Vehicle Procurement – OEM Relationship Manager

Role Overview

• Own direct procurement activity across assigned various car manufacturers (OEM’s), securing supply in line with procurement plan and operational targets.
• Lead OEM negotiations, including pricing, volume commitments, lead times, and commercial terms to optimise value and maintain strong relationships.
• Manage day to day OEM relationships, acting as the main point of contact for all commercial and contractual discussions.
• Collaborate closely with the Procurement Planning team, leveraging their data, forecasting, and analysis to inform negotiation strategy and supply decisions.
• Escalate and resolve OEM issues quickly, maintaining strong communication channels between Procurement, Planning, and Operations.
• Monitor OEM performance, identifying risks, supply constraints, and opportunities for improvement.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with the dealer network, ensuring alignment between OEM supply, stock allocation, and customer delivery performance.
• Support the Procurement Director in shaping supplier strategy and contributing to key business reviews and SLT reporting.
• Collaborate with:Procurement Planning and Pricing teams for forecast accuracy, market insights, and supply data.
• Partners with Dealer Operations to ensure a seamless transition from OEM order through to customer delivery.
• Provides feedback loops to the Planning and Finance teams to maintain data accuracy and financial alignment.

Requirements

• The Ultimate Hustler: You’re relentless when it comes to finding a great deal and pushing through projects and initiatives. You have an entrepreneurial, deal-hunting mindset that means you’re always looking for an angle
• whether that’s securing better pricing, getting our hands on more stock, or negotiating perks that give us a commercial edge.
• Procurement & OEM Expertise: Proven experience in direct procurement or supply chain management, within the automotive industry or working closely with major OEMs and dealer networks is a definite bonus although not a must have
• Master Negotiator: A strong track record of leading complex commercial negotiations, managing high-stakes contracts, and securing the best possible terms (pricing, volume, and lead times) without compromising relationships.
• Data-Driven Mindset: Highly analytical and comfortable diving into numbers. You know how to take forecasts, market insights, and supply data from the Planning team and turn them into a killer purchasing strategy.
• Exceptional Relationship Builder: Brilliant communication skills at all levels
• from the CEO to the junior members of the team. Being able to adapt approach and style accordingly with the ability to act as the "strategic bridge" between external giants (manufacturers, dealers) and internal squads (Operations, Finance, Planning, and the Senior Leadership Team).
• Proactive Problem Solver: A sharp eye for spotting supply chain risks or bottlenecks before they happen, paired with the resilience and bias-for-action needed to resolve issues fast.
• Commercial Acumen: A solid understanding of finance and business strategy, ensuring your procurement plans stay perfectly aligned with our financial goals and growth targets.

Benefits

• Wondering what the salary for this role is? Just ask us! On a call with one of our recruiters it's something we always cover as we genuinely want to match your experience with the correct salary. The reason why we don't advertise is because we honestly have a degree of flexibility and would never want salary to be a reason why someone doesn't apply to Octopus
• what's more important to us is finding the right octofit!
• Octopus Energy Group is a unique culture. An organisation where people learn, decide, and build quicker. Where people work with autonomy, alongside a wide range of amazing co-owners, on projects that break new ground. We want your hard work to be rewarded with perks you actually care about! 🎁 Visit our perks hub
• Octopus Employee Benefits
• Octopus Electric Vehicles, part of the Octopus Energy Group, won the Sunday Times best company to work for in 2024. We were named 6th out of the top 100 start-ups to work for by Tempo in 2025 and on Glassdoor we were voted 50 best places to work in 2022. Our Group CEO, Greg has recorded a podcast about our culture and how we empower our people. We’ve also been placed in the top 10 companies for senior leadership
• just to let you know, we are dog friendly company so you may see our 4 legged friends in the offices
• feel free to bring yours! Rest assured though, we've taken lots of precautions for those who have allergies