Procurement Manager

Great Western Railway (GWR); Swindon; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dynamic Procurement Manager to lead procurement projects and reporting requirements. This role offers a unique opportunity to shape the transition to Public Ownership while working collaboratively with a diverse team. You'll be at the forefront of strategic sourcing, ensuring compliance with public sector policies, and developing strong relationships with stakeholders. With a commitment to professional growth, the company provides a structured career progression path and a supportive environment. Join a forward-thinking organization that values diversity and fosters an inclusive workplace culture.

Benefits

Defined benefit pension scheme

Free rail travel for family

Company-sponsored health care plan

Discounted shopping

Gym membership

Employee assistance programme

Qualifications

• Experience in utilities or public contracts regulations.
• Proven experience managing supplier relationships.
• Basic understanding of contract law.

Responsibilities

• Lead procurement projects and reporting requirements.
• Conduct commercial negotiations for contracts.
• Develop effective relationships with stakeholders.

Skills

Contract negotiation

Contract management

E-procurement knowledge

Interpersonal skills

Time-management

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Education

MCIPS qualification

Experience in procurement

Tools

MS Office

MS Excel

MS Word

Job description

Who are we?

GWR is the proud custodian of Brunel's railway - one of the most prestigious networks in the world. We have some of the newest trains in the country and exciting plans to extend our services. With more than one hundred million passenger journeys each year, we carry people to over 275 stations in the South West, from Cornwall and South Wales to London, passing through beautiful country and some of the UK's top tourist destinations.

We are transforming the way people think about train travel, empowering our team of over 6,000 people from all different backgrounds to make it a great experience for our customers. Together, we will revalue rail as a very special way to travel – relaxing, fast, efficient, friendly and fun.

About the team?

As one of the largest train companies in Britain, more than 100 million customers a year join us on board. When the Great Western Railway was built, it opened the West and Wales to trade and tourism. And now, along with our partners at Network Rail, we're proud to have the chance to look after your railway.

As well as electrifying our main routes, and upgrading key stations, we have carried out the biggest upgrade of trains in the country.

The Procurement team have an essential role to play in the success of GWR through our strategic sourcing and our approach to supplier management.

Our Vision

Be a trusted partner, that enables the business to achieve value for money every time.

At GWR, we understand the importance of investing in our employees' professional growth.

As a Procurement Manager, you'll have access to a structured career progression path within both GWR and our parent company, First Group. Whether you're looking to enhance your skills, take on greater responsibilities, or pursue leadership positions, we're committed to supporting your career development every step of the way.

About the Job?

The role of the FRAM Procurement Manager will be to lead on both the procurement projects and reporting requirements associated with the transition to Public Ownership across all spend areas, with support from others within the team, and reporting to the Head of Procurement.

To succeed in this position, you will be an enthusiastic, self-motivated individual with good interpersonal skills who has the ability to work both independently and within a wider multi-functional stakeholder team.

Preferred candidates will have experience in the following areas:

• Utilities or Public Contracts Regulations.
• Contract negotiation.
• Contract management.
• E-procurement knowledge.

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Lead on all reporting requirements ensuring deadlines are met.
• Review existing contract database and recommend alternative public sector frameworks and contracts that can be utilised.
• Lead and develop competitive tender exercises in a regulated procurement environment for new procurement systems as required.
• Prepare suite of documents in readiness for the transition.
• Lead on updating procurement documentation to ensure compliance with public sector policies.
• Develop and maintain effective relationships with various stakeholders across GWR, First Group and external stakeholders.
• Conducting commercial negotiations for both new requirements and contract renewals.

You'll need to:

• Be leading on all aspects of reporting, contract reviews, tender drafting, issuing and evaluation in procurement projects.
• Have great communication skills.
• Have excellent organisation skills in terms of time-management and workload.
• Be proficient with MS Office, in particular MS Excel and Word.
• Proactive in driving projects and reporting updates to all stakeholders.

As a minimum you'll need to have:

• Have, or be working towards, MCIPS qualification.
• Previous experience in a procurement role.
• A basic understanding of contract law.
• Proven experience in the development of good relationships with both internal and external senior stakeholders.
• Proven demonstrable experience of managing supplier relationships and performance.
• Excellent organisational skills.
• Excellent analytical and data management skills.

About the location:

Base location Swindon. You will be issued a travel pass to travel on the GWR Network.

Working Pattern:

Full-time

The Reward:

As well as a great team environment and comprehensive training, all GWR colleagues enjoy a range of benefits including on-going development, defined benefit pension scheme, free rail travel across the GWR network for you and your family, company-sponsored health care plan, discounted shopping and gym membership and an employee assistance programme.

We all belong at GWR. This is our vision for providing an inclusive environment for all our colleagues, ensuring all candidates have an equal opportunity to access meaningful employment.

We value our differences such as age, gender, LGBTQIA, ethnicity, religion and disability. We maintain zero tolerance towards any form of prejudice towards our colleagues, customers, and future talent.

We celebrate and encourage diversity of thought, progressive ways of working and seeing all our colleagues grow and thrive.

We review all roles and job descriptions to ensure they are accessible and, where possible, we support and provide flexible working options; we recommend that you refer to each vacancy description for further details.

If you require additional support to complete your application due to a disability or neurodivergent condition such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, or autism, please follow the links below. We encourage you to share any additional needs you may require so we can provide a fair and equal process for all who apply.

https://exceptionalindividuals.com/neurodiversity/

https://www.healthassured.org/blog/neurodiversity/