Supplier Relationship Manager

Manage the relationships that enable us to work with suppliers to serve the community.

In Kensington and Chelsea, we put local people and local businesses at the heart of decision-making, working in partnership with them to provide quality services that are responsive, effective and efficient. We are revitalising our commercial strategy and building our commercial capacity to support the Council in delivery of its vision. Joining this developing team, you’ll use your commercial expertise to make a strong, positive difference for the people and communities we serve.

We take our responsibilities as a major local employer seriously and want to recruit people who reflect the make-up our communities while also sharing in our values of respect, openness, honesty, compassion, responsibility and humility. Strong management is key to ensuring the success of this approach, as well as delivering on our strategic bi-borough arrangement with Westminster City Council.

The Role:

You’ll develop and manage strategic supplier relationships, acting as the first point of contact and ensuring everything runs smoothly day to day. You’ll foster trust and co-operation but will also take a strategic view across the whole council, looking for efficiencies and ways of improving processes, how we engage and deliver in partnership with our strategic suppliers. Gathering market intelligence will be a key element of your brief. In this challenging role, you can expect to gain exposure to a modern procurement service that acts in support of residents, communities and businesses in the delivery of best value. You will also build knowledge of public sector contract regulations and contract law.

About You:

We’re looking for someone with exceptional relationship management skills, which might have been developed in the public sector but could equally come from a commercial, retail or commissioning background. Working towards your CIPS qualification, you’ll have good knowledge of procurement procedures, and awareness of contract law, risk management and contract management. Skills in financial and numerical analysis are essential, and you must be capable of compiling quotations and tenders. Able to balance supplier needs with local community priorities, you’ll have a strong customer focus and excellent written and spoken communication skills.

In return, you can look forward to a package that includes a competitive salary, a high-quality pension scheme and generous annual leave plus bank holidays.

Please apply online and specify on your application how you meet the skills, knowledge and qualities specified in the job description and person specification.

We are committed to promoting equality and respecting diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

We are a Disability Confident Employer – committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.