Subcontract Manager

HITACHI ENERGY CZECH REPUBLIC S.R.O.; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Hitachi Rail GTS UK Limited is seeking a Subcontract Manager to develop and strengthen supplier relationships, influence procurement decisions and drive continuous improvement across performance and delivery. This hybrid London-based role requires robust stakeholder engagement, travel to supplier premises and client locations, and a focus on collaborative, value-driven outcomes.

You will interface with projects, engineering, quality, operations and commercial teams to align objectives, mitigate

Qualifications

• Strong relationship management and stakeholder engagement capability.
• Excellent communication skills (verbal, written and interpersonal).
• Proven ability to influence, negotiate and manage conflict constructively.
• High levels of emotional intelligence and cultural awareness.
• Ability to build credibility and trust with suppliers, clients and internal stakeholders.
• Problem-solving mindset with a collaborative, solutions-focused approach.
• Comfortable operating in complex, matrix and sometimes ambiguous environments.
• Willingness and flexibility to work externally and travel as required.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary relationship owner for allocated key and strategic suppliers.
• Build and maintain long-term, trust-based relationships that support objectives.
• Develop and maintain Supplier Relationship Plans with engagement cadence and improvements.
• Facilitate regular supplier reviews and executive engagement as needed.
• Support external client engagement to align suppliers, delivery teams and clients.
• Assist in joint meetings with suppliers and clients as a professional contact.
• Contribute to discussions on supplier capability, performance and risk.
• Work with PMs to negotiate with suppliers for collaborative, sustainable outcomes.
• Influence supplier behaviours through credible communication and relationship management.
• Proactively manage issues and avoid escalation where possible.
• Monitor supplier performance and pursue continuous improvement actions.
• Collaborate with suppliers and QA to determine root causes of underperformance.
• Encourage innovation and best-practice sharing across suppliers.
• Interface between suppliers and internal stakeholders to align priorities.
• Provide insight on supplier capability, risks and constraints to leadership.
• Identify risks and support mitigation planning in line with governance.

Skills

Relationship management

Stakeholder engagement

Communication skills

Emotional intelligence

Credibility with suppliers/clients

Problem-solving mindset

Adaptability in complex environments

Willingness to travel

Job description

Location: London, London, United Kingdom

Company Name: Hitachi Rail GTS UK Limited

Profession (Job Category): Customer Service & Contact Center Operations

Job Schedule: Full time

Work Arrangement: Hybrid

About Us

A career at Hitachi Rail will help create a legacy. With operations in every corner of the world, our work goes to the cutting-edge of digital transformation and technology. From the multi-cultural strength of our global organisation to the sustainable and innovative ways we work to bring people together, there's something for everyone to get stuck into. And that's where you come in.

Job Description:

Your new role

The Subcontract Manager is responsible for developing, managing and strengthening effective, collaborative relationships with key strategic suppliers and selected external clients. The role focuses on building trust-based partnerships, influencing supplier behaviours, negotiating balanced outcomes and driving continuous improvement across performance, capability and delivery.

This role places a strong emphasis on interpersonal skills, stakeholder engagement, and relationship ownership. The role holder acts as the primary interface between the organisation, its suppliers, and, where appropriate, external clients, ensuring expectations are aligned and issues are managed constructively.

The role requires regular external engagement and the flexibility to travel to supplier premises, client locations and operational or project sites on an ad-hoc basis. This is a hybrid working role with 2 days in the office.

Key Responsibilities

Supplier Relationship Management

• Act as the primary relationship owner for allocated key and strategic suppliers.
• Build and maintain long-term, trust-based relationships that support organisational, supplier and client objectives.
• Develop and maintain Supplier Relationship Plans where appropriate, including engagement cadence, joint objectives, and improvement initiatives.
• Facilitate regular supplier reviews, including senior-level and executive engagement where required, and ensure monthly or quarterly supplier 360° scoring and feedback is completed to support reporting cycles.

External Client Engagement

• Support engagement with external clients to help align suppliers, delivery teams, and client expectations.
• Assist in joint meetings with suppliers and clients as a professional point of contact.
• Contribute to client discussions on supplier capability, performance, risk, and improvement plans.

Negotiation, Influence & Issue Resolution

• Work with Project Procurement Managers to negotiate with suppliers, focusing on collaboration, value creation, and sustainable outcomes rather than purely contractual leverage.
• Influence supplier behaviours through effective communication, credibility and relationship management.
• Proactively manage emerging issues, resolving conflict at the lowest possible level and avoiding formal escalation wherever possible.

Performance & Continuous Improvement

• Monitor supplier performance using agreed metrics, with a strong focus on continuous improvement rather than punitive enforcement.
• Collaborate with suppliers and the quality assurance team to determine the root causes of underperformance, and agree on corrective or improvement actions.
• Encourage innovation, efficiency improvements and best-practice sharing across the supplier base.

Internal Stakeholder Management

• Act as a key interface between suppliers and internal stakeholders (projects, engineering, quality, operations, commercial).
• Manage competing priorities and expectations through clear communication, influence and stakeholder alignment.
• Provide insight to internal teams and leadership on supplier capability, risks, constraints and behavioural dynamics.

Risk, Ethics & Governance

• Proactively identify relationship, capability and dependency risks within the supplier base and support mitigation planning.
• Promote ethical, transparent and professional conduct in all supplier and client interactions.
• Ensure activity is aligned with organisational policies and governance requirements, applying judgment rather than rigid process adherence.

About you

Relevant Skills

• Strong relationship management and stakeholder engagement capability
• Excellent communication skills (verbal, written and interpersonal)
• Proven ability to influence, negotiate and manage conflict constructively
• High levels of emotional intelligence and cultural awareness
• Ability to build credibility and trust with suppliers, clients and internal stakeholders
• Problem-solving mindset with a collaborative, solutions-focused approach
• Comfortable operating in complex, matrix and sometimes ambiguous environments
• Willingness and flexibility to work externally and travel as required

Essential Criteria: (professional accreditations / qualifications)

• Demonstrable experience managing key or strategic supplier relationships
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