Supply Chain Solutions Business Partner

Freight Personnel; West Midlands; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Freight Personnel in the Midlands is seeking a senior Supply Chain Solutions Business Partner to bring shipper-side supply chain expertise into commercial activity and lead development of customer-led bids across the UK.

You will own solution design and cost modelling for major opportunities, provide independent, evidence-based advice, and protect solution integrity through mobilisation. Expect to facilitate workshops, analyse customers, and shape winning supply chain propositions.

Qualifications

• Substantial shipper-side supply chain experience used in commercial activity.
• Own solution design and cost modelling for major opportunities.
• Lead value diagnostics and support KAMs during talks and bids.
• Experience with RFQs and tender management.

Responsibilities

• Lead the value diagnostics with leadership, analysing data and building a prioritised improvement roadmap.
• Scope and qualify suppliers; support commercial negotiation and select best option.
• Own operating solution and cost model for significant bids; document assumptions and sensitivities.
• Support mobilisation to ensure the solution is built as sold and hand over at steady state.

Skills

Shipper-side experience

Cost modelling

Value diagnostics

RFQ & tenders

Facilitation of workshops

Sourcing & supplier development

Tools

Transport Management Systems

Supply chain visibility tools

Data analysis tools

Job description

Supply Chain Solutions Business Partner role based in the Midlands covering the UK

Overall Purpose

To bring genuine shipper-side supply chain experience into commercial activity, enabling deeper customer conversations, stronger sourcing decisions and customer-led solutions for significant bids. The role provides independent, evidence-based advice, owns solution design and cost modelling for major opportunities, and protects solution integrity through mobilisation.

CORE ACCOUNTABILITIES

Value diagnostics & advisory

• Lead the facilitated company Value Diagnostic with the KAM


• Analyse customer data; assess value, evidence confidence and change readiness;


• Produce a prioritised improvement roadmap; support QBRs,customer discovery and complex supply chain conversations.

Supplier sourcing & partner development :

• Scope new requirements, identify and qualify suppliers,


• Support commercial negotiation and recommend the best option based on capability, compliance, technology fit, financial standing, cultural fit, risk and value.

Opportunity qualification, RFQs & tenders

• Apply disciplined opportunity gateways; define pursue conditions;


• Own the operating solution and cost model for significant bids;document assumptions and sensitivities;


• Support the KAM to present a defensible response.

Implementation & solution integrity

• Support mobilisation so that the agreed solution is built as sold;


• Clarify dependencies, controls and decision points;


• Maintain a decision record; apply process improvement methods; and hand over cleanly at steady state.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES / OUTPUTS

Customer diagnostics and capability building

• Prepare and facilitate diagnostic workshops across leadership focus, financial control, cost, service, visibility and risk; record differences in stakeholder priorities as findings.


• Convert unverified points into follow-up data requests; produce a scored assessment, gap analysis, improvement roadmap and clear realisation conditions.


• Build KAM capability through observation, co-facilitation, coaching and structured debriefs, with the aim of making the team increasingly self-sufficient.


• Identify improvement and growth opportunities within existing accounts and translate customer objectives into actionable supply chain problem statements.

Sourcing and solution design

• Maintain an informed view of relevant supplier markets, qualify new partners and convert partner capability into repeatable company propositions.


• Lead or support negotiations and present recommendations that clearly set out reasoning, risks, alternatives and key dependencies.


• Design the proposed operating model, network, supplier mix and service commitments for significant opportunities.


• Build and own cost models with transparent assumptions,sensitivities and failure points, working with Finance on validation.

Commercial qualification and mobilisation

• Assess strategic fit, data sufficiency, feasibility, delivery capability, risk and commercial attractiveness before bid commitment.


• Challenge unsupported commitments, recommend bid or nobid, and run structured reviews of wins and losses.


• Support Operations and the KAM during mobilisation, using process mapping and recognised improvement techniques to reduce delivery risk.


• Capture implementation learning and feed it into future diagnostics, sourcing decisions, propositions and bids.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

• 8-10 facilitated Value Diagnostics in the first 12 months, with conversion baseline established.


• Gateway assessment completed for every significant opportunity, including declined opportunities.


• Solution and costings owned for 100% of significant tenders; win-rate baseline established and improved.


• defined sourcing process applied to every new requirement; savings verified with Finance.


• At least two KAMs able to co-facilitate a diagnostic unsupported by year end.


• Improved margin accuracy and reduced implementation variance between solution sold and solution delivered.


• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt held or achieved within 12 months, with one sponsored improvement project delivered.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• The successful candidate will combine operational supply chain depth, commercial judgement, sourcing capability, analytical rigour and strong facilitation skills.


• The defining requirement is substantial shipper-side experience as the customer, rather than experience gained solely within a logistics provider.

KEY SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Substantial shipper-side supply chain experience, with direct accountability for cost, service,inventory and/or supply continuity.


• Practical experience of sourcing and negotiating with logistics or supply chain providers from the buying side.


• End-to-end supply chain mapping, current-state diagnosis and future-state solution design.


• Proven ability to facilitate structured workshops with senior customer stakeholders, including delivering challenging evidence-based findings.


• Track record of building and defending supply chain cost models, options and business cases.


• Ability to interpret incomplete data, state assumptions clearly and distinguish evidence from professional judgement.


• Credibility with senior commercial and operational stakeholders, with the confidence to challenge constructively without damaging relationships.


• Ability to influence without line authority, work across functions and produce concise, well reasoned written recommendations.

DESIRABLE

• Tender and RFQ experience from either side of the table.


• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or equivalent continuous improvement qualification.


• Exposure to 4PL, lead logistics provider or control tower models.


• European logistics markets and cross-border partner procurement.


• Working knowledge of transport management systems and supply chain visibility tools.


• CIPS, MCIPS or equivalent procurement qualification.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

• Credibility with specialists and senior leaders


• Structured thinking and transparent assumptions


• Constructive challenge


• Influence without authority


• Independent, customer-centred judgement


• Capability building and knowledge transfer