Vendor Management Lead

We're looking for a Vendor Management Lead to take ownership of contracts and drive best-in-class vendor and contract management across E.ON Next.

In this role, you'll be responsible for leading the full contract lifecycle ensuring alignment with business needs and regulatory standards. You’ll work closely with cross-functional teams to manage supplier relationships, oversee spend and mitigate commercial and operational risks.

This role requires monthly travel to Nottingham or partner sites, with the potential for overseas trips.

Here’s a taste of what you’ll be doing

• Establish and maintain standardised contract and vendor management practices, including spend tracking, governance frameworks, and adherence to procurement policies to prevent maverick spend.

• Draft, negotiate, and manage vendor contracts and schedules, ensuring alignment with E.ON Next’s operational needs, commercial objectives, and regulatory requirements.

• Monitor and manage vendor performance and compliance, implementing regular review cadences, validating risk/reward outcomes, and ensuring contracts remain fit for purpose

• Collaborate with Supply Chain and other stakeholders on tenders, procurement activities, and contract change management, ensuring robust risk assessment and governance throughout.

• Lead commercial processes including PR/PO, GRN, and invoice validation, ensuring accuracy, appropriate fund allocation, and timely payment to suppliers.

• Develop and maintain internal manuals and guidance materials, supporting consistent contract adherence and operational alignment across the business.

• Identify and mitigate commercial, regulatory, and operational risks, proactively reporting and collaborating with internal teams to drive continuous improvement and issue resolution.

• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) for vendors and monitor their performance against contractual obligations.

• Provide regular reports on contract status, vendor performance, and cost savings

Are we the perfect match?

Here’s what we need from you:

• Demonstrated experience in managing the end-to-end contract lifecycle.

• Skilled in vendor selection, onboarding and third-party relationship management.

• Strong budget management and reporting capabilities.

• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills, with the ability to influence at senior levels.

• Collaborative and solution-oriented, leveraging team input to resolve issues and drive results.

• Growth-oriented mindset, continuously challenging and refining processes and ways of working for improvement.

ere’s what else you need to know

• Role may close earlier due to high applications.

• Permanent

• Competitive salary

• Location – Nottingham with travel to our other sites when required.

• Excellent parental leave allowance.

• Award-Winning Workplace - We’re proud to be named a Sunday Times Best Place to Work 2025 and the Best Place to Work for 16–34-year-olds

• Outstanding Benefits - Enjoy 26 days of annual leave plus bank holidays, a generous pension, life cover, bonus opportunities and access to 20 flexible benefits with tax/NI savings

• Flexible & Family-Friendly - Our industry-leading hybrid and family-friendly policies earned us double recognition at the Personnel Today Awards 2024. We’re open to discussing how flexibility can work for you

• Inclusive & Diverse - We’re the only energy company in the Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers. We’re also proud winners of Best Employer for Women and Human Company of the Year—recognising our inclusive, people-first culture

• Support at Every Stage of Life - We’re Fertility Friendly and Menopause Friendly accredited, with inclusive support for everyone

• Accessible & Supportive - Do you consider yourself as having a disability? As a Disability Confident Employer, we guarantee interviews for disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role and will make any adjustments needed during the process

• Invested in Your Growth - From inclusive talent networks to top-tier development programmes, we’ll support your growth every step of the way

• For all successful candidates. Due to the nature of this role your employment will be subject to a basic DBS (Disclosure Barring Service) check being carried out by ourselves via a 3rd party service provider

• Any questions on the role - please reach out to Eonnext.recruitment@eonnext.com

• At E.ON Next, our customers are our number 1 priority! All Nexties - including our executive team - regularly directly support customers so we stay close to their needs and make better decisions that deliver the best experience