Senior Buyer - Corporate Services

Senior Buyer, Corporate Services - 3 Month FTC

Working pattern: Full-Time - 3 Month Fixed Term Contract 

In the words of the team, you should leave your current role for this one because….

"OVO is a fantastic place to work. The company really cares for its people which makes you want to go above and beyond. There is a reason we won Times best place to work! The Procurement team is on a really exciting journey and it's not every day you get the ability to actively participate in a Procurement transformation! OVO felt like home to me after just 2 weeks and I put that down to having such a great team around me".

Where you’ll work:

At OVO, we understand that a one size fits all approach doesn’t work for everyone. That’s why we created the OVO Way of Flexibility.

All our roles are hub based (Bristol, Glasgow or London), providing a dedicated space for collaboration, connection and teamwork. You’ll also have the flexibility to work from home.

Everyone belongs at OVO

At OVO, we are on a mission to solve one of humanity's biggest challenges, the climate crisis. And we know it takes all of us to change the world. That's why we need diverse people from all abilities, gender identities, ethnicities, ages, sexual orientations, life experiences and backgrounds to join us.

Teamworking for the planet

Everything we do here spins around Plan Zero. So, naturally, the team you’ll be joining plays a gigantic role in making that happen. Here’s how:

As an enterprise business OVO’s supply chain presents large risk but great opportunity when it comes to sustainability and wider ESG initiatives. Procurement plays a vital role when contributing to OVO’s wider Plan Zero aspirations ensuring we’re working with the right partners and managing risks appropriately.

This role in a nutshell:

We’re hiring for the best of the best in the world of Procurement! A Procurement transformation is never simple but the rewards are huge. We need versatile, driven self starters who know what good looks like and how to get there. We have a very ambitious strategy to be recognised as a leading function in the Procurement industry winning awards and experimenting with pioneering technologies that give us the edge over our competition, such as incorporation of AI. We’re investing in an exciting training programme (our Procurement DNA) to provide a fantastic foundational capability at all levels and will be recognised across the business for value generation beyond tactical cost savings. Our journey is just getting started so come and be part of something great.

Reporting to the Senior Procurement Manager, Marketing & Corporate Services, you’ll be part of the team responsible for supporting change, delivering results and setting the bar for ‘what good looks like’ across the team and management level and below.

The Procurement Team’s objectives are:

• Driving daring commercial benefits to support OVOs EBITDA targets.
• Getting the Procurement basics right, reducing risks and driving compliance whilst still allowing OVO to operate in an agile manner.
• Procuring goods and services in a sustainable manner wherever possible, aligning to OVO’s Plan Zero
• Becoming a knowledge base of relevant supply markets, products, technologies and trends and bringing this back into our business.
• Continuously striving for improvements in commercial value, process efficiency and risk mitigation.
• Effectively business partnering with our internal colleagues.
• Supporting in the implementation of procurement systems that underpin the execution of opportunities whilst reducing risk and improving compliance.

Your key outcomes will be:

Supporting the sourcing strategy and plan across Corporate Services (Property Services, Facilities, People Services, Professional Services). You will be delivering exceptional stakeholder management to Senior Managers and Heads of Department under the Chief People Officer, aligning the supply chain to our business strategy and objectives. 

Adopting a Category Management approach you will be supporting the development of appropriate category strategies which de-risk OVOs market exposure and drive maximum potential value. 

In addition, you will be responsible for:

• Using data to build and keep updated a clear view of category spend and suppliers (taxonomy driven).
• Supporting category savings opportunity analysis and future pipeline initiatives.
• Delivering savings that contribute towards the OVO procurement team objectives and impact OVO’s EBITDA.
• Completing regular RFx exercises, leading by example and guiding the business through the process via strong project management practices.
• Collaborative development of negotiation plans bringing team members in where appropriate.
• Leading on material commercial initiatives and communicating these to the C-suite in line with OVO’s delegation of authority matrix.
• Working closely with the Supplier Management team to implement effective supplier management strategies.
• Ensuring relevant OVO partners are aligned (and are adhering to) the procurement policy and process monitoring and reporting on compliance.
• Continuously aspiring for improvements in commercial value, process improvement and risk mitigation.
• Chipping in towards continuous improvement of Procurement ways of working ((tools process, customer journey) whilst managing change with OVO stakeholders.
• Supporting OVOs Plan Zero objectives and demonstrating how your sourcing exercises contribute to the overall strategy.

You’ll be a successful Senior Buyer, Corporate Services at OVO if you…

• Are able to sell and promote the benefits of Procurement to team members and peers.
• Are an inquisitive self starter who is able to hold themselves accountable for their own output.
• Proven experience in a similar procurement role with a demonstrable understanding of technology operations in an enterprise business.
• Are a successful negotiator with a consistent track record of delivering material commercial benefits.
• Are customer service obsessed, adopting a business partnering approach.
• Can demonstrate ‘best in class’ Procurement, setting a benchmark at your level and an aspiration for junior members of the team (Senior Buyers). 
• Analytical, able to effectively source and manipulate data, turning it into meaningful outputs.
• Demonstrate emotional intelligence and awareness (EQ).
• Have comprehensive sourcing experience across key Corporate Services subcategories.
• Are comfortable proposing, initiating and implementing change in a constantly evolving environment.
• Possess strong story-telling, relationship building and conflict resolution skills.
• Have good knowledge of Procurement e-sourcing tools (we use Workday Strategic Sourcing).
• Are team-oriented with a collaborative, pragmatic approach.
• Are CIPS qualified or working towards this (desirable).
• Exposure to the energy sector is desirable but not crucial.