Lead Contract Manager

About us

At National Grid we are committed to delivering safe and reliable energy to the customers and communities we serve. We are one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world. We are proud of the contributions our work and our people make to the prosperity and wellbeing of our customers, communities, and investors.

National Grid has embarked on ambitious capital projects and construction program(s) designed to build the infrastructure to enable our renewable electric future. Projects include upgrades to transmission lines, substations and distribution network infrastructure that will support renewable energy and reliability initiatives and other programs. Furthermore, National Grid has a focus on providing gas to millions of it’s existing customers, by continuously updating its infrastructure to provide the most safe and reliable system.

We are currently looking for highly motivated individuals with critical thinking skills who want to join a dynamic and fast paced organization going through a major transformation.

Job Purpose

The Lead Contract Manager defines and reinforces the value enhancing contractual partnering arrangements for National Grid across our New England and New York Gas and Electric businesses. They partner within procurement and are responsible for the development and implementation of appropriate commercial strategies across multiple categories/portfolios of work, playing a central role in eliminating preventable value loss, delivering “in life” contract management savings and ensuring contract delivery for key stakeholders. Experience should include; supplier relationship management, commercial negotiations, systems and analytics, market supplier development and a clear, working knowledge of current industry trends.

Key Accountabilities

Leadership and Mentoring of Others
·    Proactively coach and mentor peers to ensure best in- class Contract Management Methodologies are adopted and utilized. 
·    Provide constructive feedback to peers and junior team members in a clear and concise manner, aimed at fostering growth 
·    Demonstrate strong coaching and mentoring skills by upskilling junior team members as evidenced by improved performance through junior team members. 
·    Maintain a comprehensive understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of team members and the overall team dynamics
·    Conduct regular assessments (pulse checks) to gauge team workload and stress levels, ensuring timely identification of potential overload situations.
·    Recognize and evaluate circumstances that necessitate escalation to management, ensuring that team concerns are addressed promptly and effectively.

Strategic Stakeholder and Supplier Engagement
·    Ability to effectively partner with internal and external stakeholders to execute all contracts through conception to completion. 
·    Assess contract risks and executing mitigation plans ensuring opportunities to drive value are leveraged and that risks are identified and mitigated.
·    Perform cost analysis reviews, identifying and monitoring cost saving opportunities across both the direct and indirect cost base driving internal and external cost reductions. 
·    Manage the policies and processes for compliance and audit; ensuring delivery by suppliers and internal stakeholders of the policies and procedures
·    Proactively identify, build and maintain strong strategic partnerships with suppliers in order to understand and influence external opinion and maintain a strong reputation for National Grid. 
·    Implementation of a Supplier/Contractor Performance and Monitoring process, reporting on contract performance and escalating where needed.  

Category Management
•    Experience leading the development and execution of long-term category strategies through the lens of a contract manager, including understanding key commercial, regulatory and economic drivers for driving greater value from contractual arrangements
•    Total Cost of Ownership - Evaluate and apply the concept of total cost of ownership (TCO) and supplier/ contract switching costs to support decision making options 
•    Demonstrated ability to partner with internal stakeholders at all levels to gather requirements and tie back to broader business outcome
•    Ensure procurement activities meet FERC, state PSC, and internal governance requirements.

Qualifications

•    Bachelor’s degree in business, Supply Chain Management, Law, or Engineering
•    6+ years of Supply Chain, Contract, or Project Management experience
•    Proactive and diligent approach with a high degree of self-motivation and flexibility.
•    Experience in decision-making roles that positively impact business performance.
•    Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, comfortable communicating with a wide cross-section of the business, including senior management.
•    Understanding of key legal terms and experience in working with legal teams to mobilize contracts post-RFP/Award.
•    Experience directing discussions/negotiations, steering agendas, and effectively delivering difficult messages.
•    Ability to manage complex projects and ensure timely delivery
•    Experience in working with various business units and stakeholders to align goals and strategies.
•    Effective in influencing stakeholders and communicating progress to senior leadership.
•    Experience in developing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for supplier performance.

Preferred Qualifications/Experience:
•    Master’s Degree in a relevant field
•    Professional Certification in Supply Chain or Contract Management
•    Extensive commercial, contractual, technical, and practical knowledge of energy industry standards.
•    Prior experience leading a team and/or enrollment in a leadership development program

More Information

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At National Grid, we work a hybrid work schedule which generally means that some days you will work in the office and some days you will work remotely. This can vary and is at your manager's discretion.  Applicants for these positions can be located in any of our service territories (New York and Massachusetts) or any state that borders New York and Massachusetts, and you must reside within a reasonable driving distance to your respective office.