procurement governance, delegated authority and segregation of duties
Experience implementing or improving ERP, procurement or inventory management systems and approval workflows
Sound knowledge of the South African supplier market, commercial practices and B-BBEE considerations
Understanding of ethical, sustainable and responsible procurement practices
Strong risk-management and business-continuity awareness
Strong leadership, coaching and people-development capability
Excellent stakeholder-management and influencing skills
Ability to constructively challenge requirements and influence senior stakeholders
Strong analytical, problem-solving and decision-making ability
Excellent negotiation and communication skills
High levels of integrity, professional judgement and accountability
Ability to manage competing priorities within a large, high-volume operational environment
Strong computer literacy and confidence working with procurement data and reporting systems
South African ID or valid South African work authorisation
A fully updated CV with contactable reference details is essential
What You’ll Be Doing
Taking overall responsibility for the hotel’s end-to-end procurement function
Developing and implementing the hotel’s procurement strategy, policies, procedures and annual sourcing plan
Translating hotel strategy, operational requirements and budgets into clear procurement priorities and category plans
Working closely with senior leadership and departmental heads to understand operational requirements and future procurement needs
Advising leadership on procurement opportunities, supplier markets, commercial risks and supply constraints
Constructively challenging demand, specifications, sole-source requests and historical purchasing practices where better value can be achieved
Leading strategic sourcing initiatives, RFQs, formal tenders and commercial evaluations
Ensuring sourcing decisions consider total cost, quality, service reliability, risk, sustainability and operational impact, rather than price alone
Negotiating supplier pricing, payment terms, service levels, warranties, remedies and other commercial conditions
Managing supplier contracts throughout their lifecycle, including implementation, obligations, renewals, renegotiations and termination dates
Maintaining a comprehensive and accurate contract register
Overseeing supplier due diligence, approval, onboarding and master-data requirements
Ensuring appropriate supplier documentation is maintained, including tax, banking, B-BBEE, safety, ethical and sustainability information where applicable
Segmenting suppliers according to value, risk and operational importance
Developing supplier scorecards and conducting structured supplier-performance reviews
Monitoring supplier performance across price, quality, delivery, service, compliance, innovation and risk
Identifying critical supplier and continuity risks and developing appropriate contingency plans
Exploring supplier and market innovation opportunities that could improve hotel operations or deliver greater value
Overseeing daily procurement activity across Food & Beverage, Rooms, Engineering, IT, Sales & Marketing, Human Resources and Administration
Reviewing and approving purchase orders within delegated authority and established governance frameworks
Ensuring operational requirements are met timeously while maintaining appropriate procurement controls
Resolving shortages, delivery challenges, supplier disputes and urgent procurement requirements
Working closely with Cost Control, Stores and operational departments to optimise stock availability, inventory turn, wastage, obsolete stock and stock loss
Partnering with Finance and departmental leaders to ensure procurement commitments align with approved budgets, forecasts and cash-flow requirements
Identifying, measuring and validating procurement savings, cost avoidance and other value improvements
Producing procurement dashboards and reports covering spend, contracts, suppliers, savings, compliance, inventory, performance and risk
Maintaining accurate procurement documentation, quotations, evaluations, contracts, purchase orders and supplier records
Ensuring procurement activities comply with legislation, contractual obligations, internal controls and hotel governance requirements
Maintaining strong controls around supplier creation, banking-detail changes, conflicts of interest, tender evaluations and purchasing commitments
Promoting ethical, local, B-BBEE and sustainable procurement practices
Supporting internal and external audits and ensuring procurement-related findings are addressed appropriately
Leading procurement involvement in ERP and related system implementations or improvements
Using procurement data and technology to strengthen visibility, decision-making, efficiency and control
Developing and maintaining effective procurement Standard Operating Procedures
Continuously identifying opportunities to improve procurement and inventory processes
Leading, coaching and developing the Procurement and Cost Control teams
Establishing clear objectives, responsibilities and performance expectations
Developing team capability through coaching, training and cross-functional exposure
Building a culture of integrity, collaboration, accountability, service and continuous improvement
Ensuring procurement consistently supports the professional and elevated standards expected at The President Hotel
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