Partnerships Principal

Why this job matters

Network Services needs to establish a coherent, end to end contract lifecycle management (CLM) function to bring rigor and compliance to >£500m of contract spend with the aim to reduce contract and value leakage. In order to realise this, the In-Life Partner Management team will implement and maintain a contract management process with focus on supplier performance, implementing continuous improvement across the supplier base and establish a sustainable value pipeline that delivers the high quality standards expected by our customers.

The Partnerships Principal drives commercial innovation through partnerships, ensures the seamless delivery of partnership commitments, defines go to market approach, and positions BT Networks as a key partner across the supply base.

What you’ll be doing

1. Leads the development of strategies and growing of partnerships for BT Networks, providing a clear direction to leadership on how and where cross platform collaboration opportunities exist informed by market intelligence.
2. Leads a portfolio of partners with the objective of ensuring all services provided by the partners are fit-for-purpose, cost effective and sustainable across the technology infrastructure.
3. Works in conjunction with internal stakeholders, with the objective of ensuring that the services provided by the partners are managed and measured according to the agreed contractual commitments.
4. Operates as an SME in partnerships management, works within the partner management team in building a partner strategy that targets all aspects of services provided by partners ensuring performance.
5. Mentors and coaches experienced professionals to develop current and future team capabilities and ensure performance.
6. Ensures key partners align with group partnership strategies, working with critical stakeholders across the group to achieve objectives.
7. Leads the identification and building of key new relationships with strategic partners with the objective of agreeing areas of mutual beneficial value amongst potential partners. 
8. Acts as a key commercial liaison for partners, proactively identifying and solving the most complex partner issues and challenges.
9. Leads the analysis of performance data from various sources and the creation of executive level reports.
10. Leads contract management activities throughout the lifecycle, including variations, amendments, price adjustments and management of contract change notices.
11. Contributes to the development of KPIs that measure the performance of the partners ensuring that any contracted services are fit-for-purpose and value for money.
12. Contributes to partner review meetings with the partners account team to report and review performance. 
13. Leads the implementation of continuous improvement opportunities to improve partnership management processes.

Experience Required

• Taking complex and multilayered relationships and build robust end to end strategies that balance quality, cost and consumption.
• Building credible relationships underpinned by data and trust and enable you to challenge the business norms.
• Collaboration with multiple stakeholders that have conflicting objectives and deliverables to find agreed solutions that are executed in practice.
• Knowledge to interpret commercial constructs and understand their bottom and top line impact and conduct complex negotiations that balances the realised value.
• Use data and metircs to underpin recommendations and influence decision making.
• Use commercial insights to create complelling cases to drive business decisions.
• Worked within a telecommunications environment, or similar technical industry and Mobile Networks experience
• Strong background as a contracts manager. 

The skills you’ll need

Collaboration

Market Analysis

Relationship Building

Communication

Business Development

Stakeholder Management

Partnership Management

Negotiation

Contract Management

Business Analysis

Commercial Acumen

Strategic Planning

Client Onboarding

Decision Making

Growth Mindset

Inclusive Leadership

Our leadership standards

Looking in:
Leading inclusively and Safely
I inspire and build trust through self-awareness, honesty and integrity.
Owning outcomes
I take the right decisions that benefit the broader organisation.

Looking out:
Delivering for the customer
I execute brilliantly on clear priorities that add value to our customers and the wider business.
Commercially savvy
I demonstrate strong commercial focus, bringing an external perspective to decision-making.

Looking to the future:
Growth mindset
I experiment and identify opportunities for growth for both myself and the organisation.
Building for the future
I build diverse future-ready teams where all individuals can be at their best.

About us

BT Group was the world’s first telco and our heritage in the sector is unrivalled.  As home to several of the UK’s most recognised and cherished brands – BT, EE, Openreach and Plusnet, we have always played a critical role in creating the future, and we have reached an inflection point in the transformation of our business. 
 
Over the next two years, we will complete the UK’s largest and most successful digital infrastructure project – connecting more than 25 million premises to full fibre broadband.  Together with our heavy investment in 5G, we play a central role in revolutionising how people connect with each other. 
 
While we are through the most capital-intensive phase of our fibre investment, meaning we can reward our shareholders for their commitment and patience, we are absolutely focused on how we organise ourselves in the best way to serve our customers in the years to come.  This includes radical simplification of systems, structures, and processes on a huge scale. Together with our application of AI and technology, we are on a path to creating the UK’s best telco, reimagining the customer experience and relationship with one of this country’s biggest infrastructure companies.  
 
Change on the scale we will all experience in the coming years is unprecedented.  BT Group is committed to being the driving force behind improving connectivity for millions and there has never been a more exciting time to join a company and leadership team with the skills, experience, creativity, and passion to take this company into a new era.

A FEW POINTS TO NOTE:

Although these roles are listed as full-time, if you’re a job share partnership, work reduced hours, or any other way of working flexibly, please still get in touch.

We will also offer reasonable adjustments for the selection process if required, so please do not hesitate to inform us.

DON'T MEET EVERY SINGLE REQUIREMENT?

Studies have shown that women and people who are disabled, LGBTQ+, neurodiverse or from ethnic minority backgrounds are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification and criteria. We're committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace where everyone can be their best, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every requirement on the Job Description, please apply anyway - you may just be the right candidate for this or other roles in our wider team.