Sourcing Manager in Scotland

At Network Rail, our passengers and freight users are at the heart of everything we do. We help connect people to their friends and families and get goods to their destination safely and efficiently. We're an organisation where people matter.

Scotland's Railway is part of this large family, covering a large geographical area from the Borders to Thurso at the far tip of the North East of Scotland, accounting for almost 20 per cent of the UK rail network. We provide rapid access along busy commuter routes to our seven cities, servicing the varied needs of our business and leisure commuter services, including cross border services and rural services. We have up to 50 freight services operating every day and we are steadily building capacity for this to grow.

Our ambition to be responsive to passengers and freight users drives us every day, and we're empowered to do the right thing for those who use the rail network. We actively challenge unsafe practices and take responsibility for addressing risks, resolving issues, and protecting safety and wellbeing.

Our colleagues are encouraged to work flexibly as we know that busy lives don't always fit around a traditional working pattern. If you need flexibility to complete your role, just let us know and we will do our utmost to help you invest in your career with us while balancing other aspects of your life.

We're also a Disability Confident Leader employer and we'll try our best to adapt the process and offer a reasonable alternative to help support people with disabilities access, apply, and interview for roles. We want to help deliver a railway which is safe, reliable, affordable, and that provides great customer service to everyone.

An exciting opportunity to be part of the team who support Network Rail by being at the forefront of delivering seamless technical and operational support, ensuring a smooth and effective experience for both internal and external users across a diverse range of applications.

The Role:

• 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.
• Implement approved Integrated Category Strategies (ICS) through the development and delivery of the qualified Sourcing pipeline.
• Apply the Sourcing Framework for sourcing led opportunities outside of ICS creation.
• Expert negotiator of sourcing enabled savings and benefit opportunities.
• Develop and implement sourcing specific ideas and innovation-based business cases.
• Facilitate the transition of Sourcing led execution to Strategic Supplier Management.
• Demand manage and challenge customer and stakeholder common sourcing requirements.
• Develop and manage sourcing aligned continuous improvement activities.
• Develop the external market sourcing practices.

• Good communication skills (written and verbal) and attention to detail.
• Customer-focused approach within a shared services environment.
• The ability to communicate with stakeholders at all levels.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple work streams and prioritise effectively.
• Proactive approach to learning, with the ability to quickly grasp new skills and concepts.

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

Please note proof of all essential qualifications will be required. We're dedicated to creating an inclusive environment and we welcome applications from everyone!