Hybrid OT Contract & Supplier Relationship Lead

National Highways; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

National Highways is seeking a Contract Relationship Manager to own day-to-day relationships and contract management for OT suppliers supporting renewals and maintenance on the Strategic Road Network. You will act as the primary contact and escalation route.

Based in a UK office with a balance of remote and office work, you will lead governance meetings, monitor supplier performance, coordinate with demand management, and drive continuous improvement feeding into procurement strategy.

Qualifications

• Contract and supplier management experience in a regulated/public sector or complex infrastructure environment.
• Proven delivery of supplier performance management using KPIs, governance, and corrective action plans.
• Experience aligning demand forecasts with supplier capacity, manufacturing lead times, delivery plans and financial budgets.
• Understanding of Operational Technology scheme delivery considerations i.e. service continuity, safety, change control (desirable).
• 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 government-owned company 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

KPI governance

Demand forecasting

Budgeting

Operational Technology

Communication

Job description

National Highways is seeking a Contract Relationship Manager to own day-to-day relationships and contract management for OT suppliers supporting renewals and maintenance on the Strategic Road Network. You will act as the primary contact and escalation route.

Based in a UK office with a balance of remote and office work, you will lead governance meetings, monitor supplier performance, coordinate with demand management, and drive continuous improvement feeding into procurement strategy.