Supply Chain Solutions Business Partner

Supply Chain Solutions Business Partner role based anywhere in the UK

Overall Purpose

To bring genuine shipper-side supply chain experience into commercial activity, enabling deeper customer conversations, stronger sourcing decisions and customer-led solutions for significant bids. The role provides independent, evidence-based advice, owns solution design and cost modelling for major opportunities, and protects solution integrity through mobilisation.

CORE ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Value diagnostics & advisory
  • Lead the facilitated company Value Diagnostic with the KAM
  • Analyse customer data; assess value, evidence confidence and change readiness;
  • Produce a prioritised improvement roadmap; support QBRs,customer discovery and complex supply chain conversations.
• Supplier sourcing & partner development :
  • Scope new requirements, identify and qualify suppliers,
  • Support commercial negotiation and recommend the best option based on capability, compliance, technology fit, financial standing, cultural fit, risk and value.
• Opportunity qualification, RFQs & tenders
  • Apply disciplined opportunity gateways; define pursue conditions;
  • Own the operating solution and cost model for significant bids;document assumptions and sensitivities;
  • Support the KAM to present a defensible response.
• Implementation & solution integrity
  • Support mobilisation so that the agreed solution is built as sold;
  • Clarify dependencies, controls and decision points;
  • *- Maintain a decision record; apply process improvement methods; and hand over cleanly at steady state.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES / OUTPUTS

• Customer diagnostics and capability building
  • Prepare and facilitate diagnostic workshops across leadership focus, financial control, cost, service, visibility and risk; record differences in stakeholder priorities as findings.
  • Convert unverified points into follow-up data requests; produce a scored assessment, gap analysis, improvement roadmap and clear realisation conditions.
  • Build KAM capability through observation, co-facilitation, coaching and structured debriefs, with the aim of making the team increasingly self-sufficient.
  • Identify improvement and growth opportunities within existing accounts and translate customer objectives into actionable supply chain problem statements.
• Sourcing and solution design
  • Maintain an informed view of relevant supplier markets, qualify new partners and convert partner capability into repeatable company propositions.
  • Lead or support negotiations and present recommendations that clearly set out reasoning, risks, alternatives and key dependencies.
  • Design the proposed operating model, network, supplier mix and service commitments for significant opportunities.
  • Build and own cost models with transparent assumptions,sensitivities and failure points, working with Finance on validation.
• Commercial qualification and mobilisation
  • Assess strategic fit, data sufficiency, feasibility, delivery capability, risk and commercial attractiveness before bid commitment.
  • Challenge unsupported commitments, recommend bid or nobid, and run structured reviews of wins and losses.
  • Support Operations and the KAM during mobilisation, using process mapping and recognised improvement techniques to reduce delivery risk.
  • Capture implementation learning and feed it into future diagnostics, sourcing decisions, propositions and bids.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

• 8-10 facilitated Value Diagnostics in the first 12 months, with conversion baseline established.
• Gateway assessment completed for every significant opportunity, including declined opportunities.
• Solution and costings owned for 100% of significant tenders; win-rate baseline established and improved.
• defined sourcing process applied to every new requirement; savings verified with Finance.
• At least two KAMs able to co-facilitate a diagnostic unsupported by year end.
• Improved margin accuracy and reduced implementation variance between solution sold and solution delivered.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt held or achieved within 12 months, with one sponsored improvement project delivered.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• The successful candidate will combine operational supply chain depth, commercial judgement, sourcing capability, analytical rigour and strong facilitation skills.
• The defining requirement is substantial shipper-side experience as the customer, rather than experience gained solely within a logistics provider.

KEY SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Substantial shipper-side supply chain experience, with direct accountability for cost, service,inventory and/or supply continuity.
• Practical experience of sourcing and negotiating with logistics or supply chain providers from the buying side.
• End-to-end supply chain mapping, current-state diagnosis and future-state solution design.
• Proven ability to facilitate structured workshops with senior customer stakeholders, including delivering challenging evidence-based findings.
• Track record of building and defending supply chain cost models, options and business cases.
• Ability to interpret incomplete data, state assumptions clearly and distinguish evidence from professional judgement.
• Credibility with senior commercial and operational stakeholders, with the confidence to challenge constructively without damaging relationships.
• Ability to influence without line authority, work across functions and produce concise, well reasoned written recommendations.

DESIRABLE

• Tender and RFQ experience from either side of the table.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or equivalent continuous improvement qualification.
• Exposure to 4PL, lead logistics provider or control tower models.
• European logistics markets and cross-border partner procurement.
• Working knowledge of transport management systems and supply chain visibility tools.
• CIPS, MCIPS or equivalent procurement qualification.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

• Credibility with specialists and senior leaders
• Structured thinking and transparent assumptions
• Constructive challenge
• Influence without authority
• Independent, customer-centred judgement
• Capability building and knowledge transfer

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