Procurement Advisor

Role: Procurement Business Advisor
Reports to: Procurement Business Partner - Retail Operations
Work Location: ROI

Procurement plays a key role in enabling Primark to deliver "Amazing Fashion at Amazing Prices" whilst supporting a significant store expansion programme and business transformation.
Procurement @ Primark look after "Goods not for resale (GNFR) covering categories such as Supply Chain, Marketing, IT, Facilities Management, Retail Operations and Store Development.
Our team partners with the business to develop strategies to create competitive advantage for the business, with a focus on value creation, innovation and risk management.
The Procurement Business Advisor is a role within our Procurement function and partnering with our Retail Operations teams.
This role is accountable to create, develop and execute effective strategies to maximise commercial, sustainability and operational benefits from a subset of this spend category.
Category Management

• Partner with the Retail Ops teams on specific sub-categories to ensure that we have the right suppliers in place to ensure quality, pricing and delivery objectives are met.
• Develop and execute Category plans aligned to relevant function objectives.
• Lead all tendering and contract execution for specific sub-categories working closely with Legal team and relevant stakeholders.
• Champion environmental and sustainability agenda aligned to Primark Cares.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, ensuring business alignment on critical objectives.
• Identify value add opportunities (cost savings/avoidance etc.) and work with the internal customers to get buy-in to deliver and regularly report against them.
• Provide concise market intelligence and market sourcing research for internal customers withrecommendations on sourcing opportunities and risk mitigation
• Lead Supplier Relationship Management for the category supporting development and reporting against relevant KPI’s/SLA’s.
• Support growth into new markets from relevant market research to supplier identification and onboarding.

Compliance and Governance

• Liaise with internal and external stakeholders on all procurement-related matters and ensure they are in compliance with procurement policy and procedures.
• Negotiate contracts with new and existing suppliers, ensuring contract terms achieve benefit to the organisation and govern the long-term relationships
• Identify and advise internal customers of commercial risks supply assurance issues and work to mitigate risk to protect Primark.

Contractual and Legal

• Ensure Primark is adequately legally protected and insured in commercial agreements.
• Ensure compliance to contract approval policy via legal review and appropriate grant of authority for contracts and SOW’s.
• Put in place contracts, framework and legal agreements for all suppliers as required.
• Ensure legal frameworks and purchase orders are in place for all procurement activity as per policy.
• Actively champion sustainability and be conscious of Corporate Social Responsibility Policy.

Operational Effectiveness

• Through category management, establish a robust supplier base that delivers the required quality, cost and service in compliance with Primark Ethical Trade Strategy.
• Use appropriate tools to maximise efficiency and transparency of sourcing and commercial negotiations e.g. eRFX, auctions.
• Maintain a current view of overall category spend, supplier data, market intelligence and best practice
• Ensure regular communication with relevant stakeholders.

E-sourcing and Systems

• Ensure events are scheduled, prepared and managed to deliver best value through our e –sourcing tool (Scanmarket).
• Ensure compliance to Procurement systems policy, such as contract management systems and P2P

Required Experience

• 4+ years related experience in a Procurement role.
• Experience and knowledge in indirect related categories (FM, hard or soft services, an advantage but not critical) of spend within a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated ability to forge close business relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong knowledge and understanding of procurement processes, policy, and systems.
• Experience of working within fast-paced and matrixed organisations.
• Experience of developing strategic partnerships with key suppliers.
• Ability to meet deadlines and prepare regular reports to share progress and performance
• Knowledge of financial, legal and commercial contracts, sustainability/CSR and ethical sourcing

Personal, Skills & Competencies

• Strong business and commercial acumen.
• Curiosity with ability to drive change.
• Self-motivated, focused and results orientated.
• Driven achiever with proven track record.
• Innovative and resourceful, good at getting things done.
• Ability to influence internal and external stakeholders.
• Excellent problem solving, strategic thinking and planning skills.
• Highly effective and skilled negotiator.
• Excellent organisation, prioritization and time management skills.
• Ability to analyse, evaluate and recommend on risk at strategic level
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Project management skills.
• Ability to travel as required (15%)