Supply Chain Manager

The Vacancy

We have an opportunity for an experienced Supply Chain Manager to lead on implementing Supply Chain strategy in our Wates Living Space Business Unit.

Working across projects in South Responsive Business (SRM), you will lead procurement strategy to ensure compliance, de-risk our activities, and to maximise profit, value, and opportunity.

The right candidate will maintain and build great relationships with our preferred supply chain partners, promoting their use and managing performance.

Key Accountabilities also include:

• Lead procurement strategies for significant contracts and bids, promoting the use of preferred agreements, identifying risks, and capitalizing on opportunities.
• Evaluate material component spend between suppliers and align costs, together with identifying product codes our Ops are able to purchase.
• Increase the use of agreements, driving adoption to achieve targeted percentage and monetary value goals.
• Manage supply chain agreements, with emphasis on builders merchants & wholesalers to support our self-delivery, in addition to specialist subcontractors. Providing oversight and support to commercial staff, while ensuring ongoing engagement with agreement holders to maintain long-term relationships.
• Host Supply Chain events in SRM to support relationship management and alignment.
• Act as the approval point for new subcontractor requests, managing the overall SRM supply chain through promotion, demotion, and gap analysis.
• Take a leadership role in future WPS/Group Procurement initiatives.
• Assist with monthly Supply Chain KPIs for each contract, collaborating with SHEQ to drive performance improvements.
• Monitor and negotiate merchant agreements, utilizing internal systems and external market intelligence to ensure competitive rates and compliance with controlled lists.
• Strong analytical skills on cost and rate analysis, compile and compare bill of quants / basket of goods etc..
• End to End review of how we buy materials, eliminating cost leakage + control limits.
• Provide guidance and monitoring to ensure compliance with processes, including anti-fraud measures and job number validation.

We are looking for someone who can lead and influence Procurement activities and who has strong commercial and analytical skills. The right candidate is firm when adhering to process, but strong enough to drive change where required. Excellent interpersonal skills are required, and fair conduct in line with our values is a must as you interact with our supply chain and represent Wates externally.

Wates are committed to the fair treatment of people with criminal records, including employees and potential employees. We ensure that our recruitment, promotion, and retention activity does not treat people less favourably because of an offending background.

Given the nature of this position, you will need to undergo a Basic Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) at offer stage. Applicants with criminal convictions will be assessed individually, and we assure you that we do not discriminate based on an applicant’s criminal record or the details of any disclosed offenses. Additionally, certain roles may be subject to additional pre-employment checks.

To learn more about the checks included in this process, please click on the following link: National Security Vetting

Work for Wates

Wates is one of the UK’s leading family-owned development, building and property maintenance companies.  Founded over 125 years ago, we have a proud legacy in the built environment.

We are driven by our purpose, ‘reimagining places for people to thrive’ and our three promises:

• Thriving places – working with customers, partners and communities to create places that are more sustainable, inclusive, and full of opportunity.
• Thriving planet – protecting nature and taking action on climate change by collaborating and innovating with our partners.
• Thriving people – creating opportunities and relationships so that everyone who works for and with us feels included, invested in and treated with care.

We are proud to be recognised as Gold Investors in People and as a Disability Confident employer.  We also ensure that our recruitment processes do not treat anyone less favourably due to an offending background.