Procurement Business Partner

Job description

Do you want an exciting opportunity to manager your own category and add value to internal and external stakeholders?

As Procurement Business Partner you will report into the Head of Business Partnering for our Public Sector Procurement and form an integral part of the overall Sopra Steria Procurement Team. In the role you will provide procurement support directly to a Sopra Steria Sector or Joint Venture, in a Business Partnering capacity, across a wide and varied range of products and services.

The role will support the Sector/JV and manage their ongoing supplier requirements, in terms of new supplier development and set up, supplier commercial & contractual negotiation, cost improvement optimisation and savings, etc. The role holder will also challenge the business in terms of procurement strategy, supplier selection, supplier consolidation and procurement controls. You will be expected to have a good working knowledge of procurement best practices, systems, tools and techniques, including but not limited to data analysis, manipulation and presentation.

You will be accountable for the provision of procurement services to a Sector/JV and as a result, interact with stakeholders at senior levels within the organisation, agreeing priorities, activities, targets, etc. We would expect the individual within this role to be able to operate at a senior level and ensure that the agreed business outcomes are delivered.

The role is based out of our Headquarters in Hemel Hempstead following our hybrid working pattern.

What you'll be doing:

• Agree appropriate and specific objectives with the aligned Sector/JV to drive continuous improvement and alignment with wider Procurement objectives.
• Working with senior Sector stakeholders, develop the Sector procurement strategy and working practices, and promote procurement capabilities.
• Provide frequent and regular Sector/JV senior management updates and reporting on progress and outputs against Sector/JV aligned objectives
• Manage the appointment of suppliers through comprehensive sourcing processes including eSourcing tools where appropriate
• Effectively use data to monitor suppliers and spend in order to develop & implement approaches to re-negotiation, consolidation and savings identification
• Ensure that existing procurement controls, policies and processes are adhered to by the business, and develop new controls in conjunction with the Core Ops team, where needed and appropriate.
• Provide input and feedback to the business on supplier and procurement risk through all stages of the supplier engagement
• Challenge the business in respect to any supplier engagements where appropriate and ensure Procurement are a key decision maker in third party related activities, through corporate process, e.g. DCRs, BCRs, etc.
• Conduct regular reviews of existing contracts with suppliers to ensure continued competitiveness and value for money is being achieved and to exploit price review clauses to their fullest extent.
• Drive alignment of the Procurement Business Partner role with the Sector/JV Management Team

What you'll bring:

• Extensive experience of working in a Procurement role at a strategic and line management level.
• Experience of developing and implementing procurement strategy.
• Experience of dealing with complex negotiations on pricing and contract terms in order to deliver savings and commercial value wherever possible.
• Good working knowledge of contracts, contracting processes and drafting.
• Good working knowledge of procurement process and practices, including, scoping, tendering,
  evaluation, selection, contract negotiation and supplier management).
• Able to demonstrate and evidence strong commercial awareness.
• Experience of developing positive stakeholder relationships which enhance Procurement's value
  to the business, whilst ensuring adherence to procurement practices.
• Experience working in a challenging and demanding environment
• Positive experience of developing supplier relations for positive outcomes.

It would be great if you had:

• Degree qualified or equivalent.
• MCIPS Diploma qualified - highly desirable.
• Ability to manage, develop & inspire Team Members and business colleagues.
• Effective communicator / stakeholder management.
• Self-driven strategic thinker with the ability to work independently.
• Has the willingness and flexibility to travel to client locations as necessary.
• Self-disciplined and able to deliver whilst working flexibly.

If you are interested in this role but not sure if your skills and experience are exactly what we're looking for, please do apply, we'd love to hear from you!

Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent
Location: Hemel Hempstead
Security Clearance Level: SC
Internal Recruiter: Alex
Salary: Negotiable
Benefits: £5,400 car allowance, 25 days annual leave with the option to buy additional days, private medical, life assurance, pension, and generous flexible benefits fund
Loved reading about this job and want to know more about us?

Our business is, first and foremost, about people. And it always has been. The solutions we develop are driven by the connections they make and the problems they solve. Our services only matter if they work for people and if they serve a greater purpose. Known for our collaborative approach, we provide consulting and digital services, creating innovative solutions, at scale, to deliver sustainable growth and services that make life better.
Our work touches many lives in the UK. From helping the Government provide essential public and health services that offer more convenience and choice, to improving financial services to deliver fairer, customer-centric solutions.

Together we are building a better future by delivering real and lasting value.

We are just at the start of what we can achieve together. Come and join us!

We embrace difference as a source of creativity, innovation and competitive advantage and are striving to become a more diverse organisation. We welcome applications from people with a diverse variety of backgrounds and identities. We are committed to equality of opportunity for all and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation or marital status. We have partnered with Vercida , the UK's largest diversity and inclusion focused careers site, where all our vacancies are available in an accessible format.
If you require any adjustments to the recruitment process, to enable you to perform to the best of your ability, please let us know when completing your application. We participate in the Disability Confident scheme and are committed to offering an interview to any candidate with a disability, who meets the minimum criteria for the role. If you believe this could apply to you, please let us know when completing your application.