Strategic Contracts & Supplier Relationships Lead

Thames Water Ltd; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Hybrid working

Pension scheme

Job summary

Thames Water seeks a Strategic Contracts Manager to lead category plans and supplier development within the procurement function. You will collaborate with Commercial and Procurement teams to deliver value, manage supplier risk, and ensure compliance with Procurement Act 2023 (Utilities).

You will build strong relationships, negotiate effectively, and drive delivery of procurement projects across allocated spend areas, with a hybrid base at Reading.

Qualifications

• Experience in supplier relationship management and developing long-term supplier relations.
• Proven ability to manage multi-disciplinary project teams and deliver procurement projects.
• Strong stakeholder engagement with internal teams and supply chain partners.
• Track record of achieving challenging procurement targets and value for money.
• Experience negotiating with suppliers and managing contractual risk and resilience.
• Familiarity with procurement policy and compliance frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement Category Plans for allocated spend based on market insights.
• Build collaborative relationships with Commercial Team colleagues.
• Develop engagement plans for current and potential suppliers.
• Identify and prioritise activity pipelines for strategic and tactical needs.
• Lead category projects and initiatives, supporting Strategic Sourcing Managers as needed.
• Negotiate with suppliers on commercial and contractual matters, assessing risk.
• Foster supplier relationships to enable delivery, innovation and continuous improvement.
• Share supplier opportunities and developments with Thames Water stakeholders.

Skills

Supplier relationship mgmt

Multi-disciplinary project teams

Stakeholder engagement

Delivery against targets

External supplier negotiation

Supply chain project delivery

Procurement value for money

Communication & stakeholder mgmt

Education

MCIPS

Job description

Thames Water seeks a Strategic Contracts Manager to lead category plans and supplier development within the procurement function. You will collaborate with Commercial and Procurement teams to deliver value, manage supplier risk, and ensure compliance with Procurement Act 2023 (Utilities).

You will build strong relationships, negotiate effectively, and drive delivery of procurement projects across allocated spend areas, with a hybrid base at Reading.