Eaton MSD Cheltenham is looking for a NPI & Bid Manager to join the Supply Chain Function to Lead and manage the Projects & Bid category.
In this role you will lead a Project Procurement team delivering world-class procurement capabilities, partnering with internal stakeholders to ensure they receive maximum value for all money spent with suppliers. This is accomplished by executing effective strategies, which include supplier engaged DFM activity, supplier management and sourcing decisions. Adding value by aligning ourselves with the best suppliers and driving compliance with our intellectual property and privacy requirements. Continuously striving to obtain the right price & quality for the right product or service. Contribute to effective design of new product with consideration of manufacturability and product life cycle management
What you'll do:- Lead & develop the project & bid team.
- Provide status updates on projects and ensure that business priorities are met
- Ensure that parameters and agreements are in place for new product being transferred to production Identify & establish long term supplier partners focussing on the "total cost" of supply, thus establishing mutually beneficial partnerships.
- Align with category managers to reduce supplier base and ensure suppliers are of the correct size and exhibit the expected behaviours and product output (to quality and on time).
- Ensure the team are agile & continually evaluate and monitor market conditions and adjust sourcing strategies accordingly.
- Ensure, through production readiness reviews and capacity plans, that each supplier in the product categories has the ability to meet their commitments and deliver production volumes
- Identify, present and influence Technology Enablement solutions to drive efficiency
- Ensure the NPI & Bid team are supporting and influencing future new designs with Engineering, utilising intelligence and capabilities from our supply chain.
- Maximising the DFM & DFT opportunities to reduce the design cycle, remove costs and thus deliver efficient designs.
- Collaborate & Influence with the equivalent leads in operations, quality, engineering, PM and other functions to meet the business objectives.
- Implement make buy strategies, resulting in "turnkey" supplier solutions, reducing lead times & cost caused by internal processing.
- Continuously identify & deliver efficiency & cost savings
- Report monthly to Head of Sourcing & Resilience on initiatives, opportunities, risks, objective
Qualifications:- Proven experience leading and developing multi-disciplinary procurement or project sourcing teams within a complex engineering or manufacturing environment.
- Strong leadership capability with a track record of driving high performance, developing talent, and aligning team objectives to business strategy.
- Demonstrated ability to influence and collaborate effectively across functions including Engineering, Quality, Operations, and Programme Management.
- Extensive experience in strategic sourcing, supplier management, and category strategy development, ideally within Aerospace, Defence, or other highly regulated sectors.
- Strong commercial acumen with a focus on total cost of ownership, value optimisation, and supplier performance management.
- Proven ability to deliver measurable cost reduction targets and identify long-term value creation opportunities.
- Experience establishing and managing long-term supplier partnerships, including negotiation of complex agreements and intellectual property considerations.
- Deep understanding of New Product Introduction (NPI) and Bid processes, with experience supporting design-for-manufacture (DFM) and design-for-test (DFT) activities.
- Strong understanding of end-to-end product lifecycle management, from concept through to production and sustainment.
- Experience leading production readiness reviews, capacity planning, and make/buy decisions to ensure supply readiness and resilience.
- Proven ability to apply technology enablement and digital procurement tools to improve efficiency and decision-making.
Skills:- Highly analytical with the ability to interpret market trends, risk factors, and supplier performance data to inform sourcing strategies
- Demonstrated capability in identifying and delivering process improvements and operational efficiencies
- Strategic thinker with the ability to balance short-term busienss priorities with long term supply chain resilience
- Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to present confidently to senior leadership
- Strong understanding of compliance, governance, and intellectual property requirements within a defence or aerospace context
What we offer:- Opportunity to work in a global, highly collaborative environment
- Challenging projects in dynamic collaborative team
- Strong focus on learning, development, and career progression
- Competitive compensation and benefits package
- A culture that promotes inclusion, accountability, and continuous improvement
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All positions may require participation in video and in-person interviews as part of the hiring process. All candidates will be evaluated based on job-related competencies, and all candidates' privacy rights and data security will be protected in accordance with applicable laws.
We are committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for job applicants and employees. Our recruitment processes use balanced selection criteria and avoid unlawful discrimination against applicants on the basis of their age, colour, disability, marital status, national origin, gender, gender identity, genetic information, race or racial origin, religion, sexual orientation or any other status protected or required by law.
