Procurement Manager

RS UK & Ireland; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

RS is seeking a Procurement Manager to lead strategic procurement initiatives across Product & Supplier Management. You will steer the Direct Procurement programme, develop negotiation strategies, and coach teams to deliver lasting commercial value across markets and suppliers.

The role requires strong stakeholder influence and data-driven decision-making. You will collaborate with Category and Commercial teams to embed best practices, drive capability development and achieve profitability

Qualifications

• Substantial procurement experience in large B2B organisations.
• Proven track record of negotiation success with large suppliers that yielded significant savings/benefits.
• Proven ability to coach and upskill colleagues in negotiation strategy and practice.
• Strong communication skills with clear articulation under uncertainty and pressure.
• Advanced analytical and fact-based decision-making capabilities.
• Strong commercial and financial literacy to understand supplier cost structures and margins.
• Experience with supplier engagement across multiple markets is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Own and drive expansion of the Direct Procurement FBN programme across markets, private label and branded supplier portfolios.
• Embed a scalable framework enabling data-driven negotiations and governance processes.
• Lead development of robust negotiation strategies for key supplier initiatives.
• Identify and unlock opportunities delivering commercial value and cost savings.
• Measure adoption, value delivery and capability improvements from the programme.
• Coach negotiation teams during critical supplier discussions and provide strategic guidance.
• Develop negotiation capability across Category and Commercial teams through training.

Skills

Procurement experience

Negotiation

Coaching & mentoring

Stakeholder management

Analytical thinking

Commercial & financial literacy

Education

CIPS qualification

Job description

Hybrid working - Corby, London or Manchester (With regular travel to Corby, and some international travel)

The Role

Our Category Management teams within Product & Supplier Management (P&SM) look after hundreds of engineering product vendors, and millions of SKUs, as we continue to deliver brilliantly to customers across the globe.

The Procurement Manager will lead the development and deployment of strategic procurement initiatives that drive sustainable commercial value across P&SM and the business. Acting as the recognised expert in supplier negotiations and value creation, the role will support and enable Category Teams to secure stronger commercial terms, unlocking incremental value across branded, private label and market-led supplier portfolios.

A key focus of the role will be the expansion and embedding of the Direct Procurement (Fact-Based Negotiation) methodology beyond P&SM, creating a consistent approach to supplier engagement, negotiation planning, capability development and value delivery across all markets and categories.

The role will be responsible for influencing senior stakeholders, shaping negotiation strategies, developing procurement capabilities, and driving commercial outcomes that contribute to both short‑term profitability and long‑term competitive advantage.

What you will be responsible for

• Own and drive the expansion of the Direct Procurement FBN programme across markets, private label and branded supplier portfolios
• Embed a scalable framework that enables teams to adopt a fact‑based, data‑driven approach to supplier negotiations, establishing best practices, tools and governance processes that embed FBN principles into procurement and commercial planning cycles.
• Lead the development of robust negotiation strategies for key supplier and procurement initiatives.
• Identify, prioritise and unlock new opportunities relating to commercial benefit and value drivers.
• Measure and track adoption, value delivery and capability improvements resulting from the FBN programme.
• Support the development of robust negotiation strategies for key supplier and procurement initiatives.
• Support negotiation teams during critical supplier discussions, providing coaching, challenge and tactical guidance.
• Develop negotiation capability across Category and Commercial teams through coaching, mentoring and structured training.
• Continuously evolve and enhance the negotiation playbook to reflect market dynamics, best practice and lessons learned.
• Build strong partnerships with across the business, facilitating alignment, and ensuring commercial targets are realised.
• Influence senior stakeholders across the business to adopt new ways of working and embrace strategic procurement methodologies.
• Provide regular updates on programme progress, negotiation outcomes, risks and value delivered.

Experience we are looking for from you

• Substantial procurement experience in large B2B organisations.
• Proven track record of negotiation success with large suppliers that yielded significant savings &/or benefits.
• Proven ability to coach and up‑skill colleagues in negotiation strategy, preparation and practice to deliver results when not personally negotiating.
• Strong communication skills with logical and confident articulation under uncertainty and pressure.
• Advanced tactical and relationship building skills that enables win‑win discussions with large suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and fact‑based decision‑making capabilities.
• Problem solving and creative abilities to develop non‑traditional and practical negotiation strategies that improves bargaining power and increases negotiation success rate with tough suppliers.
• Strong commercial and financial literacy to understand how to leverage supplier’s cost structure, margins and business priorities to achieve targeted outcomes.

Desirable Skills & Experience that would be helpful

• Experience of working at a Supplier or a thorough understanding priorities from suppliers' perspectives
• Prior industry experience in industrial, automation and control, or facilities maintenance
• Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply qualifications

RS – Who We Are

At RS we’ve been solving engineering problems for over 80 years: big ones, small ones, easy and difficult ones. We turn the ‘what ifs’ into the ‘why nots’, the impossible into the possible.

Our purpose? Making amazing happen for a better world.

We offer service and product solutions. We send out a parcel every 2 seconds, to over 130 countries. We provide over 700,000 in‑stock and over 3 million unstocked products to more than 1.2 million customers. We want people like you, as you are curious about things, you like doing things differently and in a human way with empathy. Because that’s exactly how we partner with people – our customers, suppliers, colleagues, and communities – to solve problems.

We’ll also invest in your development and wellbeing – because building a more diverse and inclusive culture, being ethical, responsible, and committed to our Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) action plan is at the heart of everything we do.

Come and join us and over 9000 colleagues and we’ll help you to think big, do more and unleash your brilliance, so you do amazing things too.