Senior Associate- Procurement Operations

The opportunity

The GDS Regional Ops Contract teams specialize in coordinating Business Development (BD) and Brand Marketing and Communication (BMC) activities, supporting Go-to-Market projects and providing operational support to the Markets organization. The team is spread across multiple locations around the globe.

As part of the UKI Contracts and Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) team, this role will cover all low value, low risk, under 50,000 supplier spend contracts across Markets (BD, NBD, BMC and Coe’s), plus any ad hoc requests from the Leadership team.  The team are also focused on key projects such as Sustainability and DE&I in the Supply Chain.

Reporting to the GDS Supervising Associate and UKI Markets Contracts Lead, this role is responsible for delivering low value contracts, fit for purpose, fully compliant to the procurement process, and consistent with the UKI firm’s processes and guidelines. The role is key in supporting the contracts process for Markets, although this role is flexible and will need to cover the other areas as required (Talent, AWS, Technology, Professional Services.) You will liaise with suppliers and key stakeholders to draft contracts using Legal (GCO) approved templates. You will negotiate with suppliers to ensure value is driven, risks are minimized and EY’s position is optimized both contractually and commercially. You will prepare contract packs ready for approval and ensure all records are auditable.

Your key responsibilities

• Review contract requests and assess most suitable contract templates to use, based on requirements, risk and whether the supplier has been used previously
• Draft commercial/services element of the contact, as per above considerations, using GCO templates as required
• Negotiate with suppliers, drive value and benefits to ensure best position is reached
• Work closely with Independence, Risk, Accounts Payable, Market Operations and Procurement teams on any areas that require additional advice or escalation
• Provide guidance and training to requestors on all contracts process and policy 
• Prepare contract summary forms to ensure all approvals are recorded centrally
• Ensure all signed contracts are uploaded to Ariba, filed and are up to date
• Ensure governance is completed effectively and efficiently
• Identify potential opportunities for SME/ DE&I suppliers
• Attend QBR’s where required, contributing to the tool “Pulse” which monitors our strategic suppliers
• Support any sustainability initiatives and report data for the net zero team
• Work on various projects, as required, including pipeline planning
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives such as contract turnaround time, savings, contributing to the monthly dashboard and reports
• Attend and contribute to weekly / daily UK team meetings as required

Skills and Attributes for Success

• Experience in Procurement / Supply Chain
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills
• Very detail orientated, thorough and organised
• Proficient IT skills
• Ability to administer due diligence with accurate and precise attention to detail
• Experienced in working autonomously, delivering to deadlines.
• Skilled at juggling multiple priorities with multiple stakeholders, functions across different regions.
• A can-do attitude; being able to deal with several projects simultaneously whilst in addition, reacting to inbound work

Experience and qualifications:

• Graduate / Post-graduate - (Procurement / Business Administration, Finance) with 3 to 5 years work experience in procurement / supply chain, or contract management roles

Technologies and Tools

• Power Bi
• Excel, SharePoint, Teams and Power point
• Experience in SAP and Power BI preferred but not essential