Senior Manager, Partner Commercial & Strategic Sourcing

Location(s): Bristol, Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds or London

Why this job matters

This is a pivotal senior leadership role with significant commercial responsibility. Reporting directly to the Partner Management Director, you’ll be responsible for leading the delivery of a pipeline of c. £1.5bn in supplier contracts. A critical part of Openreach’s ecosystem. We’re looking for a senior-grade professional who brings world class values, strong leadership, personal authority, strategic foresight, and sharp commercial acumen to the table. Sitting at the intersection of business strategy and partner performance, this role is about more than managing contracts - it’s about owning and optimising our largest labour partnerships, navigating complex negotiations, and driving outcomes that deliver long-term value to the business. You’ll be expected to challenge, influence, and lead at the highest levels, ensuring our external delivery partners are commercially sound, agile and aligned to our strategic goals.

What you’ll be doing:

• This role has the potential to deliver significant value to Openreach by the selection & execution of the optimum transformation approach with impact at Group level.   
• The role will determine and steward the most appropriate and financially beneficial technical approach to buying and in-life management. Always ensuring that the trading enablers are in place to transact all work into 3rd parties and manage in-life.  
• In addition, the role must ensure that best practices processes are in place to deliver value for smaller procurements.  
• Strategic decision making and action throughout the sourcing cycle; influencing legal and procurement into bold decision making that meets the Openreach objectives, all in line with legal, ethical and contractual boundaries and BT policies.  
• The short / mid / long term partner strategy by category pan-Openreach prioritised based on value and risk.  
• Assessment and recommendations of different partner strategies and commercial models that deliver Value for Money for Openreach and BT. Always keeping abreast of industry best practice.   
• Establish & maintain senior relationships across Openreach, all our Partners as well as the wider industry.   
• Ensuring stakeholders buy in on all recommendations.   
• Develop and implement strong commercial capability to understand and manage commercial risk pre-contract.  
• Driving continuous improvement in this area, learning lessons and implementing positive change to increase Openreach’s capability.  

Essential Skills:

• Executive Engagement & Stakeholder Management: Able to work autonomously and confidently with MD and Director-level stakeholders; skilled in navigating corporate governance and maintaining strong stakeholder engagement throughout the procurement cycle. A strong people manager with a collaborative, influential style.
• Communication, organisation & influence: Strong presenter and writer, with the ability to bring clarity in ambiguity. Organisationally strong and effective at influencing others to deliver outcomes. Known as a ‘completer-finisher’ who drives delivery with precision.
• Strategic & Commercial Acumen: Demonstrates sound commercial judgment and strategic thinking. Experienced in numerical analysis, financial planning, and delivering value through sourcing strategies. Commercially astute with a clear understanding of risk management, performance metrics, and decision support at senior levels.
• Industry & Technical Knowledge: Solid understanding of telecommunications engineering, operations, and network construction. Experience working with third-party partners, with deep insight into their drivers and balancing these with Openreach goals.
• Mindset & Ways of Working:  Data-driven and change-oriented, eager to simplify processes and improve financial and customer outcomes. Able to operate with breadth and depth-from cross-business sourcing to transformational models that shape Openreach’s future.

Benefits:

As well as offering a competitive base salary, you’ll also have a rewarding bonus scheme, access to equity schemes and an attractive pension offer.

We value different perspectives, skills and experiences. Diversity makes sense for us, our customers, and our ambitions. We’re creating an inclusive working culture where people from all backgrounds can succeed.

About Openreach:

We’re the nation’s number one broadband network and we build the connections that matter.
Our customers are the 640+ communications providers who sell phone, broadband and Ethernet services to homes and businesses and our mission is build the best digital future for the UK.

There’s over 33,000 of us across the country, and we have a vision that our workforce should represent the communities that we serve. Diversity and accessibility are important to both where we are now and where we’re going. We value every colleague and the contribution they make, because a diverse business is a stronger business.

We also want the best work-life balance for all our people, which is why we offer smart working. It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution, so you’ll be able to discuss how smart working fits with your role during the recruitment process.

How to apply:

It's easy to apply online; you just need a copy of your up-to-date CV and to follow the step-by-step process. Don't worry if you need to make changes - you'll have the opportunity to review and edit your work on the final page. We’re creating an inclusive working culture where people from all backgrounds can succeed. We welcome applications from every community and we’re looking forward to receiving yours.