Assistant Procurement Manager

As Assistant Procurement Manager, you will provide vital support to the Procurement Manager and Senior Procurement Manager in delivering strategic and operational procurement initiatives. You will oversee procurement processes, ensure compliance with organisational policies, and develop strong supplier relationships to deliver value and mitigate risk. This is an excellent opportunity for someone with a proactive and curious attitude to gain experience and contribute to high-impact projects in a fast-paced environment.

About Us

Affinity Water is the largest water-only supplier in the UK, delivering safe and reliable water to millions of customers. As part of our Procurement and Commercial transformation journey, we aim to achieve operational excellence, drive value for money, and foster strategic supplier relationships. The Assistant Procurement Manager plays a pivotal role in supporting these objectives, enabling the delivery of efficient, sustainable, and compliant procurement solutions.

Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Procurement Delivery:

• Support the Procurement & Senior Procurement Manager in implementing procurement strategies aligned with business goals and priorities.
• Conduct spend analysis and market research to inform category and sourcing strategies.
• Lead or assist in strategic sourcing projects, including the preparation of tenders, supplier evaluations, and contract negotiations.

Supplier Relationship Management (SRM):

• Support the implementation of SRM frameworks to build and maintain effective supplier relationships.
• Monitor and report on supplier performance, ensuring adherence to agreed service levels and contractual terms.
• Identify opportunities to drive innovation, improve performance, and reduce costs through supplier collaboration.

Compliance and Risk Management:

• Ensure all procurement activities comply with organisational policies, legal regulations, and ethical standards.
• Assist in identifying, monitoring, and mitigating procurement risks, including supplier non-compliance and market volatility.

Team Leadership and Support:

• Willingness to support activities across the Procurement and Commercial team in a spirit of one team.
• Foster a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement across the team.

Operational Excellence:

• Support initiatives to improve procurement processes, including the adoption of automation and digital tools.
• Take responsibility for procurement system administration, ensuring data accuracy and alignment with business needs for your own areas of spend.
• Track procurement KPIs and performance metrics, reporting on achievements and identifying areas for improvement.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including finance, IT, and operations, to ensure procurement strategies deliver maximum value.
• Act as a trusted advisor, providing guidance on procurement processes and ensuring alignment with business objectives.
• Address stakeholder queries and concerns, fostering strong relationships across the organisation.

Project Management:

• Assist in the delivery of key procurement transformation projects, ensuring timelines, milestones, and goals are achieved.
• Support the tracking and communication of project progress and outcomes to relevant stakeholders.

Key Competencies and Skills:

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to lead and inspire team members and collaborate effectively with stakeholders.
• Ability to assess data, identify trends, and make informed decisions to drive value and efficiency.
• Proactive approach to identifying and resolving issues, with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Ability to prioritise tasks, manage competing deadlines, and oversee multiple projects simultaneously.
• Experience with procurement systems, ERP platforms, or e-sourcing tools would be an advantage.
• Advanced Excel skills and familiarity with data analysis and visualisation tools (e.g., Power BI, Qlik) are advantageous.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Demonstrable experience in Capital Expenditure (CapEx) would be an advantage, but is not considered essential.
• Experience and/or understanding of working with NEC Contracts would also be an advantage.
• Experience in procurement or supply chain management, ideally with exposure to category management or strategic sourcing.
• An understanding of procurement best practices and the end-to-end procurement lifecycle.

Benefits:

• Salary £35,000 per annum
• Hybrid role, with the expectations of a minimum two days a week in the office.
• Annual leave from 23 days rising with length of service, and the option to purchase up to 5 extra days.
• A ‘Celebration Day’ in addition to public holidays that people can use to celebrate a religious festival or other occasion that is important to them.
• A generous ‘double match pension scheme’ that doubles the contributions you make (company contribution capped at 12%).
• We offer a range of family benefits including enhanced Maternity, Adoption, Paternity, Shared Parental Leave, Fertility Support Leave and up to 5 full or 10 half days of paid Carers Leave.
• Menopause policy and Reasonable Adjustment policy to help everyone perform at their best.
• Access to our Wellbeing Centre with support for looking after your physical and mental health.
• Discounts at a Range of Retail Outlets and on Dental and Medical Insurance through our Tap4Perks scheme.
• Up to 4 Affinity days a year to volunteer in the community.
• Life Assurance.

Disability Confident

If you need any reasonable adjustments and would like to apply in a different format, please do let us know.

Interview Process:

1st Stage interview MS Teams

2nd Stage interview – Head Office

If you need any reasonable adjustments and would like to apply in a different format, please do let us know.

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