Head of Sourcing

Head of Sourcing

Because we strive to put people first.
Culture, our way. 

Sourcing at Primark 

What’s a career at Primark all about? The positive impact you’re making, the experiences you’re having and the people you’re with. You’re our inspiration. Embrace what sets you apart, own your career and develop in ways you never expected. Leave your mark. And do it your way.  

What You’ll Get 

People are at the heart of what we do here, so it’s essential we provide you with the right environment to perform at your very best

Let’s talk lifestyle: Healthcare, pension, and potential bonus. 27 days of leave, plus bank holidays and if you want, you can buy 5 more. Because Primark is all about tailoring to you, we offer Tax Saver Tickets, fitness centre, and a subsidised cafeteria.  

About Primark 

At Primark, people matter. They’re the beating heart of our business and the reason we’ve grown from our first store in Dublin in 1969 to a £9bn+ turnover business and over 80,000 colleagues and over 470 stores in 18 countries today. Our values run through everything we do. In essence, we're Caring and always strive to put people first. We're also Dynamic, bravely pushing the boundaries to stay ahead. And finally, we succeed Together.  

What You’ll Do as Head of Sourcing  

In this senior leadership role, you will lead and evolve Primark’s global sourcing strategy in collaboration with the Head of Sourcing Supplier Management. Based in Dublin, this role will define future sourcing models, and shape the capabilities and partnerships needed to deliver Primark’s commercial, sustainability, brand, and operational ambitions.

You will help design and embed the strategic frameworks that guide how and where Primark sources globally, ensuring the business can anticipate, adapt, and respond to a changing world. Alongside strong strategic vision, you are required to have a hands‑on operational understanding of sourcing and global supply bases, enabling the leader to translate strategic intent into practical, commercially grounded actions that work in real‑world environments.

You will partner closely with central sourcing and leadership teams across buying and merchandising, ensuring strategic intent is understood and executed consistently, while maintaining clear accountability for the overall sourcing strategy, its evolution, and its long‑term impact. The Head of Sourcing will also be required to collaborate and work in close partnership with the Head of Sourcing - Supplier Management to ensure alignment between sourcing priorities, supplier engagement approaches, and overall supply‑base development.

The successful candidate will combine long‑term, future‑focused thinking with practical, operational credibility, ensuring that strategy, relationships, and execution are fully aligned across Primark’s global sourcing ecosystem.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead and define the global sourcing strategy with the Head of Sourcing – Supplier Management, creating future‑fit sourcing models and aligned supplier strategies.
• Drive strategic supplier initiatives, including capability development, sustainability programmes, and performance‑improvement frameworks.
• Build multi‑country sourcing strategies, identifying optimal sourcing locations and high‑performing suppliers across all product categories.
• Develop contingency and risk‑mitigation frameworks, including dual sourcing, diversification, and supply‑chain stress testing.
• Balance commercial and strategic goals, optimising cost, speed, sustainability, and resilience while enabling rapid pivots in sourcing as required.
• Guide cost engineering and commercial decisions, identifying cost opportunities, shaping supplier negotiations, and supporting performance management.
• Provide strategic insight and leadership, ensuring strong alignment between regional and central suppliers & vendors while delivering analysis on market, capacity, and geopolitical trends.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Build, mentor, and develop high‑performing sourcing teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, inclusion, and continuous learning.
• Develop strong succession pipelines across Regional and Central Sourcing teams to ensure long‑term capability and stability.
• Enable seamless communication and collaboration across global locations, ensuring clear expectations and efficient workflows.
• Champion inclusive leadership, embracing cultural differences and creating an environment where all voices are respected and valued.
• Align regional operations with central sourcing strategy, acting as a connector across global teams and ensuring consistent execution.
• Inspire, coach, and motivate teams, providing clarity of vision, driving engagement, and supporting career development and high performance.
• Build strong internal and external partnerships, promoting knowledge sharing, influencing stakeholders, and forming productive relationships with suppliers and vendors.

Skills & Experience

What You’ll Bring  

Here at Primark, we want everyone to feel valued – so please bring your authentic self to work, of course with some other key experience and abilities for this role in particular: 

• A minimum of 15+ years’ senior sourcing leadership in apparel/fashion/consumer goods, managing multi‑country teams across Asia with strong strategic and operational delivery.
• Expert in regional sourcing operations, including supplier management, performance optimisation, and risk mitigation across complex supply chains.
• Proven capability in supply base transformation, including country‑of‑origin rebalancing, cost/risk alignment, and supply base rationalisation.
• Strong strategic sourcing expertise, developing and executing strategies aligned to sustainability, speed-to-market, cost efficiency, and wider business goals.
• Advanced supplier engagement & negotiation skills, with experience building capability, driving performance, and fostering high‑value partnerships.
• High-impact leadership, with a track record of creating high‑performance cultures, influencing at Executive level, managing competing priorities, and communicating effectively.
• Collaborative, trusted communicator who builds strong cross‑functional relationships, presents complex information clearly, and demonstrates high emotional intelligence and professionalism.
• Highly organised and adaptable, able to prioritise effectively, manage multiple demands, handle sensitive matters confidentially, and navigate complexity and ambiguity with a proactive, solutions‑focused mindset.
• Strong leadership and integrity, with the ability to influence, coach, and guide others while operating with sound judgement, transparency, and unwavering ethical standards.

Does this sound like you? Great, because we can’t wait to see what you’ll bring. You’ll be supported within a team of equally capable people, celebrating who you are and aiding you reach your potential. At Primark, we’re excited about our future - and we’re excited to develop yours.  

If you need any reasonable adjustments or have an accessibility request, during your recruitment journey, such as extended time or breaks between online assessments, a sign language interpreter, mobility access, or assistive technology please contact your talent acquisition specialist. 

Our fashion isn’t one-size-fits-all and neither is our culture. Primark promotes equal employment opportunity, we strive to create an inclusive workplace where people can be themselves, access opportunities and thrive together.