Contract Manager - OT & Supplier Performance (Hybrid)

National Highways; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

National Highways is seeking a Contract Relationship Manager to own day-to-day relationships and contract management for operational technology suppliers supporting renewals and maintenance on the Strategic Road Network.

Based in the UK with a balance of remote and office-based work, the role involves governance, KPI management, and coordinating with demand planning to ensure safety, service delivery, and alignment with organisational objectives.

Qualifications

• Contract and supplier management experience in a regulated/public sector or complex infrastructure environment.
• Experience delivering supplier performance management using KPIs, governance, and corrective action plans.
• Experience aligning demand forecasts with supplier capacity, manufacturing lead times, delivery plans and budgets.
• Understanding of Operational Technology scheme delivery considerations (service continuity, safety, change control).
• Confident drafting variations and formal supplier communications; strong written communication and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Lead contract management activities on behalf of the OT Asset Improvement Team Leader across the contract lifecycle, ensuring supplier compliance with contractual terms, policies, and governance requirements.
• Plan, chair, and minute monthly supplier governance meetings, driving clear actions, decisions, risks/issues management, and forward delivery plans aligned to programme milestones.
• Monitor and manage contractual KPIs and service performance, producing regular performance reporting, trend analysis, and improvement plans; trigger remedies or performance management mechanisms where applicable such as service credits.
• Coordinate with the Demand Management function to understand future demand signals and translate these into supplier forecasts, capacity planning, manufacturing lead-times, and delivery readiness.
• Drive continuous improvement and supplier development, agreeing improvement initiatives, tracking benefits, and ensuring lessons learned feed into service delivery and future procurement strategy.

Skills

Contract management

Supplier management

KPIs & governance

Stakeholder management

Policy compliance

Job description

National Highways is seeking a Contract Relationship Manager to own day-to-day relationships and contract management for operational technology suppliers supporting renewals and maintenance on the Strategic Road Network.

Based in the UK with a balance of remote and office-based work, the role involves governance, KPI management, and coordinating with demand planning to ensure safety, service delivery, and alignment with organisational objectives.