Supplier Manager

Stepchange; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company seeks a Supplier Manager to optimize supplier relationships, ensuring quality goods and services critical for business success. This leadership role focuses on strategic supplier management, cost efficiencies, and compliance while collaborating with internal teams. Ideal candidates will have a background in procurement, strong negotiation skills, and the ability to foster lasting partnerships.

Qualifications

• Dynamic professional with a strong background in procurement and supplier onboarding.
• Proven negotiation and contract management abilities.
• Excellent stakeholder management and planning capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers.
• Negotiate contracts to secure the best terms.
• Monitor supplier performance against KPIs and SLAs.

Skills

Negotiation

Stakeholder Management

Analytical Thinking

Problem-Solving

Communication

Education

Degree in Business

Supply Chain Management

Tools

Procurement Tools

Job description

Are you a strategic thinker with a talent for supplier management?

Do you excel at negotiation and building strong partnerships?

Ready to make a meaningful impact?

As our Supplier Manager, you’ll take the lead in optimising supplier relationships, ensuring top-quality goods and services, and driving cost efficiencies. With strong negotiation skills and exceptional communication, you'll build lasting partnerships while managing a supplier analyst to shape a high-performing, well-managed technical supplier function.

What you’ll be doing

As our Supplier Manager, you'll build and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers, ensuring the highest quality of products and services. You'll negotiate contracts to secure the best terms, monitor supplier performance against KPIs and SLAs, and implement improvements where needed. With a strategic mindset, you'll proactively manage risks to maintain business continuity while optimising procurement processes to achieve financial targets.

In this leadership role, you'll guide and develop the supplier analyst to create a high-performing supplier management function. Compliance is key, and you'll ensure all supplier activities align with company policies, industry regulations, and ethical standards. You'll also collaborate closely with internal teams—including procurement, finance, and operations—to align supplier strategies with broader business objectives. Your insights will be crucial in preparing and presenting reports on supplier performance, cost savings, and risk management to senior leadership.

About you

We're looking for a dynamic professional with a strong background in procurement and supplier onboarding, backed by a degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, or a related field. With proven negotiation and contract management abilities, you'll navigate supplier relationships with confidence, ensuring efficiency and strategic success.

Your excellent stakeholder management and planning capabilities will be crucial in driving outcomes, alongside your ability to coach, develop, and manage performance at both direct and indirect leadership levels. Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving skills, and proficiency in procurement tools will enable you to make informed decisions, while your outstanding communication and interpersonal skills will help you collaborate effectively with teams.