Property Contracts Manager & Quantity Surveyor

Dunelm; Leicester; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Dunelm is seeking a Contracts Manager/Quantity Surveyor to oversee supplier relationships and ensure compliance with contracts for new store openings and refurbishments. The ideal candidate will have construction industry experience and strong negotiation skills.

Qualifications

• Experience in managing supplier performance.
• Understanding of Fitting Out / Construction techniques.

Responsibilities

• Manage relationships with over 100 suppliers and contractors.
• Ensure compliance with internal procurement policies and best practices.
• Conduct market research for cost-effective supplier solutions.

Skills

Communication

Negotiation

Risk Management

Education

Construction Industry experience

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 new stores, logistics and support sites. The Facilities Management (FM) team comprises an in house help desk that manage all reactive, planned and preventive maintenance works to the estate.

What you'll be doing

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

This role acts as a bridge between business stakeholders, Procurement, and Legal, ensuring that sourcing activities align with business needs, contracts are negotiated effectively to deliver the best value, and supplier performance is managed post-contract to optimise value and mitigate risks. The role may also widen to incorporate ad hoc project management and equipment, services, or small works rollout projects.

Key responsibilities:

• Business Requirements & Sourcing Support
• Jointly own with Procurement the category strategy, identifying a rolling 12-month+ program of appropriate activity including renewals and category development that support strategic plans.
• Collaborate with Store Development and FM teams, to define business requirements, products, equipment, materials, and service levels, and key performance indicators (KPIs) / Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
• Work with Procurement & Legal to develop RFPs, RFQs, and contract structures to deliver the business requirements referenced in the bullet above.
• Ensure compliance with internal procurement policies, the Dunelm risk appetite (provided by Legal and Procurement), financial guidelines, and industry best practices.
• Conduct market research to identify cost-effective and innovative supplier solutions.

• Contracting & Negotiation
• Partner with Procurement and Legal to draft and negotiate contract terms, ensuring alignment with risk management, compliance, and commercial objectives.
• Define and specify SLAs and KPIs within contracts.
• Define and specify materials, material and services requirements to ensure compliance with CDM and Building Regulations and The Building Safety Act.
• Ensure that any new specifications have been agreed with internal stakeholders and professional consultants for Building Control, Fire, and ESG Compliance.
• Ensure contracts include exit strategies, penalties, and continuous improvement mechanisms.

• Supplier Performance Management & Relationship Oversight
• Establish supplier governance frameworks, including regular performance reviews and business reviews.
• Monitor supplier compliance with SLAs, KPIs, and contractual obligations.
• Identify risks, disputes, or underperformance and drive resolution through corrective action plans and/or escalation to Procurement and Legal.
• Foster supplier innovation and continuous improvement initiatives, seeking to build long-term relationships.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to assess supplier performance feedback and make renewal/termination recommendations.
• Build vendor relationships and be a day-to-day contact for key suppliers.
• Ensure contacts and escalation paths with suppliers are well defined.

• Risk Management & Compliance
• Ensure supplier contracts adhere to regulatory, financial, and data security requirements.
• Work with internal and external Health and Safety teams to ensure compliance with legislation, completing regular assessments and identifying improvement needs.
• Work with Legal and Risk teams to mitigate third-party risks.
• Monitor supplier financial health, ethical sourcing, and sustainability commitments.
• Work with internal and external Health and Safety and compliance teams to complete competency assessments on all suppliers, consultants, contractors, and internal teams to identify compliance and future training and development needs. League tables and compliance matrices 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 an understanding of Fitting Out / Construction techniques, practices, and rates / costs.
• Familiarity with Building Regulations and Statutory Requirements.
• Experience in managing supplier performance.
• Experience in contract negotiations.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal).
• Highly self-organized and motivated.
• Strong numerical and negotiation skills.