AMS PSR

What if you could work on something that you can’t test… but cannot afford to fail? Something that could have spent years on a submarine, is launched into outer space (where the temperature is below -250c), comes hurtling through the atmosphere, being heated up and shaken and then must work? Some challenge.

That’s exactly what the team of over 6,500 people at AWE do every day: delivering important work, in support of the most important mission – keeping the nation safe.

AWE plays a crucial role in national nuclear security. Their role in nuclear deterrence and their specialist technical assistance to nuclear threat reduction is vital in the defence against the most serious threats faced by the UK. Working to support the defence of our country, AWE has a clear mission: to keep everyone, the environment, their products and information, sites, and everything around them, safe and secure.

SC Clearance is an essential requirement for this role, as a minimum you must be eligible and willing to undergo these checks.

Job Purpose:

The primary purpose of this role is to deliver post contract management of critical contracts with the supply chain. The Senior Contract Manager will have an in-depth understanding of business requirements for the assigned areas and will be motivated to drive value for money, applying industry leading contract management techniques to mitigate commercial risk. The role will be an advanced contract practitioner with keen understanding of commercial best practice, with a fluency in legalese, contract law, contract incentivisation and pricing and will oversee for the assigned business areas, all aspects of contract negotiations, conflict resolution and diplomacy to ensure the supply chain meets its contractual obligation. 

The Senior Contract Manager will effectively administer assigned contracts by applying robust contract management plans and performance management procedures, while ensuring their full compliance with business governance arrangements. The role will be rolling out and implementing the AWE Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) strategy and framework for assigned suppliers, driving innovation and business efficiency through building industry alliances and trusted relationships. The Senior Contract Manager will report to the Principal Contract Manager and SRM.

Key accountabilities:

• Create a highly motivated, skilled, and professional contract management team that delivers contract performance outcomes, aligned to business and HMG commercial requirements, with the capacity to meet business demand plan.
• Act as subject matter expert for assigned contracts, providing professional advice to enable business to effectively deliver contract objectives.
• Ensure all contracts, they are responsible for, have a robust Contract Management Plan with defined procedure for delivery performance management, invoice applications, risk management and contract reviews.
• Ensure contracts are delivered in accordance with business management system, priorities and conduct internal audits to ensure compliance with government regulations and legislation.
• Work collaboratively with AWE stakeholders and with the SCM sub-unit Leadership Team (specifically the Head of Strategic Sourcing/the Head of Category Management) to understand their detailed business requirements and championing contract best practice. Influence key decision makers to secure best contract solutions to satisfy AWE Board and HMG requirements
• Implement the Supplier Relationship Management framework for assigned key suppliers who have a significant impact on AWE business, with the objective of managing risk, managing performance, and extracting more value from the supplier base.
• Support the development and drive the implementation of Supplier Strategies for assigned suppliers, with the objective of minimizing risk for AWE and maximizing value.
• Support procurement activity through providing best practice contact advice to develop contract templates and bespoke terms.
• Ensuring contracts maximise value for money and have defined performance outcomes.
• Ensure all contracts have clear business ownership to track and monitor contract performance against KPIs and cost, quality, and time obligations.
• Work with the SCM Delivery Unit Sourcing/Category team to lead contract negotiations pre-contract award and apply lessons learned to enhance contracting models and support supplier selection.
• Lead contract negotiations and apply diplomacy to mitigate contract risks to AWE benefit and where necessary develop contract litigation strategies.
• Implement the Supplier Relationship Management framework and strategy for defined portfolio of contracts, creating trusted industry alliances to drive business innovation/efficiencies and developing optimum systems of business intelligence and relationships.

Key Responsibilities:

• Acting as a role model for health, safety, environmental and quality management. Ensure contracts are aligned to business safety and quality management systems and be an advocate of AWE behaviours.
• Establishing a high level of credibility and manage complex working relationships with internal and external parties including both commercial and government partners.
• Drive suppliers segmentation (quality, performance, risk) in accordance with the AWE Supplier Relationship Management Framework and drive SRM implementation, in collaboration with business stakeholders, for assigned suppliers
• Monitor and mitigate supplier risks (including Quality, Environmental & Health and Safety, supplier fragility as well as dependency on AWE and AWE dependency on the supplier), make corrective action plans for the identified risks.
• Develop and implement Supplier Strategies for assigned key suppliers.
• Ensure contract control systems are robust and suitable to support all post contract commitments and satisfying the reporting/governance processes.
• Ensuring legal compliance with contracts by monitoring changes in laws or regulations that may affect the company’s ability to meet its obligations and mitigate any potential conflict of interest or breach of company ethic’s policy.
• Ensure there is an effective contract reporting and engagement strategy in place to enable all key stakeholders to be aligned to contracts risks and opportunities.
• Identify and estimate the likelihood and impact of contract-related risk, establish mitigation methods aligned to business needs and track effectiveness of those mitigations.
• Ensuring a robust SRM delivery plan is in place for all assigned critical suppliers 

Disability confident

As a member of the disability confident scheme, AWE guarantees to interview all candidates who have a disability and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group.

AWE is proud to support the Armed Forces Covenant and as such, we guarantee to interview all veterans or spouses / partners of military personnel who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of ex-military candidates / military spouses or partners, who meet all of the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following “this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.