Location
Hybrid - Camelford House, 89 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TP

Hours
36 hours, Monday to Friday

Salary
£74,500 to £82,000 per annum, depending on experience

About the Role
This is a fantastic opportunity to join Thames Water's Strategic Water Resources Directorate (SWR) as a Supply Chain Manager. SWR is responsible for delivering the Water Resource Management Plan (WRMP) and Strategic Resource Options (SROs) through robust forecasting, stakeholder engagement, regulatory compliance, and investment in resilient infrastructure – ensuring a reliable water supply for future generations.

As a Supply Chain Manager, you will lead supply chain engagement and supplier relationship management activities across SWR. You will shape how Thames Water collaborates with strategic suppliers throughout the procurement and delivery lifecycle. Your role will involve building strong, long-term partnerships, increasing supply chain visibility, preparing the market for large-scale procurements, driving value, improving supplier performance, and positioning Thames Water as the client of choice in the water and infrastructure sectors.

Key Accountabilities:
- Develop and implement a coordinated supply chain engagement plan for all potential suppliers within your portfolio.
- Undertake capability and capacity analysis to identify marketplace strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and risks.
- Promote a culture of excellent supply chain relationships based on trust and transparency.
- Lead market-sounding exercises and contribute to others as required.
- Lead meetings, workshops, and engagement events to support SCM delivery within SWR.
- Build strategic, long-term relationships with critical suppliers aligned to SWR and business objectives.
- Monitor, evaluate, and report on supplier performance against KPIs and SLAs, escalating issues as needed.
- Lead contract discussions, support negotiations, and manage compliance with contractual, commercial, and regulatory requirements.
- Identify opportunities to enhance value, reduce costs, improve delivery, and drive continuous improvement.
- Act as the primary escalation point for vendor performance issues, working with internal teams to resolve challenges.
- Use performance insights, benchmarking, and market intelligence to shape supplier strategies and commercial approaches.
- Deliver timely and accurate reporting in line with SCM programme governance.

Experience
- Experience of major infrastructure projects, client-side or contractor-side, within a supply chain function.
- Proven experience developing and delivering supplier or stakeholder engagement programmes.
- Demonstrated ability to establish, lead, and manage workstreams or initiatives end-to-end.
- Solid understanding of activity scheduling, planning methodologies, and project management best practices.
- Strong knowledge of the commercial and contract delivery lifecycle including market engagement, procurement, and delivery phases.
- Awareness of government policies, initiatives, and best practices related to supply chain management in the built environment.
- Understanding of various procurement routes and relevant procurement legislation.
- Strong analytical, commercial, and negotiation skills.
- Skilled in producing clear, well-structured documents and reports for diverse audiences including senior internal stakeholders.
- Excellent stakeholder management capabilities with the ability to build and maintain strategic relationships.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Excel, PowerPoint, Word) or equivalent tools.
- Highly organised with experience managing calendars, meetings, and coordinating workshops or events.

About you
You are a proactive and strategic thinker with excellent communication and relationship-building skills. You thrive in a dynamic environment and are committed to driving value and continuous improvement. You are motivated by making a difference and working collaboratively to achieve business objectives.

Qualifications
Professionally qualified or working towards a relevant qualification such as CIPS or equivalent.