Supplier Management Lead

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and oversee the contract and supplier management of allocated silver level and enterprise-wide agreements, with responsibility for managing performance, risk, value and contractual compliance.
• Analyse supplier performance against KPIs, SLAs and contractual requirements, identifying emerging trends and risks, and manage compliance with accreditation and certification requirements throughout the contract lifecycle.
• Support and drive improvements to the procurement systems and processes used to capture supplier performance and certification data, ensuring information is accurate, complete and available to support effective decision making.
• Support the planning and delivery of supplier engagement activities, working effectively with colleagues, stakeholders and suppliers.
• Manage contract extensions and variations, including negotiation, documentation, preparation for governance approval, issue, communication and system updates, ensuring all changes are accurately recorded.
• Prepare, check and issue framework call off contracts across allocated categories, ensuring compliance with the relevant framework and governance requirements.
• Manage supplier performance issues, risks and disputes, escalating matters appropriately and maintaining constructive supplier relationships.
• Undertake activities in accordance with internal governance, applicable procurement legislation and contractual requirements.
• Apply ethical procurement principles, including transparency, sustainability and integrity, across supplier management and contracting activities.

Make a difference where it matters most At Welsh Water, we don't just deliver water - we deliver something essential to life. As a not-for-profit organisation, every pound we make is reinvested back into our services, our communities, and the environment. We're on an exciting journey as we enter a new investment cycle focused on innovation, digital transformation, and long‑term sustainability.

Procurement plays a critical role in enabling this - and that's where you come in. If you're passionate about driving value, building meaningful supplier partnerships, and making a real impact through procurement, we'd love to hear from you.

• Educated to degree level in a relevant discipline, or equivalent professional qualification and experience in a commercial, analytical, economics, data or procurement-related discipline., Experience of commercial negotiation and a proven track record in delivering sustainable value savings.
• Experience in contract and supply chain management, with a proven ability to work effectively across multiple systems to deliver workloads aligned to business needs and regulatory requirements.
• Experience of operating within governance, procurement or contract management frameworks would be advantageous, but is not essential.

• Proven ability to drive commercial value through negotiation, supported by strong commercial acumen, stakeholder influencing skills and a minimum of five years' relevant experience.
• Strong understanding of contract management processes, Framework Agreements, framework call‑off contracts, contract variations, and third‑party contract risk management across Capital, IT or other categories.
• Excellent communication, relationship management, judgement and influencing skills, with the confidence to challenge poor performance, drive improvements and escalating issues appropriately.
• Ability to identify, assess and manage supply chain risks, applying procurement policy, governance and assurance requirements to support effective decision‑making and risk management.
• Proven ability to deliver supply chain improvements through coordinated supplier engagement and recognised…