Senior Supplier Relationship Manager

DfT Operator; City Of London; On-site; GBP 59,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A public sector rail organization is seeking a strategic supply chain risk and relationship manager to oversee procurement and develop strategies for supplier management. The successful candidate will have significant experience in managing strategic risks, building relationships with key stakeholders, and leading contract negotiations. This role offers a fixed-term contract with a salary of up to £70,000 and benefits including 25 days annual leave and a pension scheme.

Benefits

25 days annual leave

10% employer pension contribution

Networking opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience managing strategic suppliers and contract/SRM management.
• Ability to develop and implement risk management strategies.
• Experience in stakeholder engagement and relationship building.

Responsibilities

• Develop supply chain risk management strategies.
• Communicate with suppliers and stakeholders.
• Oversee strategic supplier relationship management.

Skills

Strategic supply chain risk management

Stakeholder engagement

Contract negotiation

Education

Significant experience in supply chain management

Job description

About DFT Operator

Join Our Team at DFTO

DFTO is the government’s public sector rail owning group. Its purpose is to bring all currently privately‑owned train operators into public ownership in advance of the creation of Great British Railways in 2027 - and deliver improvements in the here and now by unifying and integrating train operations under common public ownership.

DFTO has over 23,000 employees, runs over 6,000 services a day and delivers over 450 million customer journeys across its networks every year. This accounts for 26% of total UK passenger journeys and 30% of passenger miles.

Major improvements are being delivered by DFTO train operators (TOCs) that are already under public ownership - these are LNER, Northern, TransPennine Express (TPE), southeastern, South Western Railway (SWR) c2c and Greater Anglia.

Primary Purpose of Job

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced strategic supply chain risk and relationship manager within the DFTO group procurement function.

This role is one of two that will operate within the Group procurement team and across DFTO train operators, supporting category & Toc relationships.

Reporting to the Head of Commercial Governance and Assurance, the purpose of this newly created role is to support DFTO group procurement as part of the railway public ownership program to strategically develop central supplier relationship and risk management strategies across DFTO and our Train operators.

Taking a strategic lead on behalf of DFTO and its group train operators the role will be responsible for:

• developing and implementing strategies to understand and ensure the resilience and efficiency of third‑party supply chains;
• developing and facilitating tools to manage and mitigate supply chain risk;
• supporting strategically important supplier relationships to meet the policy requirements, provide value for money and align with the wider industry strategic @context;
• creating and delivering a robust commercially focused performance management framework for key suppliers
• and supporting collaborative relationships to build clear lines of communication and coordination between DFTO and its suppliers.

Key Responsibilities

Typically, the key responsibilities in this role will include (but are not limited to):

Strategy/Framework Development (Plan)

• Develop, implement and manage SRM and risk management frameworks with engagement strategies that can operate across the group to ensure alignment with strategic objectives, optimize value and minimise risk through the supplier lifecycle.

Develop and implement supply chain risk management strategies, working across industry partners and operators to facilitate joint risk management practices and sharing of information to support operational delivery, supply chain sustainability and ensure compliance with required regulation and legislation as may be required.

Process Development (Build)

• Lead & Support the adoption of tools and standardised processes, identifying and influencing key stakeholder or operator leads and support train operator requirements.
• Design and lead the implementation and management of supplier due diligence onboarding and management processes within DFTO purchasing and procurement.

Capability Development (Build)

• Work closely with train operators and DFTO to develop core competencies and methods to support the implementation of corporate initiatives and provide oversight and advice to enable the right commercial approach to be taken in the management of key suppliers fostering collaborative relationships with suppliers and the train operators where there are multiple operator interfaces across the same supply partners.

Supplier/Stakeholder Engagement (Run)

• Work collaboratively internally and externally to develop and deliver DFTO stakeholder and supplier communication plans and methods, ensure consistency of messaging across TOCs, Industry & supply chains and to enable escalation of key strategic supplier performance or relationship issues across DFTO and its Operators.

Performance Management (Run)

• Oversee top level strategic contracts or central contracts where appropriate at DFTO.
• Lead the management of strategic level supply chain relationships and risks and act as point of escalation, working with train operators to carry out supplier risk assessment, audit or due diligence reviews as may be required.Establish, monitor and report on key supplier performance metrics and contract adherence at a central industry level ensuring alignment with Operators.
• Working with internal and external stakeholders ensure that risks appropriately recorded or escalated and managed through correct governance processes, operationally and strategically.

Continuous Improvement (Run)

Collaborate with procurement, legal, safety, and operational teams to embed and drive continuous improvement of supplier risk management practices and processes across the organisation, leveraging data and best practice insights.

Build and lead on strategic partnerships for the DFTO and TOC sourcing teams to identify opportunities for joint innovation, efficiencies and value creation.

Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Technical Qualifications

The post holder must have significant experience in the management of strategic supply chain risk or contract/SRM management with proper regard to the contract and the commercial obligations set out, and ideally a proven track‑record of success of managing and negotiating with internal and external stakeholders and of driving out increased performance and value whilst managing risk; with Extensive experience specifically required in:

Strategy and Policy Development

• Proven track record of developing and implementing SRM and risk management strategies.
• Ability to operate successfully and deliver within a challenging and complex environment, with experience of managing strategic suppliers.
• Has practical experience in the development and implementation of business unit strategies and processes through contracts and can challenge risk averse behaviours where appropriate.

Understands and the ability to practically apply the procurement rules & associated legislation and link them to the implementation of policy objectives.

Risk and Assurance Management

• Demonstrates the ability to analyse risks and understand margins of error in developing recommendations and making effective decisions.
• Experience of successful working with a range of clients and stakeholders in an assurance capacity.

Commercial Ethics

• Demonstrates the ability to communicate standards to eliminate corruption, fraud and unethical behaviour in supply chains, taking appropriate actions in the event of any alleged breach of standards

Build Relationships

• Able to engage and influence challenging senior stakeholders. Encourage feedback to drive continuous improvement.
• Experience in building and maintaining effective relationships with key and senior stakeholders.
• Has strong stakeholder engagement skills and can present technical advice successfully in order to influence internal and external decision making.
• Demonstrates the ability to articulate commercial motivations and expected behaviours of stakeholders, suppliers, and networks.

Vacancy Details

Duration:2 year Fixed Term contract/secondment
Location:London Waterloo
Salary:up to £70,000
Closing date:8th January 2026

DFTO Benefits

Annual Leave: Starting at 25 days and rising to an additional day per year of service completed within the first 5 completed years up to a maximum of 5 additional (30 days)

DC Pension Scheme: 10% Employer contribution, 5% Employee contribution

Opportunities to learn and network across the wider industry

Disclaimer

Disclaimer: Candidates applying for this position on a secondment basis must inform their line manager prior to submitting their application. This is to ensure transparency and facilitate any necessary discussions regarding workload and responsibilities.

Contact

If you have any questions or reasonable adjustments, please contact [e-mail].

Please do not email any CV's to us, your application must be made by clicking the 'Apply' button.