VodafoneThree - Strategic Partnering Manager in London

Location: Newbury + Hybrid

Salary: Excellent basic salary plus bonus and Vodafone benefits

Working hours: Full time 37.5 hours per week – Monday to Friday

Hybrid working approach allows our people to work both in the office and at home, providing the flexibility and resources you need to succeed in your role. We don't require you to be in on specific days; instead, we ask people to come into the office 2‐3 days each week, for at least 8 days per month.

We're here to build a network the UK can count on – one that connects people, places and potential. We're creating more than the UK's best network. We're helping close the digital divide, empower communities and drive meaningful progress.

We believe that everyone should feel they belong. We're building a workplace where different perspectives are welcomed, voices are heard, and everyone feels safe to show up as themselves.

Join us and you'll be at the heart of change. That means building responsibly, investing sustainably and creating opportunities that last. With £11bn invested in 5G and digital infrastructure, your work will directly power businesses, services, and communities across the country.

You'll work on real challenges, with real impact, across every corner of the country. Wherever you join us, whatever your role, you'll be helping to build a future that works better for everyone.

This is a rare opportunity to play a pivotal role in shaping the UK's largest mobile network provider, as Vodafone and Three come together to redefine connectivity, coverage and customer experience. You'll be at the heart of a transformation that goes beyond integration—helping to build a new culture, set industry standards and leave a lasting legacy.

In this role, you will lead third‐party strategy, commercial governance and end‐to‐end cost management across Finance Operations, ensuring strong supplier performance and financial control.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and develop strategic relationships with key third‐party suppliers, ensuring outstanding performance, service quality and continuous improvement aligned to business goals.
• Own and shape the Third‐Party Operational Business Review (OBR), driving insight, innovation opportunities and strong cross‐functional alignment.
• Manage the full lifecycle of third‐party contracts, including renewals and renegotiations, delivering optimal commercial outcomes and ongoing value.
• Partner closely with Procurement and VPC teams to align sourcing strategies, strengthen governance and enhance supplier lifecycle management.
• Define and deliver a forward‐looking third‐party strategy, focused on simplification, consolidation, innovation and risk management to unlock synergies across the business.
• Oversee robust RFI/RFP governance, ensuring clear requirements, effective evaluation and adherence to organisational standards.
• Drive strong financial control through ownership of cost governance, including forecasting, total cost of ownership, and accurate accounting treatment in line with audit and policy requirements.
• Lead Finance Operations cost management across Opex, Capex, overheads and FTEs, ensuring disciplined performance management and delivery against budget.

Who You Are:

• Proven experience in Finance Operations, commercial management or supplier governance within a complex, regulated or service‐driven environment.
• Strong expertise in third‐party management, including sourcing cycles, contract negotiation and delivering commercial value.
• Solid financial acumen, with experience in modelling, forecasting, accounting principles and cost‐to‐serve frameworks.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross‐functional governance forums, using insight to influence decision‐making and senior stakeholders.
• Skilled in interpreting contractual, commercial and operational data to drive performance, manage risk and achieve outcomes.
• Track record of managing Opex, Capex or cost performance frameworks within a large, fast‐paced organisation.
• Highly analytical with strong problem‐solving and scenario modelling capabilities, combined with excellent attention to detail.
• Confident collaborator with experience working across Procurement, Finance, Operations and external partners to deliver shared objectives.

What We Offer:

We care about our people's success by offering great pay, bonuses, up to 28 days off plus bank holidays, and paid time for charity work. You can personalise our benefits for you and your family, like discounts, vouchers, a pension plan and loads more. We help with your career through our amazing learning tools and top‐notch parental leave policies.

Need to Know:

We are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and all offers of employment for this role are subject to background checks, including criminal (DBS) and financial checks to meet the regulator's standards.

Accessibility:

If you require any reasonable adjustments or have an accessibility request as part of your recruitment journey, please refer to the Accessibility section of our Careers website for guidance.

AI Usage:

We use AI in different parts of our business to boost innovation, improve efficiency, and create new opportunities.

Interview Expectations:

During the interview we want you to rely on your own knowledge and skills to show us who you really are—your personality, creativity and abilities. Above all, we're looking for authenticity and can't wait to get to know the real you.

We are an equal opportunity employer. We encourage people of all backgrounds to apply and we are a Disability Confident Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability or any other protected characteristic.