Vendor Manager

At Octopus, we’re entrepreneurs and we’re investors, on a mission to back the people, ideas and industries that will change the world.  

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About the Role

What’s in it for you?  
We're looking for an experienced Vendor Manager to deliver an exceptional end-to-end vendor management service, whilst driving continuous improvement in our procurement practices. There is a huge opportunity to refine processes through technology and innovation and be part of a growing business with a real appetite to develop a best-in-class procurement function

The team
You will work in a team of 3 people, reporting to our Head of Procurement.

What will you be doing?

• Drive continuous improvement in our procurement practices
• Regularly review our vendor relationships. Manage and enhance those relationships through Gatekeeper software, ensuring consistent documentation 
• Support the business on sourcing activities, RFPs, RFXs; bring a project management mentality and approach to every new enquiry.

Qualifications

Ideally, you’ll have

✅ Experience delivering Procurement best practices in a multi-discipline business 
✅ A proven track record of delivering great vendor relationships, as well as reporting and communicating internally to senior stakeholders 
✅ Excellent negotiation experience, with the understanding and emotional intelligence required to get the best outcome for the business
✅ Basic ability to interpret legal clauses in contracts for goods and services 
✅ Expertise in Excel and data analytics that enable you to create meaningful insights 
✅ A methodical and analytical mindset and can apply procurement theory in a flexible and effective manner 
✅ Able to operate at a strategic level and develop tools and tactics at an operational level that will contribute to our strategic goals 

What we offer

💰 A competitive salary, bonus, pension and share incentive plan 
✈️ Untracked holiday 
🏡 Hybrid working – most of our people spend 50% of their time in the office 
⚓ Anchor (our wellness hub) which includes Headspace, one to one coaching through Wellness Cloud, Digital GP, Shout & more 
👪 Up to 6 months paid parental leave regardless of gender 
❤️ Life insurance, critical illness cover and income protection 
🏥 Private medical insurance for you and your family 
🚗 Electric vehicle leasing 
🌍 The option to work overseas up to a month per year 

Our Values  
At our core, we believe that how a company behaves is just as important as what it does. That’s why we chose to become an accredited B Corp (the equivalent of a Fairtrade coffee stamp but for companies) and to change our Articles of Association so that the interests all our stakeholders – employees, customers, communities, environment and shareholders – are considered in every decision we make.   

We’re committed to creating a diverse and inclusive employee experience for all. We promote equal opportunities for growth and development regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, or socio-economic background. We believe strongly that teams are at their best when every member of the team feels safe to bring their whole self to work.