Manager - Procurement - Aldar Education

Aldar Education is currently seeking a Manager - Procurement to support our growing family of owned and operated schools in the UAE. This is an exciting opportunity to join the highly successful Aldar family of schools and to help shape the future of Abu Dhabi’s leading school group.

The Manager – Procurement leads the Procurement team in delivering Aldar Education’s organisational requirements in line with departmental SLAs and KPIs. The role oversees source-to-contract and purchase-order activities within Procurement’s scope, working closely with Finance and business stakeholders across the wider procure-to-pay process. The Manager continuously monitors performance, identifies opportunities for process improvement, and ensures the delivery of high-quality procurement services in compliance with corporate governance requirements.

The role requires strong planning, stakeholder management, communication, time management and knowledge of the education supplier base.

Since its inception in 2007 with just 250 students, Aldar Education has grown into a highly sought-after education provider, with more than 25 owned and managed premium and super-premium schools and academies- in partnership with some of the world’s most prestigious institutions including Rugby School, King’s College Wimbledon, and Cranleigh. The Group now serves over 38,000 students through 5,000 educators from more than 100 nationalities to deliver world-class education across a broad range of curricula and learning pathways from nursery through to K12.  

At Aldar Education, our impact goes far beyond the classroom: we are proud to contribute to the UAE’s vision for a sustainable, knowledge-based economy through premium education. With this in mind, we hire educators and industry professionals who not only embody our values and cultural ethos but also bring a genuine passion for education—qualities central to our mission of shaping the leaders of tomorrow.  

If you are passionate about excellence and ready to make a meaningful impact, we invite you to apply and be part of our journey.

Responsibilities

Main Duties

• Manage assigned procurement categories and support Operated Schools, school projects and procurement planning meetings. 
• Develop category strategies and ensure implementation in alignment with the annual Procurement Plan. 
• Manage procurement specialists and the day-to-day activities of the procurement function. 
• Own procurement trackers, KPIs, risk reporting and timely management updates for the assigned portfolio. 
• Act as procurement lead on strategic projects, including technology projects, merger or integration projects, school openings, transitions and special assignments. 

Specific Duties

Sourcing, Tendering and Commercial Management 

• Develop tender strategies, prepare and manage bidder lists, lead clarification management, govern technical and commercial evaluations, conduct BAFO stages, prepare award recommendations, classify single-source cases and coordinate approval submissions in accordance with the DoA. 
• Run and manage RFQs and RFPs to support delivery of the Procurement Plan and category strategies. 
• Check that technical scores are supported by criterion-level justifications and that supplier disqualifications are properly documented and auditable. 
• Negotiate with suppliers to obtain the best achievable price, quality, service, delivery and contractual terms. 
• Review award recommendations and provide sound commercial and governance feedback. 
• Analyze markets to identify supplier sources, product and service availability, commercial trends and sourcing opportunities. 
• Identify recurring spend, consolidate requirements, increase spend under framework agreements and reduce single sourcing. 
• Identify synergies and standardization opportunities to improve value through economies of scale. 

Contracts, Variations and Purchase Orders 

• Support contract finalisation, rate-card validation, payment-term review, amendments, signature follow-up, contract-expiry risk management and coordination with the Contracts Specialist, Legal, Finance and requesters. 
• Manage variation orders, contract amendments and purchase-order changes in accordance with the DoA and approved procurement governance. 
• Coordinate source-to-contract and purchase-order activities within Procurement’s scope and ensure appropriate supporting documentation and approvals are maintained. 
• Maintain effective supplier relationships to support high-quality goods and services, timely delivery, dependable service and competitive value. 

Governance, Risk, Systems and Performance 

• Ensure procurement activities comply with the Procurement Policy, Delegation of Authority, approved processes, SLAs and corporate governance requirements. 
• Identify, document and escalate procurement, contract, supplier and continuity risks in a timely manner, including policy exceptions, expiring agreements and operational dependencies. 
• Provide active Oracle Fusion operational ownership, support users and stakeholders, resolve workflow issues and drive process improvement and system adoption. 
• Monitor procurement performance and prepare reports, dashboards and analyses covering progress, adverse trends, risks, savings, cycle times, frameworks and appropriate recommendations. 
• Solve procurement process, logistics, system and tender-related issues and coordinate resolution with relevant stakeholders. 

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications    

• Minimum graduate level degree or related Procurement specific qualification.
• CIPS Certified would be an added value

Minimum Experience    

• A minimum of 10 years’ experience in procurement within the region. Having education procurement experience is preferable.

Job Specific Knowledge & Skills    

• Proven track record of developing advanced procurement processes, sourcing strategies and commercial methods. 
• Strong knowledge of tender governance, technical and commercial evaluation, contracts, variation orders, frameworks and the Delegation of Authority. 
• Fluent English communication skills, written and oral. Arabic is an added value. 
• Attention to detail, diligent follow-up and the ability to execute within demanding timelines. 
• Skilled in multitasking, stakeholder management, influencing and working under pressure. 
• Excellent interpersonal, analytical, problem-solving and reporting skills. 
• Excellent knowledge and practical experience of Oracle Fusion is required. SAP Ariba or an equivalent sourcing and procurement platform is an advantage. 

What We Offer:

Aldar Education is a family of world-class, child-centered, and innovative schools based in the UAE. We educate students across our group of owned and managed schools and as we grow, so does our need for highly skilled, inspirational, and dedicated school and educational leaders. We offer an attractive remuneration package including a range of benefits. Our future-focused learning model includes both students and staff, so we place a special emphasis on professional development, coaching, and training.

Successful candidates will have access to a wide network of professionals and opportunities to both lead and contribute to training others as well as developing themselves.

This job description is not all-inclusive. Aldar Education reserves the right to amend this job description at any time.  We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment. We are dedicated to our national development strategy and encourage UAE Nationals in their application to our company.

Aldar Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. Offers of appointment are subject to satisfactory references and police clearance.