Job Introduction

Are you a sourcing superstar? If so, we want you!

We are looking for dynamic procurement professionals to join our team, leading high value and complex sourcing projects.

If you love to engage with your customers, thrive on using your own initiative, have great people skills and are passionate about making a difference, please read on.

Our team leads exciting infrastructure related sourcing projects including construction projects, professional consultancy, civils examinations, fencing and vegetation services, personal protective equipment, ecological services, and specialist rail plant.  All of which supports our vision to Putting Passengers First by keeping our rail infrastructure operational.

We’re a team of 18, with a great team ethos of supporting and developing each other. We enjoy regular team events together combining an element of learning as well as enjoying each other’s company. 

You’ll work closely with your customers and our business experts to undertake pre-market engagement with the supply chain, draft sourcing strategies and tender documentation. You’ll be the expert leading the sourcing project, undertake complex commercial evaluations, including using your professional knowledge to lead negotiations with suppliers. You will have excellent communications skills, both written and verbal, be proactive, have in depth experience of the end-to-end procurement process, be happy to challenge and be challenged and be prepared to go above and beyond to support our customers.

Understanding your customer’s needs will put you in the best place to identify the optimum strategic direction and put in place contracting strategies that embrace change, innovation and creative thinking. We want you to bring us new ideas to help us:

•          improve safety – everyone home safe every day.

•          be more sustainable.

•          be more efficient – financially and programme management.

•          introduce innovation from our supply chain.

•          provide creative contracting strategies.

Here at Network Rail we are able to provide you with a diverse career with development opportunities where you can discover your passion. We have a culture of being safe, diverse, open, collaboration, flexibility and where everyone has a voice. We have an amazing flexible working policy and place a massive focus on the well-being of our colleagues.

Main Responsibility

What will you be doing?

• Develop and manage the sourcing process from business requirement to contract signature, on behalf of key customers and stakeholders, for multi-million pound medium cost and business risk opportunities, where expert levels of indirect and direct influencing techniques and political savviness are required, utilising, where relevant, commercial purpose-built models, to create and deliver significant commercial and contractual value, in support of the C&P Director’s annual savings target
• Implement approved Integrated Category Strategies (ICS) through the development and delivery of the qualified Sourcing pipeline, in collaboration with the relevant Category Manager and relevant customers and stakeholders, to release the full defined savings and benefits value committed to within the ICS, with the ambition to deliver beyond the maximum value approved, in support of the C&P Director’s cost savings target
• Apply the Sourcing Framework for sourcing led opportunities outside of ICS creation and where total annual spend ranges between £100m to £300m and within an OJEU environment, to manage all risk, governance, legislative and regulatory requirements, validated by the Procurement Risk and Assurance team
• Expert negotiator of sourcing enabled savings and benefit opportunities, in collaboration with all relevant customers and stakeholders, approved by Finance and applied to budgets, in support of the C&P Director’s savings target, with the commercial capability, tenacity and ambition to deliver value beyond the ICS commitment
• Develop and implement of sourcing specific ideas and innovation-based business cases, working in collaboration with relevant customers and stakeholders, to address existing business problems that require external sourcing specific market expertise to solve  
• Facilitate the transition of Sourcing led execution to Strategic Supplier Management, to manage a seamless customer experience from business requirement through to post contract signature and position the Supplier Management team to optimise their delivery of full contractual and relationship value
• Demand manage and challenge customer and stakeholder common sourcing requirements to maximise overall Group-wide commercial value, adopting politically savvy engagement, direct and indirect influencing and selling strategies across multiple Routes and Regions, in a complex, devolved organisation
• Develop and manage sourcing aligned continuous improvement activities, demand pipeline assessments and annual customer satisfaction surveys, to deliver an enhanced customer experience, aligned to the Vision and best in class Procurement ambition
• Develop the external market sourcing practices, to include commercial models and total cost of ownership assessments, within the Sourcing team, to enable the implementation of good practice and move towards a recognised best in class capability, in support of the employer of choice ambition

The Ideal Candidate

Meet the essential criteria/ Apply today to join our team!

Essential

• Educated to a Business or Economics degree standard or equivalent business experience
• Deep level of Sourcing experience, with a demonstrable track record of savings delivery
• Demonstrable level of negotiation and dispute resolution skill set
• Demonstrable experience of contract law and financial management
• Demonstrable experience of driving value from complex sourcing opportunities
• Experienced with agile cross-functional collaborative working methods
• Politically savvy, with the proven ability to use direct and indirect influencing strategies at an executive level
• Demonstrable level of problem-solving experience of complex sourcing specific challenges
• Completer finisher mindset

Desirable

• Line management experience
• Detailed knowledge of the UK Rail Industry, including procurement processes in a reclassified environment

• Delivering sourcing requirements within a regulated procurement environment

Who we are looking for?

We are committed to a diverse workplace enriched with representation from diverse cultures, backgrounds and skills. We pride ourselves on creating an environment where difference is embraced, and individuals can thrive. We recognise that the success of the team is dependent on a multi-cultural, multi-disciplined group of individuals, aligned to deliver successful solutions.

At Network Rail, we have a number of employee networks to reflect our diverse population and help to raise issues to the wider workforce and support their membership and support our Everybody Matters strategy, led by our central Diversity & Inclusion team. We have Diversity & Inclusion Champions who take part and lead on many activities, to drive through more initiatives to support an inclusive environment for all its people and promote a professional and positive working environment. For more information on Diversity & Inclusion at Network Rail, please follow this link

Package Description

Sourcing Manager

Vacancy Type: Full-time but flexible working patterns will be considered.

Duration: Permanent

Location: The Quadrant:MK

Closing date: 11 May 2022

Band & Salary: Band 3C (£51,156 - £57,551)

At Network rail you will have a clear development path, access to training and enjoy a range of employee benefits, such as; up to 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rail subsidies, a range of pension options, flexible and agile working arrangements, discounts on shopping, gym memberships and much more.

Click ‘apply for this job’ to apply. If you would like to speak the Resourcing Team please contact georgina.brookes@networkrail.co.uk

For further information of the role please contact Ross Wilkins

This role sits in Route Services, a business area that has been created to supply services to the routes in the safest, most cost-efficient and effective way, enabling them to benefit from economies of scale and optimised national resources.

Network Rail’s Commercial & Procurement (C&P) leads the development and delivery of commercial strategies encompassing the whole lifecycle of category strategies, sourcing, supplier management and procurement operations.

We are passionate about working with our customers and the supply chain to buy and manage great commercial solutions that deliver value for passengers.

About the Company

We’re an organisation where people matter. We matter to millions. 

Our role is to run a safe, reliable and efficient railway, serving customers and communities. We exist to get people and goods where they need to be and to support our country’s economic prosperity. Safety is our number one priority.  

We're undertaking an ambitious change. Our vision is Putting Passengers First - becoming a company that is on the side of passengers and freight users. 

As one of the UK’s leading equal opportunities employers, our values and the way we behave is important to us and we have created an environment where we value and respect every individual's unique contribution. We have seven employee networks that provide fantastic support, opportunities and development for applicants from all backgrounds. Click here for more information

Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd