Strategic Supplier Manager

Strategic Supplier Manager (21873)

Job ID: 21873
Location: Warrington, UK
Salary: Competitive
Working Hours: 37.00 per week

Job Purpose

You'll be accountable for leading the management and development of Strategic Suppliers, working with relevant stakeholders, to drive the fullest overall cost, risk, relationship, innovation, and performance value. Leadership of 3 to 4 business critical (Strategic) suppliers utilising the full implementation of the Supplier Collaboration Framework. Deliver the greatest overall defined cost, risk, relationship, innovation, and performance led value. Aligned to the Commercial Balanced Business Scorecard, deliver a significant savings and benefits profile.

Job Accountabilities

• Leadership of 3 to 4 of the most business critical suppliers, utilising the full implementation of the Supplier Management Framework, to include the development of supplier joint account plans, meeting governance framework, benefits and savings, continuous improvement targets, and relationship development modelling, whilst meeting all contract, regulatory, and exit strategy requirements.
• Working collaboratively with the relevant Market Management and Sourcing team members, together with relevant stakeholders, to drive the fullest overall cost, risk, relationship, innovation, and performance value.
• Delivery of on-going and significant savings and benefits throughout the contract and relationship life cycle, underpinned by leadership of incremental cost, service and overall value derivation, to include the management and resolution of contract variations and any commercial disputes.
• Establish a collaborative way of working with Strategic Suppliers and relevant stakeholders (Executive and ‘Head of' levels) to execute the Supplier Management Framework. Support the operational owners of the contracts in their day-to-day accountabilities with their Strategic Supplier/s.
• Create and deliver a qualified savings and benefits pipeline, in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders, approved by Finance and applicable to budgets.
• Execution of the Meeting Governance Framework for specifically led suppliers, to include business executive sponsorship.
• Identification of evolving business requirements throughout the contract and relationship life cycle, to include contract change, maintenance, renewals and demand management activities.
• Introduce a supplier enabled innovation capability to deliver competitive advantage with Strategic suppliers.
• Recognised in the external market and throughout UUW for their Supplier Collaboration expertise, providing specialist advice.
• Provide key input into the annual Integrated Market Planning reviews, in collaboration with the Market and Sourcing teams, aligned with all relevant stakeholders' business objectives and priorities.
• Lead a team of Supplier Manager and/or Supplier Specialists, contribute to the development of the Supplier Collaboration team to maximise value for the organisation by supporting and providing guidance to peers and input into training requirements and fostering team work.
• This list is not exhaustive and includes any other ad-hoc duties and responsibilities required from time to time.
  

Knowledge and Skills

To be successful in this role you'll preferably be degree educated, with a relevant post-graduate qualification (e.g. CIPS,RICS, MBA, MSC). You'll also need:

• Significant supplier management / collaboration led experience.
• Proven senior level stakeholder management skillset.
• Knowledge of key supplier management / collaboration processes, tools and methodologies.
• Proven level of negotiation, relationship development, and dispute resolution skill set.
• Politically savvy, with the ability to use exemplary direct and indirect influencing strategies.
• Demonstrable level of problem-solving experience and in large, complex organisations.
• Experience with cross-functional collaborative working methods.
• Detailed knowledge of the Utilities market sector.
• Project management experience would be useful
• People and team management experience
  

We need fantastic people to enable us to deliver a great service to the public. We are committed to reaching and recruiting from every community and then supporting employees to achieve their full potential ensuring they feel valued and included, regardless of their gender, age, race, disability, sexual orientation or social background.If you are offered a job with us, a number of pre-employment checks need to be carried out before your appointment can be confirmed. Any offer of employment with United Utilities will be subject to a satisfactory checking report from the Disclosure Scotland / the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Closing Date: 04/02/24