Contract & Supplier Management Specialist

Location: Durrington or Falmer (with travel across the Southern Water region)

Contract Type: 6 month FTC

Hours: Full time and part-time working considered)

Salary: Up to £35,000 per annum, plus benefits

About the role

Southern Water’s Contract and Supplier Management discipline manages aggregated contracts and supplier relationships to drive performance, reduce costs and maximise value.

As a Contract & Supplier Management Specialist, you’ll support contract and supplier management strategies across a portfolio of lower-risk, lower-spend suppliers. Working closely with senior contract managers, sourcing colleagues, service owners and suppliers, you’ll help ensure contracts are well managed throughout their lifecycle and supplier performance is effectively monitored.

This role is well suited to someone with experience in procurement, contract administration, account management or a customer-facing role who is keen to build a career in contract and supplier management.

What you’ll do

• Support delivery of contract and supplier management strategies for assigned contracts

• Maintain adherence to contract lifecycle management processes and best practice

• Support supplier relationship management, including SLAs, KPIs and performance monitoring

• Provide guidance to service owners on contract implementation and performance reporting

• Support supplier performance improvement plans using contract data and business feedback

• Act as a point of contact for contractual queries and support issue resolution

• Communicate contract renewals and review cycles to stakeholders

• Work closely with the Sourcing team during sourcing and contract award activities

• Monitor contract compliance, risks, opportunities and continuous improvement actions

What you’ll bring

Essential

• Experience in procurement, contract administration, supplier or account management

• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills

• Good analytical and organisational skills

• A proactive, continuous improvement mindset

• Competence in Microsoft Office, including Excel and PowerPoint

• Ability to travel across the Southern Water region when required (must hold UK Driving Licence and access to a reliable vehicle)

Desirable

• Degree in a relevant subject or equivalent experience

• Knowledge of contract lifecycle management and regulated environments

About Southern Water

Southern Water is transforming Britain’s water industry, with £7.8bn planned investment for 2025–2030. You’ll join a forward-thinking organisation committed to sustainability, innovation and developing its people.

We welcome applications from all backgrounds and encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every requirement.

Additional information:

Appointment is subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks in line with Southern Water’s requirements.