Senior Procurement Manager - Kaluza

Location: We're flexible with where the successful candidate is based, but you'll need to be comfortable commuting to either our London or Bristol office when required.

The OVO Group’s purpose is to drive progress towards net zero carbon living. To reach Plan Zero, we need everyone to come together - not just as customers buying energy, but as members with a common goal. As part of this ambitious plan, our goal is to become the ‘Leading Employer in the UK’ by 2030. If you think you could be the talent we’re looking for, then come and join the adventure!

We launched in 2009 with a mission to change energy for the better. Since then, we’ve welcomed over a million members, planted a million trees, and set our sights on helping save the planet.

As a Group, we’re working to become a net zero carbon business by 2030, while helping our OVO Energy members halve their carbon footprints at the same time. 

Green energy and technology are great tools to fight the climate crisis with. But it’s people power that will rewrite history.  

So we’re building a zero carbon team inside and out. Of people who share our values, feel inspired by our mission, and want to make change happen. When you work for OVO, it’s not just a job. It’s the work of a lifetime. And we want the sharpest minds to help. 

Up for the challenge?

Where in the world of OVO will I be working? 

Reporting to the OVO Head of Procurement, you’ll be working within OVO’s newly formed Procurement Team which sits within the Finance area, however with a directive to work within the Kaluza team to drive value from their Supplier ecosystem.

Kaluza is an ecosystem of intelligent platforms powering the future of energy. From revolutionising billing to smart electric vehicle charging, Kaluza’s technology is empowering some of the biggest energy suppliers to better serve their customers. Its real-time cloud platforms transform supplier operations, reducing cost to serve and boosting customer engagement.

Powered by Kaluza, suppliers can invest in innovating for tomorrow’s customers and drive decarbonisation with smart, low carbon technologies that not only reduce energy bills, but lay the foundations for a more flexible energy system. For more on Kaluza, head to kaluza.com.

What will I be doing?

You’ll business partner the Kaluza CFO and other senior partners to co-define Kaluza's requirements for our future supplier ecosystem clearly, and in a manner which enables suppliers to provide optimum return on investment and innovation.

You’ll maintain a knowledge of relevant supply markets, products, technologies and trends, and help with implementing and supporting Procurement systems that support the execution of opportunities whilst reducing risk and improving compliance.

You’ll also be responsible for ensuring the Procurement Policy and process is followed, balancing risks and driving compliance whilst still allowing OVO to operate in an agile manner.

Key responsibilities include:

• Understanding of risks and opportunities within the Kaluza supplier ecosystem and ensuring that appropriate contracts are in place to allow Kaluza to operate separately where required whilst benefiting from group economies of scale where possible.
• Driving commercial benefits by open competition, but also by encouraging collaboration with suppliers
• Supporting the Kaluza team with responding to commercial opportunities from other organisations
• Ensuring relevant budgets are in place and Kaluza partners understand and are aligned with the procurement policy and process
• Continuously striving for improvements in cost, value and innovation.
• Continuous improvement of Procurement tools (P2P, RFP, Contract database), whilst managing change with Kaluza partners.
• Supporting OVO's Plan Zero objectives

Is this the job for me? 

We’re looking for somebody with extensive knowledge of SaaS platforms, suppliers and commercial knowledge. Even better if you’re MCIPS qualified (or working towards this) with proven experience in a similar role

You’re a strong communicator and negotiator with good presentation, facilitation and conflict resolution skills and you’re confident building relationships across all levels, in particular with senior leaders across the business. You’ve got the experience and gravitas to deal with senior partners but also the drive to deliver operational and tactical opportunities.

Ideally you will have:

• Experience of supporting bid teams in responding to commercial opportunities
• Experience across other procurement categories (I.e payment providers)
• Able to apply skills beyond the traditional functions of Procurement and to bring them to bear on a broad range of commercial issues.
• Knowledge of Procurement systems (i.e Source to Contract and P2P)

You're a self-starter and great teammate with a collaborative, pragmatic approach. It’s not crucial but it would be a plus if you’ve had previous exposure to energy and technology businesses.

Life at OVO is pretty fast-paced so you’ll be comfortable working in a dynamic high growth business. You're confident working in a constantly evolving environment and are comfortable proposing, justifying, initiating and implementing change.

From us you’ll get*

• An annual discretionary bonus
• 4% of your salary to spend on flexible lifestyle benefits
• 5% matched employer contribution to your pension
• 25 days holiday + 1 for your birthday
• And many more... 

(*) Please note that certain benefits kick-in once you have passed probation which can be up to 6 months after your start date.

We want the best people 

At OVO, we empower our people to have choice around where and when they work - flexible working arrangements can be discussed for all of our roles. Please speak to the Talent Acquisition team for more info.

We’re keen to meet people with varied backgrounds - our view is the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We want to build teams which represent a variety of experiences, perspectives and skills, and we recognise talent on the basis of merit and potential.

We understand some people may not apply for jobs unless they tick every box. If you're excited about joining us and think you have much of what we're looking for, even if you're not 100% sure… we'd love to hear from you.

Learn more about working in the OVO family of companies on our careers page and Glassdoor. We’re also delighted to have received a Top Employers certificate in 2018, 2019 and 2020!