Procurement Lead - Mobile Telecoms Networks (RAN)

Project People Limited; Newbury; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Project People Limited seeks a Procurement Lead for a 3-month contract in Newbury with hybrid working. You will own networks procurement strategy, lead complex negotiations, and partner with senior leaders to align procurement with business goals.

The role requires deep knowledge of contracts, market dynamics, and supplier management, with strong stakeholder engagement across multiple functions. Immediate start and high visibility are key aspects of the position.

Qualifications

• Experience of senior stakeholder level business partnering.
• Exceptional engagement and relationship building abilities to all seniority levels.
• Strategically minded and creative with clear methodical plans and negotiation skills.
• Significant experience running substantive end-to-end Procurement programmes within networks/ telecoms.
• Deep experience and thought leadership on procurement basics: contract law, negotiation, market dynamics, strategic sourcing.

Responsibilities

• Anticipate procurement challenges and develop sourcing strategy for best commercial outcomes.
• Maintain current category plans aligned to business objectives and identify procurement opportunities.
• Use data and insights to influence investment decisions and stimulate innovative thinking.
• Develop sourcing strategies using e-Procurement, e-auctioning and strategic sourcing.
• Lead or participate in high-value negotiations with stakeholders and legal to protect commercial interests.
• Align with Procurement, Technology, and Governance teams to ensure strategic supplier management.
• Ensure compliance with corporate policies and CSR requirements.
• Interface with Group companies to maximise market leverage.
• Lead strategic sourcing across major spend categories using market intelligence and best practices.

Skills

Senior stakeholder

Relationship building

Strategic thinking

Negotiation

Problem solving

Job description

Procurement Lead - 3 month contract - Immediate Start - Newbury - Hybrid

This role will be responsible for the Networks Procurement spend and strategy and requires a commercial and contracts subject matter expert that works closely with their line manager, the Procurement Director, VPC and the Financial Governance Director to provide expert advice and guidance to ELT members and their SLT. They will be required to understand business strategy, technology and market developments and providing creative challenge and thought leadership to influence and support business decision making.

The Procurement function is a centre of excellence to ensure the company achieves its near and long-term business outcomes by planning, selecting, contracting and onboarding the very best suppliers, products and services, optimising the balance of risk, cost, quality and delivery.

The Networks Procurement function will fully align with the Networks team within the Company to provide end to end support requirements across the business.

Reporting to Senior Procurement Manager: ND&I and Operations, this role is a highly visible and influential role which will develop and maintain the Procurement and contract strategy for the Networks requirements across the business.

What You’ll Do:

• Works up stream to anticipate procurement challenges and develops the sourcing strategy to ensure the business is equipped to deliver the best possible commercial outcomes, ensuring clarity around areas such as risks, routes to market, resource commitments, supply market dynamics, competitive strategies and delivery plans.
• Maintains a suite of clear and current category plans, wholly aligned to business objectives, which identify a pipeline of procurement opportunities.
• Uses internal and external data, relationships and insight to formulate a clear point of view on business investment decisions (e.g. supply market reviews, business case assessments etc), stimulate creative conversations and encourage innovative thinking within the business
• Develops sourcing strategies and initiatives, on occasion highly complex and high value, using best in class sourcing solutions such as e-Procurement, e-auctioning, strategic sourcing etc.
• Leads or participates in high-value, very complex commercial and contractual negotiations, working with stakeholders and legal to close negotiations with contracts which fully protect commercial and operational risks and interests
• Leads strategies to align with the Procurement, Technology and Strategic Finance Governance and VPC teams to ensure strategic supplier management is considered in all purchase decisions, facilitating the handover into the contract/partner management teams and providing ongoing support and insight to address challenges with incumbent suppliers.
• Ensuring compliance with corporate product, procedural, regulatory, quality, environmental and corporate social responsibility policies
• Interfaces and collaborates with Group companies on related sourcing to maximise leverage in the market place.
• Responsible for leading strategic sourcing initiatives across major spend categories, ensuring the effective use of market intelligence, data analytics, and best-in-class procurement practices to optimise value and mitigate supply chain risks.

Qualifications

Who You Are:

• Experience of senior stakeholder level business partnering.
• Exceptional engagement and relationship building abilities (both internally and externally and, to all seniority levels). Naturally accessible. Able to communicate complex challenges in simple terms
• Strategically minded and creative, able to develop and translate a vision into clear methodical plans with excellent negotiation and problem-solving ability.
• Significant experience of running substantive end-to-end Procurement programmes within mobile telecoms with networks experience
• Deep experience and thought leadership on the Procurement basics - contract law, negotiation, market dynamics, commercial strategy, strategic sourcing, supply management.