NPD Procurement Leader

Company Description

John Crane, a business of Smiths Group, is a global leader in mission-critical flow control solutions for energy and process industries that enable efficient and sustainable operations. Our products include mechanical seals and systems, couplings, filtration systems, and predictive digital monitoring technologies. 

We have a global network of more than 200 sites in over 50 countries and employ more than 6,000 people worldwide. We partner with our customers to help them keep their operations safe, reduce downtime, improve efficiency, and meet the latest environmental standards. 

John Crane is part of Smiths Group. For over 170 years, Smiths has been pioneering progress by engineering for a better future. We serve millions of people every year, helping to create a safer, more efficient, productive, and better-connected world across four global markets: energy, security & defence, space & aerospace, and general industrial. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Smiths employs approximately 16,000 colleagues in over 50 countries. 

Job Description

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced New Product Development (NPD) Procurement Lead to join John Crane on a permanent basis.
This role will be based from either our Slough (UK) or Lutin (Cz), with collaboration across our global sites, including Europe.

In this role, you will act as the procurement subject matter expert across new product development programmes, supporting projects from early concept through to product launch and stabilisation. You will work closely with Engineering, R&D, Product Management, Quality, Operations, and Category Management to ensure robust sourcing strategies, early supplier involvement, and successful commercialisation of new products.

Reporting into Procurement Excellence, you will play a critical role in ensuring that supplier capability, cost, risk, and lead‑time are optimised across all NPD stage‑gate milestones.

This is an excellent opportunity for a procurement professional who enjoys working in a highly technical, engineering‑led environment and wants to have a direct impact on innovation, product introduction, and long‑term business performance.

John Crane is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

Duties & Responsibilities (not limited to)

• Act as the primary procurement representative for assigned New Product Development projects
• Support sourcing activities across all NPD gates, from market concept through to launch and end‑of‑life planning
• Collaborate with Engineering, R&D, Product Management, Quality, Operations, and Category Managers to define sourcing strategies and supplier requirements
• Conduct market and technology screening to identify suitable suppliers, materials, and emerging technologies
• Enable early supplier involvement to support design‑for‑manufacture, cost optimisation, and risk reduction
• Lead commercial negotiations for prototypes, tooling, and pre‑series components
• Support make‑or‑buy assessments and value engineering initiatives
• Coordinate supplier qualification activities alongside Quality, Engineering, and Sustainability teams
• Ensure NDAs and relevant documentation are in place before quotation and sourcing activities begin
• Act as the key interface between suppliers and internal stakeholders throughout the NPD lifecycle
• Track procurement milestones, risks, and deliverables within project governance forums
• Ensure compliance with procurement policies, ESG commitments, and regulatory requirements
• Provide cost forecasts, supply risk assessments, and supplier performance updates to project teams
• Contribute to continuous improvement within Procurement Excellence

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Procurement, Engineering, or a related discipline
• Significant experience in technical procurement, ideally within engineered products, industrial equipment, or mechanical components
• Strong experience supporting New Product Development or innovation projects
• Solid understanding of manufacturing processes, materials, and mechanical systems (e.g. machining, metals, seals, engineered components)
• Confident engaging and influencing stakeholders across engineering, quality, operations, and suppliers
• Comfortable working in a project‑based, stage‑gate environment with multiple workstreams
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast‑paced, international environment
• Strong communication, negotiation, and stakeholder‑management skills
• A proactive, hands‑on approach with a strong sense of ownership and accountability

Additional Information

With colleagues stretching across the globe, we are proud of our diversity. To foster inclusivity, we run employee resource groups (ERGs) to provide a safe space for employees to connect and support each other. Our cross-business ERGs include Veterans, Pride Network, Black Employee Network, Women@Work Network, and Neurodiversity. 

Across our company, we recognize excellence, culminating in the Smiths Excellence Awards, our annual celebration of the most extraordinary activities, people, and projects that best showcase our strengths and help drive our business forward. We announce these on our annual Smiths Day, a global celebration of Smiths around our network. 

Join us for a great career with competitive compensation and benefits, while helping engineer a better future. 

We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds are what make a company flourish. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment regardless of color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, economic status, disability, age, or any other legally protected characteristics. We are proud to be an inclusive company with values grounded in equality and ethics, where we celebrate, support, and embrace diversity.

At no time during the hiring process will Smiths Group, nor any of our recruitment partners ever request payment to enable participation – including, but not limited to, interviews or testing. Avoid fraudulent requests by applying jobs directly through our career’s website (Careers - Smiths Group plc)