Senior Procurement Specialist, WEC - 18 Month FTC

At McLaren Racing, we’re not just here to try to take the chequered flag, we’re here to excite our fans, inspire our people and deliver for our partners. We’re also committed to evolving our sport, our industry, and our technology, too.

Purpose of the Role: This is a fixed-term role, working on WEC to address specific project needs and timelines, ensuring the successful delivery of key objectives over an 18-month period. The role will have responsibility for, and the management of, all technical and non-technical procurement activities in line with specific programs associated to non-F1 aspects of McLaren Racing’s business. This shall include, but not be limited to, the procuring of all bespoke as well as proprietary manufactured parts and assemblies, the publishing and management of Contracts and Agreements as well as the relevant SLAs and KPIs in relation to services, and the management of all general project specific procurement activities from inception to completion.

Leading on supply chain management, negotiations and the resolution of commercial issues will be essential, whilst ensuring that a robust contract management process is followed, all deliverables are met in a timely and agreed manner, and with strong relationship management and communication with all key stakeholders being maintained throughout.

Role Dimensions: Reporting directly to the Head of Procurement, this role is focused on the following areas:

• Working independently from, but from within the Indirect Procurement team, to deliver cost effective and timely sourcing, procurement and delivery of components and services to support projects and programs not directly related to F1.
• Working collaboratively with the associated non-F1 Project and Program management teams, to ensure that requirements and strategic objectives are being met.
• Delivering demonstrable commercial benefits and contractual controls, whilst mitigating risk, along with supplier relationship development with product and services providers.
• Where possible, and in compliance with any governing cost cap compliance regulations that may be in place, flexibility within, and support across the Indirect Procurement team in a wide range of tasks will be required, along with a professional and positive attitude and approach to the dynamic and varying demands of the business.

Principal Accountabilities:

• Working in close collaboration with the Head of Procurement, Program Leadership teams, and other key stakeholders to deliver against agreed program plans and deadlines.
• Accountability for construction and delivery of contract scope, in liaison with key stakeholders, with a focus on commercial cost management and budgetary controls, as well as service delivery to the required standards.
• Maintain & develop positive Supplier Relationship Management processes (SRM) with a view to building long term relationships, to ensure successful performance of the agreed deliverables.
• Monitoring and influencing the performance of suppliers in relation to Contracts and Agreements, both directly as well as in partnership with key stakeholders.
• Upholding a professional, personable and proactive approach to the role, whilst maintaining positive communication with all key stakeholders as well as the wider business.
• Negotiation with suppliers, to ensure adherence to budgetary controls, whilst ensuring that deliverable standards, scopes and specifications are met, as well as timely delivery of products or services in relation to the contract.
• Alongside suppliers and stakeholders, construct achievable KPI targets in keeping with the supply of products or services in relation to the contract.
• Continuous improvement of processes and administrative functions required to complete role, to ensure a streamlined and efficient way of working.
• Maintain a Contracts Register, and act upon impending milestones to secure required contract re-negotiations or renewals in a timely manner, ensuring that McLaren Racing program requirements run unhindered and without breaks in any key contracts or service agreements.
• Development, loading and maintenance of purchase orders as necessary, in line with both the contractual aspect of the role, as well as day to day purchasing duties associated to the more general purchasing function when required.
• Any other tasks as required by the Company.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• Educated to degree level in an Engineering or related discipline, holds a professional qualification, such as CIPS Level 4 or MCIPS, or with demonstrable considerable experience in precision engineering and manufacture in motorsport, or the high precision engineering industry.
• Expertise and knowledge in current methodologies relating to the construction and publishing of contracts and agreements including all appropriate ancillary documentation is essential.
• Demonstrable expertise and knowledge of current manufacturing methods and disciplines to produce complex and technical parts and assemblies.
• Will demonstrate a high level working knowledge and understanding of both race car construction and the operational aspects of modern race programs.
• Proven ability to independently lead negotiations and support in the development of negotiation strategies for large and complex projects and contracts.
• Strong leadership qualities, gravitas, influencing and interpersonal skills.
• Will be able to constructively challenge and persuasively communicate with decision makers at all levels as necessary.
• The role has periods of intense workload, and therefore the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and manage time effectively will be necessary.
• Has experience in end-to-end purchasing and supply chain management from point of request of quotation through to part delivery.
• Knowledge of purchasing best-practice and continuous improvements techniques.

What can McLaren offer? We constantly strive to be better tomorrow than we are today. Our ambition is to be the most pioneering and exhilarating racing team in the world, and our collective task is to set the standards for high performance in sport. We show up every day with energy and enthusiasm, ready to play our part. We encourage and support diversity, equity and inclusion. We will actively promote a culture that values difference and eliminates discrimination in our workplace. McLaren Racing is based at the iconic McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) near Woking. Here at McLaren, we offer hybrid working with 3 days a week based in the MTC. Our state of the art, sustainable campus offers many facilities including a gym, restaurant and indoor and outdoor break-out areas, as well as direct access to park and common land. The MTC is connected to Woking mainline station via regular shuttle buses, from which London Waterloo is a 30 minute train ride. We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including private healthcare, car schemes, life insurance and generous pension contributions.