Ilsa Cozens, director at specialist procurement and supply chain recruitment agency Cozens Mabel, explores the trends shaping procurement and supply chain hiring, how candidates and employers can prepare for what’s next, and why it pays to start early.
The recruitment year is shorter than you think
We’re already in September, and one of the conversations I seem to be having quite a lot at the moment is around timing. If you’re thinking about making a move before Christmas, there really isn’t that much of the year left to do it.
For a senior procurement or supply chain role, the recruitment process can easily take a few weeks. Add interviews, references, contracts and then a four-week notice period – sometimes much longer at the senior end – and suddenly you’re looking at November or December.
Equally, if you’re an employer thinking you might need someone in your team before Christmas, or want someone ready to start in January, September and October are important months to get things moving.
It’s also an interesting time of year from a candidate perspective. Bonuses have been paid in some organisations, mid-year reviews have happened, and people are starting to think about what they want next year to look like.
I’m having conversations with some really good procurement, commercial and supply chain people at the moment who aren’t necessarily desperate to leave their current role, but are becoming much more open to hearing about the right opportunity.
The market is definitely still cautious in places, but we are seeing some movement. We currently have searches underway across procurement, contracts and commercial, strategy and procurement operations, covering both permanent and contract roles.
Why contracting is gaining ground
One of the biggest changes I’ve noticed in the market over the last three to six months has been the increase in clients looking to hire contractors rather than automatically adding permanent headcount.
We’ve certainly seen this at Cozens Mabel, with our contractor numbers increasing significantly over this period, and I’ve had some interesting conversations with clients about what’s driving it.
AI is definitely part of the conversation. Businesses are looking at how technology might change their teams over the next few years and, in some cases, are more cautious about committing to permanent headcount while they work that out. But the work still needs to get done.
Where a client might traditionally have hired someone permanently, we’re increasingly seeing them bring in a contractor instead. They get the capability they need straight away, but with more flexibility while they work out what their team needs to look like longer term.
It’s not just AI driving the trend. Projects, transformation programs, changing workloads, budgets and uncertainty around future organisational structures are all contributing to the demand for more flexible resourcing.
Permanent hiring is absolutely still happening, and we’re busy in that part of the market too.
However, I do think we’re seeing organisations become much more comfortable building teams with a mix of permanent employees and contractors, rather than assuming every ongoing requirement needs to result in another permanent hire.
It will be interesting to see whether this continues, but based on the conversations I’m having right now, I think contracting will remain a really important part of the procurement and supply chain market.
Advertising only reaches part of the market
At the same time, a common theme I’m hearing from clients is that they would like to use a recruiter, but budgets are tight, and they have been asked to advertise the role themselves first.
I completely understand why. You absolutely can find great candidates through advertising, but an advert will only ever reach part of the market.
Some of the strongest candidates in the procurement and supply chain space are never actively looking. They’re not checking job boards or applying for roles and, in many cases, they are actually quite happy where they are. But they might take a call about the right opportunity.
So why not do both? Advertise the role, but also benchmark the candidates you attract against the wider market.
Sometimes the person who is right for your role simply isn’t going to see your advert. Alternatively, they might see the company name and scroll past because they don’t know enough about the organisation or what the opportunity could offer them.
That’s where having someone who knows the market, knows who to approach and can explain why an opportunity might be worth a conversation can make a difference.
It means you’re not just choosing from the people who happened to apply. You’re getting a better view of who is actually available in the wider market.
Of course, recruitment fees are a cost, and I understand why businesses are watching spend carefully right now. But getting the wrong hire can be far more expensive in the long run.
For me, it’s not really about advertising versus using a recruiter. Both can work. It’s about making sure that when you make an important hire, you’ve properly tested the market and found the best person you can – not just the best person who applied.
Prepare before you’re ready to move
That same principle of looking beyond the immediate market also applies to candidates.
If you’re thinking about making a career move in the next year, my advice would be to start preparing for it now rather than waiting until you’re ready to leave.
One thing I’ve learnt from recruiting senior procurement and supply chain roles for many years is that finding the right senior role can take time. It might take three, six or even nine months for the right opportunity to come along, particularly at the more senior end of the market.
A lot of senior roles are also never advertised publicly. When we are working on a senior search, we generally start with our own network and candidate database, then use LinkedIn Recruiter and other tools to identify people in the broader market.
If you think a move might be on the horizon, it’s therefore worth getting yourself ready early.
Make sure your LinkedIn profile actually reflects what you do today. Your experience and achievements are obviously important, but so are the skills, categories, industries and keywords that recruiters may be searching for.
It’s also worth investing in your network before you need it. Get to know recruiters who genuinely specialise in your market, but make sure they are the right recruiter for you.
You want people whose values align with yours, who understand what you’re looking for and, importantly, who you trust to represent you in the right way when speaking to clients.
You don’t need to broadcast to the market that you’re looking for a new role, and you might be perfectly happy where you are today. But if you think you might want to make a move in the next six to twelve months, start laying some of those foundations now.
My advice on both sides of the market is not to wait until you absolutely need to do something before you start having conversations.
If you’re considering a career move in the next six months, start talking to people now. If you’re a procurement or supply chain leader who knows you may need someone in your team early next year, now is a good time to start thinking about who that person might be.
The right person – or the right opportunity – can take time to find. Make sure you’re visible, connected and ready when they come along.
Connect with Ilsa Cozens on LinkedIn or visit Cozens Mabel to learn more about finding the right role for you or the right talent for your organisation.
