Partnerships Manager

Edinburgh, Midlothian
NatWest Group

We’re building something better
This role is in NatWest Boxed
At NatWest Boxed, we’re a high performing team that’s always on the lookout for exceptional people. We encourage an inclusive and diverse working environment, where teamwork, input and collaboration is valued no matter your level.

Job description

This role is based in the United Kingdom and as such all normal working days must be carried out in the United Kingdom.

Join us as a Partnerships Manager

• You’ll join NatWest Boxed’s rapidly expanding Commercial Partnerships team.
• This is an opportunity to achieve excellent exposure in a highly visible role and to make a real impact with your work

What you’ll do

The Partnerships team plays a critical role in managing our 3rd parties. As a Partnership Manager, you will play a key role in developing and maintaining a best-in-class supplier programme, effective procurement & commercial processes to support and evolve the BaaS proposition.

You’ll also:

• Lead complex, end-to-end (E2E) sourcing RFPs and projects across multi 3rd party categories, aligning supplier selection with corporate OKRs and the evolving Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) proposition
• Drive high-value, complex commercial and contractual negotiations, translating complex requirements into securing favourable commercial terms, and continuous improvement mechanisms in a rapidly scaling environment
• Foster relationships and strategic management of critical suppliers & commercial partners to ensure strong contractual performance and value whilst identifying commercial benefit and continuous improvement initiatives in a rapidly scaling and changing environment
• Develop and embed scalable category strategies that align supplier capabilities with business growth, acting as the SME sourcing expert to help influence strategic decisions and secure buy-in from senior stakeholders.
• Interpret financial Management Information (MI) and spend dashboards to proactively manage the third party cost base, identifying opportunities to reduce spend through strategic sourcing across categories and executing cost-saving initiatives across the portfolio.

The skills you’ll need

To succeed in this role, you’ll need to be a procurement expert preferably from a fintech or financial services background. You’ll also need:

• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with a data-driven approach to decision-making.
• Strong influencing and interpersonal skills
• Excellent communication and presentation skills to a senior audience. Proficient in creating presentations and executive summaries
• Proven commercial acumen with extensive experience in negotiating complex contracts and utilising rigorous negotiation tactics (e.g., volume-metric discounts, long-term contracting) to maximise value and optimise commercial terms.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and manage multiple priorities and categories