Property Contracts Manager & Quantity Surveyor

Dunelm; Leicester; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Dunelm, the UK's leading homewares retailer, is seeking a Contracts Manager/Quantity Surveyor to manage supplier relationships and oversee contracting activities for new store openings and refurbishments. The ideal candidate will possess construction industry experience, strong contract negotiation skills, and a commitment to supplier performance management. This role plays a crucial part in ensuring project delivery and service excellence across our expanding store network.

Qualifications

• Understanding of fitting out/construction techniques.
• Familiarity with Building Regulations and statutory requirements.
• Experience managing supplier performance.

Responsibilities

• Manage relationships with over 100 suppliers/contractors.
• Negotiate contracts and ensure compliance with regulations.
• Conduct market research for cost-effective suppliers.

Skills

Construction Industry experience

Contract negotiations

Supplier performance management

Interpersonal skills

Negotiation skills

Job description

Overview

Home. There’s no place like it. And there’s no feeling like helping people create the joy of feeling truly at home. At Dunelm, that’s what we do. We’re the UK's number one choice for homewares because we make home life lovelier for our customers. And the caring and supportive culture we've created makes this a place you'll feel right at home too.

We are the UK’s Number One homewares retailer offering over 85,000 productsbuilding a consumer-focused total retail business that delights customers through our multichannel operation.

We are ambitious in our plans to drive further expansion of the business to more customers, shopping more frequently, with more choice, enhanced digital and physical services, and new capabilities to innovate and operate at pace in a fast-changing landscape. In developing the business for the long-term benefit of our customers, we are investing in our supply chain, stores and technology to improve the customer proposition as we move forward.

Department Overview

The Store Development team design, procure and projectmanage the refurbishment and alteration of existing and newstores, logistics and support sites.The Facilities Management (FM) team comprises an in househelp desk that manage all reactive, planned and preventativemaintenance works to the estate.

What you'll be doing

As Contracts Manager/ Quantity Surveyor, your role will be to manage relationshipswith over 100 suppliers / contractors, ensuring our ProjectManagement and FM teams are able to deliver vital projectsand services to support our new store openings,refurbishments and reactive, planned and preventativemaintenance works and non retail property projects.

This role acts as a bridge between business stakeholders,Procurement, and Legal, ensuring that sourcing activitiesalign with business needs, contracts are negotiated effectivelyto deliver the best value, and supplier performance ismanaged post-contract to optimise value and mitigate risks.The role may also widen to incorporate ad hoc projectmanagement and equipment, services or small works role outprojects.

Key responsibilities:

Business Requirements & Sourcing Support

• Jointly own with Procurement the category strategy,identifying a rolling 12-month+ program ofappropriate activity including renewals and categorydevelopment that support strategic plans.
• Collaborate with Store Development and FM teams,to define business requirements, products,equipment, materials and service levels, and keyperformance indicators (KPIs) / Service LevelAgreements (SLA’s).
• Work with Procurement & Legal to develop RFPs,RFQs, and contract structures to deliver the businessrequirements referenced in the bullet above.
• Ensure compliance with internal procurement policies,the Dunelm risk appetite (provided by Legal andProcurement), financial guidelines, and industry bestpractices.
• Conduct market research to identify cost-effective andinnovative supplier solutions.

Contracting & Negotiation

• Partner with Procurement and Legal to draft andnegotiate contract terms, ensuring alignment with riskmanagement, compliance, and commercial objectives.
• Define and specify SLA’s and KPI’s within contracts.
• Define and specify materials, material and servicesrequirements to ensure compliance with CDM andBuilding Regulations and The Building Safety Act.
• Ensure that any new specifications have been agreedwith internal stakeholders and with our professionalconsultants for Building Control, Fire and ESGCompliance.
• Ensure contracts include exit strategies, penalties, andcontinuous improvement mechanisms.

Supplier Performance Management & RelationshipOversight

• Establish supplier governance frameworks, includingregular performance reviews and business reviews.
• Monitor supplier compliance with SLAs, KPIs, andcontractual obligations.
• Identify risks, disputes, or under performance anddrive resolution through corrective action plans and /or escalation to Procurement and Legal.
• Foster supplier innovation and continuousimprovement initiatives and seek to build long-termrelationships.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to assesssupplier performance feedback and makerenewal/termination recommendations.
• Build vendor relationships and be a day-to-day contactfor key suppliers.
• Ensure contacts and escalation paths with suppliers arewell defined.

Risk Management & Compliance

• Ensure supplier contracts adhere to regulatory,financial, and data security requirements.
• Work with internal and external Health and Safety toensure compliance with legislation, completing regularassessments and identifying improvement needs.
• Work with Legal and Risk teams to mitigate third party risks.
• Monitor supplier financial heath, ethical sourcing, andsustainability commitments.
• Work with internal and external Health and Safety andcompliance teams to complete competencyassessments on all suppliers, consultants, contractorsand internal teams to identify compliance and futuretraining and development needs. League tables andcompliance matrix’s to be created and managed.
• Maintain a Supplier and Contract Database.

What we'll look for in you

• Construction Industry experience is required as is anunderstanding of Fitting Out / Construction techniques,practices and rates / costs.
• Familiarity with Building Regulations and StatutoryRequirements.
• Experience in managing supplier performance.
• Experience in contract negotiations.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills (written andverbal)
• Highly self-organised and motivated.
• Strong numerical and negotiation skills.