Supplier Manager

You will play a pivotal role in ensuring RS is first choice for our customers and our suppliers. The safety solutions supplier manager is responsible for developing, planning, and executing the agreed category strategy within the UK & Ireland market. 

You will be focused on our Strategic and Key Supplier partners within the designated categories and work to ensure we have business plans in place which deliver incremental sales and margin growth with those suppliers.  Using our clearly defined approach to Supplier engagement, you will utilise this framework to drive a mutually successful relationship.

You should expect to spend most of your time collaborating with your strategic suppliers and will also have the opportunity to visit customers to ensure we remain customer-centric in our approach with our suppliers.

Role responsibilities include…

• Development and execution of supplier business plans in line with the agreed common UK&I category strategy.
• Supplier value extraction (rebate, supplier-supported pricing funding, incoterm, buyback, etc.)
• Develop a marketing plan and ensure its delivered & invoiced
• Leadership, support and development of Assistant Category manager – Safety Solutions
• Local sourcing within agreed corridor of terms
• Communication across all levels of the suppliers’ organisations
• Management of supplier expectations in line with our objectives and category strategy
• Securing Minimum Viable Content (MVC) product and transactional content onto content aggregator as basis for all NPIs
• Successful NPI delivery and performance by supplier following the supplier segmentation
• Collaboration across the regional product teams and achievement of suppliers KPI’s
• Interact with the CRM to ensure alignment to customer opportunities and necessary supplier engagement
• Liaison across SS’s category teams to align with preferred supplier stategy and align to opportunity pipeline

Experience required…

• Successful track record in supplier/account management or related discipline
• Business planning and execution capability
• A collaborative team player across a business with fast moving, customer driven markets
• Successful supplier relationship management
• Ability to work cross functional as well as cross cultural as part of a wider global team
• Demonstrates an excellent understanding of, and the ability to articulate, the RS Value Proposition
• Strong commercial acumen and broad communication skills
• Educated to degree-level or equivalent
• Positive can-do attitude, takes ownership and very results oriented
• Outstanding communication and influencing skills
• Change Management
• Understanding of marketing, purchasing and inventory control
• Operational problem solver and good process management capability

Desirable…

• PPE/Workwear distribution experience
• Nebosh awarded or certified
• Safety Passport
• Sales and/or management experience an advantage
• Experience of influencing without direct responsibility
• Experience of working with an online digital toolset
• Understands the needs of engineers and buyers (our target customers)

We are RS Group

RS Group is a global integrated omni-channel solutions partner for industrial B2B customers who design, build, and maintain industrial equipment and operations. We are a FTSE 100 company with £2 billion in revenue, operating in 32 countries, shipping 60,000 parcels a day to over 1.2 million customers worldwide.

Our Vision is to be first choice for all our stakeholders, and we know that starts with our people. At RS we want everyone to show up to work as themselves and know that they will be supported and encouraged to develop and grow. We want work to be a place that excites and empowers, a place where you can be passionate and challenge people to think differently.

We want to hire the best talent, people who share our values and understand that when we act with respect and humility, we can do great things. That’s why we’ve put our purpose at the heart of our organisation, we want to make amazing happen for a better world. We empower our people to make a difference, innovate to make more possible and deliver to make it happen.

Are you ready to explore the possibilities?