Procurement Manager

Chiltern Railways; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Chiltern Railways seeks a Procurement Manager - Commercial to strengthen the procurement team across Revenue, Marketing & Customer Service contracts. Based at Marylebone or other Chiltern locations, the role is permanent with a hybrid pattern (60/40, three days in the office, core Team Day Wednesday). The role focuses on strategic sourcing, supplier management, and governance.

Qualifications

• Experience compiling robust tender and commercial documents.
• Experience running tenders and leading complex procurement activities.
• Proven ability to negotiate high-value, high-risk contracts.
• Familiar with the Procurement Act 2023 guidelines.
• Experience procuring direct and indirect goods/services in Operations, H&S, Security, and Environment.
• Strong understanding of supply markets for technical services.
• Excellent stakeholder relationship skills.
• Strong spend analysis and advanced Excel capabilities.
• Membership of CIPS or working towards it.

Responsibilities

• Implements procurement procedures in line with Chiltern policy and drives continuous improvement.
• Delivers end-to-end procurement support on multiple projects.
• Develops procurement strategies to achieve value-for-money objectives (e.g., supplier consolidation).
• Maintains a plan of all procurement activity to meet business needs and advises on resources.
• Coordinates invitation to tender documents, instructions, evaluation scorecards and reports.
• Executes Chiltern end-to-end procurement process including strategic sourcing.
• Understands the category and its supply market; coachs others in strategy development.
• Maintains relationships with suppliers and drives performance improvements.
• Negotiates high-value contracts to protect business and deliver benefits.

Skills

Tender documentation

Tender management

Commercial negotiations

Procurement Act 2023 knowledge

Stakeholder management

Spend analysis / Advanced Excel

Tools

Purchase-To-Pay systems

Job description

Role: Procurement Manager - Commercial

Location: Marylebone Station, London - this role can also be based out of other locations on the Chiltern network (Aylesbury / Banbury)

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary: Up to £50,000 per annum

Role Purpose

The key purpose of the Procurement Manager role is to strengthen the Procurement team in to ensure that everything we do is underpinned by our ethos to behave as a good and efficient operator through all of our procurement activities, ensuring value for money and robust and fit for purpose contracts.

Reporting into the Senior Procurmement Manager, the Procurement Manager will play a crucial part in delivering the Procurement Strategy in ensuring that the key controls and governance set out in the Procurement Policy are adhered to. This will include coordinating all procurement activity from sourcing the market, through to formalising the procurement approach, carrying out the procurement activity, through to contract award and ongoing supplier management. The Procurement Manager will specialise in Revenue, Marketing & Customer Service contracts within the Commercial Category, enabling the business to operate successfully.

This is a hybrid role based on a 60/40 split, averaging three days a week in the office to collaborate with the team with Wednesday being a core Team Day. As Procurement Manager, it is expected that you will also maintain the flexibility to adapt your schedule as key business projects arise.

Key Accountabilities

• Implements procurement procedures in keeping with the Chiltern procurement policy and ensures adherence by business units. Ensures continuous improvement in procurement processes and procedures.
• Deliver end to end Procurement support on various projects.
• Supports development of appropriate procurement strategies that support value for money objectives e.g. supplier consolidation.
• Develops and maintains a plan of all procurement activity to meet business needs and advises on resource needs and options.
• Co-ordinates production of invitation to tender documents, instructions, evaluation scorecards and reports.
• Understands and executes the Chiltern procurement e2e process including strategic sourcing
• Has a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the category and its supply market.
• Provides a coaching role in category strategy development, passing on valuable knowledge within the Procurement team.
• Delivers value to the business through the application of strategic sourcing activity
• Understands and influences the category supply chain
• Brings new sourcing options to the table
• Understands how technology development can influence or create game changing scenarios
• Maintains a working knowledge of innovation/business trends within the market sector (Company consolidation, technology, innovations etc)
• Partners with key stakeholders across the business to understand key requirements/Customer profiles for their business units seeking products to best match these criteria.
• Facilitates development of Chiltern’s relationship with existing and potential suppliers through strategic supplier relationship management.
• Works closely with legal and procurement teams to ensure adherence to contracted terms and conditions to maintain a high level of commerciality and relationship with key suppliers.
• Proactively engage key suppliers to help strengthen and improve their performance and provide transparency to help alleviate current or future service issues including ensuring non-conformances are managed and addressed in a timely manner.
• Sound understanding and execution of negotiation strategy. Successfully negotiates high value, high risk contracts with suppliers that protect the business by providing relevant risk management, financial and non-financial benefits
• Actively assist in process improvement and development by understanding the Chiltern strategy and working closely with the business to ensure a seamless supply chain.
• Identify and drive forward opportunities to develop and deliver cost-savings, business and value-added opportunities within Chiltern.
• Ensuring suppliers continue to deliver best value by actively benchmarking against identified and approved comparators; and negotiating any contract changes.
• Prepare and deliver senior level presentations/reports to support any procurement strategy, price changes and products
• Understand and use internal demand profiling, supply base benchmarking and external data analysis to carry out pricing strategies and prepare relevant supplier strategies against market trends.
• Understand the key market levers and know how/when to use them. You are aware of key markets e.g. economic factors, environmental etc
• Identify and integrate key trends and insights into supply strategy and negotiations
• Be an effective user of Purchase-To-Pay systems and how this process should be used by Requisitioners, Approvers, Suppliers and Accounts Payable.
• Maintain and develop good knowledge of relevant supply markets and key players.
• Any other duties required by the Head of Procurement and Senior Procurment Manager that are appropriate to the post.

Person Specification

• Skilled in compiling robust tender and commercial documents;
• Demonstrable experience in running tenders and leading complex procurement activities;
• Demonstrable experience in leading commercial negotiations.
• Familiar with the Procurement Act 2023 guidelines
• Experience in procuring direct and indirect goods and services particularly within an Operations, Health Safety, Security, and Environment.
• Good appreciation of supply market for technical services;
• Good stakeholder relationship skills;
• Spend analysis skills, advanced excel required;
• Preferably Membership of CIPS (Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply - or actively working towards or willing to work towards)

Travel will be required across the Chiltern network and additionally may be required elsewhere within the UK