GBS Partner Management Lead

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Reporting to the Head of Global Business Services, the GBS Partner Management Lead is a critical enabler of GBS success; they are responsible for building and managing strategic relationships with key external service partners. The role ensures robust governance, monitors partner performance and oversees cost and compliance. It also drives value, innovation, and alignment with Primark’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) and diversity & inclusion (D&I) objectives, fostering continuous improvement and sustainable business impact.

• Partner Relationship Management
  • Proactively manage and develop strategic relationships with global service partners.
  • Define, embed, and evolve governance processes and routines to ensure effective collaboration.
  • Act as the primary liaison with external partners.
• Governance & Compliance
  • Establish and maintain partner governance frameworks, including regular performance reviews and escalation protocols.
  • Ensure contractual compliance by tracking performance against SLAs, KPIs, and other contractual terms.
  • Resolve or escalation conflicts and non‑compliance issues in a timely and effective manner.
• Performance & Cost Monitoring
  • Monitor partner spend and ensure alignment with budgetary expectations.
  • Analyse cost trends and identify opportunities for optimisation.
  • Provide regular reporting on partner performance, cost, and compliance metrics.
  • Manage and monitor demand and capacity.
• Contract Management
  • Oversee the full lifecycle of partner contracts, from negotiation and execution to renewal and termination.
  • Ensure all contracts are compliant with company policies, legal requirements, and business objectives.
  • Collaborate with Procurement and Legal teams to review, amend, and update contract terms as needed.
  • Maintain accurate records of contract documentation and monitor key contract milestones and deliverables.
  • Proactively identify and mitigate contractual risks, ensuring timely resolution of issues.
  • Support commercial and financial management by tracking contract value, spend, and performance against agreed terms.
• Strategic Enablement
  • Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to align partner capabilities with business needs.
  • Drive continuous improvement initiatives across partner engagements.
  • Support contract negotiations and renewals with data‑driven insights.

• 5–8 years of experience in global services, including 2–5 years in a leadership role managing suppliers.
• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in a relevant field.
• Strong knowledge of contract management, service level agreements (SLAs), and governance.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience managing large partnership deals, ideally in retail.
• Proven ability in commercial negotiations, contract tendering and supplier management.
• Skilled at building business relationships and supporting business strategies.
• Experience with research, analysis and project management (Agile or traditional frameworks).

People are at the heart of what we do here, so it’s essential we provide you with the right environment to perform at your very best: healthcare, pension and a potential bonus. You’ll receive 27 days of leave plus bank holidays, the option to buy an additional 5 days, tax saver tickets, a fitness centre, and a subsidised cafeteria.

Primark is a global retail business with over 80,000 colleagues and more than 440 stores in 17 countries. Founded in 1969 in Dublin, we now operate a £9bn+ turnover business that values caring, dynamic innovation and teamwork. Our culture embraces equal employment opportunity, inclusion and the continuous development of every team member.

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