Senior Procurement Manager, Europe

Colt Data Centre Services (DCS) has over 20 years’ experience in designing, building and operating energy-efficient, reliable data centres – hosting significant financial, media, corporate and cloud wholesale providers across the world.

Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. We endeavour to take a customer-led approach across our operations, striving to serve our customers with a seamless experience no matter what facility or region they are in.

Finding the right solutions for our customers starts with finding the right people for Colt DCS. We believe in creating a healthy, learning environment for our employees to flourish.

Our vision: to be the most customer-centric data centre provider.

Job Summary

As Senior Procurement Manager, you will lead a small team taking accountability for the full scope of our Procurement within Europe. This is a broad spectrum, covering multiple categories of spend and functional workstreams, spanning a full variety of technical and non-technical disciplines.

In doing so, you will bring a focus on commercial rigour, risk mitigation, cost optimisation and a full governance programme. This will include full compliance with local law, best business practices for the Region and alignment to DCS Procurement Policy and centrally mandated governance requirements.

We are a growing business operating in a rapidly growing and evolving market place.

All of this provides you with a real opportunity to achieve and show measurable impact, not least through implementing mature procurement practices, developing pipelines of activity and really addressing the Procurement window. You'll also benefit from significant variety, not only through the range of spend categories we have, but also through various project activity.

Ultimately, you'll be acting as a Procurement expert, helping to shape solutions and influence stakeholders at all levels to benefit from the expertise of the function.

To be successful, you'll naturally call on your significant Procurement background alongside your ability to understand and enable the achievement of overall business objectives. In addition, your analytical capability and strong attention to detail will be key and you'll combine these with your adept communication skills to present and influence at all levels of our business.

Given the growth of our business and the rapidly changing marketplace, you'll also be agile and demonstrate an ability to work at pace.

Job Description

Key Accountabilities:

• Work with Colt Data Centre Services (DCS) colleagues, internal workstreams and local functional leaders to help drive the Regional procurement agenda.
• Work with stakeholder groups across the DCS business to ensure best procurement practice is embedded into all local procurement tender events and activities
• Help to move the Procurement function into a more strategic arena with the development of the best practices, monitoring legitimate stakeholder requirements, local compliance and governance programmes and effective documentation, project tracking and reporting mechanisms
• Implement and lead the local team culture which focusses upon detailed and effective commercial negotiations with suppliers to ensure best operating cost and benefit outcomes achieved for DCS
• Help local stakeholders to adopt a Total Cost of Ownership view of procurement activities and to help demonstrate the benefits of effective procurement
• Drive regional procurement savings in coordination with Finance, using a proactive approach identifying opportunities to reduce recurring cost.
• Provide expert Procurement advice and support to DCS colleagues, in Region, as required.
• Develop local expertise within the DCS Procurement team to negotiate effective commercial contracts with suppliers, as required.
• Lead local sourcing processes, as needed, from requirements identification, supplier review and evaluation, contract development and through to contract signature
• Help the team to undertake assessments through Requests for Information the suitability of potential bidders for invitations to quote
• Run and manage local RFx activity in DCS on SAP/Ariba
• Manage and promote the Procurement Governance and best practice policies and guidelines for effective management of operating and capital expenditures.
• Act as a subject matter expert on broad procurement issues for the Region.

Required Skills / Experience:

• Proven procurement management experience across a broad range of technical and non-technical categories.
• Track record in Strategic Category Management, able to effectively build and execute robust operational category plans.
• Practical knowledge and experience of creating and negotiating commercial contracts
• Ability to manage projects workload through creating practical plans for team and for self and provide effective commercial management and cost reduction programmes.
• Experience of working in a team environment with the ability to influence and motivate complex, matrix teams both virtually and directly
• Demonstrate excellent negotiation and communication skills, internally and externally with suppliers
• Understands the use of supplier frameworks and recognises the benefits as well the potential shortcomings of different approaches to supplier management and is able to develop and utilise these to full commercial advantage
• Experience of leading, working and delivering Procurement strategies through virtual, multifunctional teams.
• Able to deal with ambiguity and quickly define Procurement requirements for key stakeholders.
• Able to influence and persuade across all levels of the organisation

Skills

Vendor Management

Procurement Procedures

Procurement Knowledge

Risk Management

Building and Managing Teams

Supervisory Leadership

Pricing

Strategic Financial Planning

Contract Management

What we offer:

Colt DCS is a growing business that is investing in its people. 

We offer skill development, learning pathways and accreditation to help our people perform at their best, regardless of role and location.

In addition to offering competitive salaries and incentive plans, a range of benefits and local rewards packages are offered to staff. Colt DCS recognises and is committed to the importance of a work-life balance.