Procurement Manager Business Services - Bristol/Glasgow

Fantastic opportunity to join our fast paced Procurement Team, you can work in Bristol or Glasgow and other UK locations may be considered.

About CMS

CMS is a Future Facing firm. With 75 offices in 43 countries and 4,800+ lawyers worldwide, we combine deep sector understanding with a global overview, giving us the ability not only to see what's coming, but to shape it.

CMS is well equipped to help our clients face the future with confidence. We are driven by technology and readily embrace the possibilities it opens up for developing new and better ways of delivering legal services. Our bold approach to a changing future ensures that we nurture our employees and recruit top talent.

About the Role

As a Procurement Manager, you will help provide exceptional client service to a forward-thinking law firm and be an integral part of the Procurement function. Reporting to the Head of Procurement, the holder will be required to build strong relationships with internal stakeholders at all levels, particularly the BD, Marketing and HR teams and work cross functionally to deliver end-to-end sourcing solutions. Contract Management is a key part of this role, ensuring all contracts are fit for purpose, meeting the company’s terms and limiting risks and liabilities to the company. This role will suit someone that loves a challenge and enjoys a busy, fast paced working environment.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Research and identify innovative procurement solutions that can be implemented within a specific category of spend.
• Design and manage procurement project plans for individual projects including developing tender documents and evaluation processes and identifying risks and issues for specific contracts to ensure that contracts are delivered on time and budget in a way that is most likely to deliver improved benefits and savings for the firm.
• Lead on developing, implementing, and subsequently reviewing procurement strategies for the whole procurement cycle in a specific category spend area ensuring this approach is agreed with relevant stakeholders.
• Determine and continually monitor current supply market position in the specific category spend area to identify both over and under capacity.
• Implement both supplier rationalisation programmes and strategies to develop new sources of supply as appropriate to optimise competition.
• Research best practice and benchmark the costs of services against top quartile performance.
• Analyse and interpret data to enable the development and implementation of the most appropriate sourcing strategies.
• Manage the balance across a range of different and often conflicting priorities relating to areas like balancing aggregation of spend, promoting local economic growth, mitigating commercial and legislative risk and delivering financial savings.
• Develop effective relationships with local and national business groups representing specific supplier sectors and work collaboratively on a local, regional and national level to achieve efficiencies in the supply chain.
   

About You

Minimum Qualifications

• Degree and holds or studying for full Professional Membership of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (MCIPS) is preferred or be able to clearly evidence equivalent levels of experience, technical knowledge, and expertise by having worked as a Procurement professional in a legal or professional environment.
• Your personal skills must comprise strong negotiating, influencing and communication capabilities to liaise with and influence stakeholders within the Firm internally and externally at all levels.
• Extensive specialist/technical knowledge & understanding of Procurement.

Experience and Requirements
The incumbent should possess five years’ business management, together with an additional five years’ management experience in Procurement particularly within HR, BD, and Marketing categories. An in-depth knowledge of modern procurement techniques and approaches, including strategic cost management principles and strategic category management process knowledge is essential. 

Knowledge and Skills

Commercial Acumen 
Sound understanding of economic factors which will impact on market sectors and approaches to minimise cost pressures and reduce commercial risk. Good understanding of commercial approaches taken by providers relating to costing and selling.

Category Management Techniques
Knowledge, understanding and successful experience of leading the procurement approach for a variety of category areas within the firm.

Procurement Legislation 
Extensive knowledge and understanding of Contract Law.

Supplier Relationship Management
Sound understanding an experience of managing suppliers including supplier development, drivers of costs in the supply chain, understanding of sub contract markets and supply relationship management.

Procurement Systems and Processes
Extensive understanding of procurement processes and how e-procurement tools such as e-tendering and e-spend systems can be deployed to reduce process costs including performance management techniques relating to benchmarking.

Leadership
Ability to influence multi-functional teams in developing and delivering the most appropriate procurement strategies and solutions. Fosters a collaborative team approach to working.

Entrepreneurship
Ability to identify opportunities, identify and balance risks and benefits and take appropriate actions to deliver the most beneficial outcomes within procurement projects.

Negotiation Skills
Negotiation skills or with ability to achieve the optimal commercial solutions whilst maintaining credibility and a long term supplier relationship. Understanding of legal requirements and risk management within procurement projects.

Influencing and Communication Skills
Ability to interpret a range of differing priorities and influence the outcome across a range of senior stakeholders.
Explain complex problems and issues in a concise and understandable way to a wide range of stakeholders.

Problem Solving 
Ability to understand differing priorities that often conflict and be able to devise solutions that achieve value for money whilst ensuring continuity of supply.

Change Management 
Sound understanding of how to overcome the barriers to achieving significant change that can result from a new procurement approach.

Stakeholder Relationship
Ability to develop and maintain excellent working relationships with key internal stakeholders.  Builds and maintains relationships with key supply chain partners.

Analysis
Excellent analytical skills. Including ability to identify key data and other influencing factors such as customer preferences and market developments and incorporate these into decision making process.
 

Equal Opportunities

At CMS, a next-generation mindset is woven into all we do. We're diverse, supportive and inclusive, embracing our corporate social responsibility and creating a culture of sustainability in which every one of our people, whatever their background, can maximise their potential and thrive. For further information about CMS' diversity initiatives and programmes, please view the Diversity & Inclusion pages on our website.

Please apply online or contact a member of the Talent Acquisition team if you have any questions. For information regarding our competitive range of benefits please visit our Rewards & Benefits page on our website.

Please note that CMS have a preferred agency panel in place. Only applications submitted via the portal at the point of instruction will be accepted.

#LI-DH1