Contract Manager

Equal Approach Ltd.; Havant; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private healthcare

Gym membership

Cycle to Work scheme

Employee benefits

Job summary

SSE is seeking a Senior Contract Manager to join the IT Procurement & Commercial team, partnering with technology leaders to maximise value from strategic supplier relationships. You’ll lead contract governance, oversee performance and risk, and ensure delivery of critical services and programmes in a dynamic technology environment.

You’ll influence decision-making, drive continuous improvement, and act as a trusted commercial advisor to IT leaders and suppliers, shaping outcomes across

Qualifications

• Experience in strategic supplier relationships and governance of IT contracts.
• Ability to lead risk assessment and cost optimisation across complex programmes.
• Strong stakeholder management with senior IT leaders and suppliers.

Responsibilities

• Build and manage strategic supplier relationships, advising IT leaders to maximise value.
• Lead contract and supplier governance, ensuring oversight, compliance, and alignment with policies.
• Drive supplier performance, monitoring KPIs and ensuring delivery of services and projects.
• Provide commercial and contractual expertise across IT programmes, managing changes and outcomes.
• Identify, assess and mitigate supplier risks to ensure resilience of critical services.

Skills

Strategic supplier management

Contract management

IT procurement

Stakeholder engagement

Risk management

Education

WorldCC/IACCM certification

Job description

At SSE, technology plays a critical role in enabling our business to deliver for customers, communities, and the transition to a net zero future. We're looking for a Senior Contract Manager to join our IT Procurement & Commercial team, where you'll play a key role in shaping and strengthening relationships with some of our most important technology and telecommunications partners. Working closely with senior IT leaders, you'll act as a trusted commercial advisor, helping to maximise value from strategic supplier partnerships while ensuring the successful delivery of critical services, programmes, and projects. This is a highly collaborative role where you'll influence decision-making, drive continuous improvement, and help create positive outcomes across service performance, innovation, sustainability, and cost efficiency. If you're passionate about building strong stakeholder relationships, creating commercial value, and working at the heart of a dynamic technology environment, we'd love to hear from you. You will

• Build and manage strategic supplier relationships, acting as a trusted commercial advisor to IT leaders and collaborating with key stakeholders to maximise value from supplier partnerships.
• Lead contract and supplier governance activities, ensuring effective oversight, compliance, and alignment with organisational policies, frameworks, and strategic objectives.
• Drive supplier performance and continuous improvement, monitoring KPIs, service delivery, innovation, and commercial outcomes to enhance quality, efficiency, and value.
• Provide commercial and contractual expertise across IT programmes and projects, supporting decision-making, managing contractual changes, and helping to deliver successful business outcomes.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate supplier risks, including financial, operational, regulatory, reputational, and supply chain risks, ensuring the resilience of critical services and partnerships.
  Proven experience managing strategic IT and Telecommunications suppliers, delivering strong commercial outcomes and supplier performance.
• Strong commercial and contract management expertise, with the ability to negotiate, interpret, and manage complex agreements.
• Knowledge of IT services, telecommunications, ERP systems, and large-scale technology programmes.
• Excellent relationship-building and influencing skills, with the confidence to engage and challenge senior stakeholders and suppliers.
• Strong analytical and risk management capabilities, using data and insights to drive value, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Knowledge of UK Utilities Contract Regulations and a professional contract management qualification (e.g. WorldCC/IACCM) would be advantageous.

SSEs purpose is to be restless every day until we make electricity clean, affordable and available for all. We do this by developing, building, operating and investing in electricity infrastructure and businesses needed in the energy transition. This includes electricity transmission and distribution networks, onshore and offshore wind farms, hydro-electric power and flexible thermal generation. We also provide products and services for businesses and other customers. Our investment plan will see SSE invest £33bn in critical electricity infrastructure to 2030. Our Procurement & Commercial teams help us get the best service and value from partners, while ensuring suppliers meet compliance, contractual and business obligations.

Salary: £59800- £89800 + performance-related bonus + a range of benefits to support your finances, wellbeing and family. Working Pattern: Permanent | Full Time | Flexible First options available, Enjoy discounts on private healthcare and gym memberships. Wellbeing benefits like a free online GP and 24/7 counselling service. Interest-free loans on tech and transport season tickets, or a new bike with our Cycle to Work scheme. As well as generous family entitlements such as maternity and adoption pay, and paternity leave.