The EPO's Principal Directorate (PD) Procurement and Vendor Management plays a key role in the long-term financial sustainability of our organisation by ensuring value-for-money spending on services and products and effective procurement operations.

We partner effectively with our internal and external stakeholders through teams focused on critical market categories. Our roadmap and business plan outline how we aim to create a sustainable vendor management function by achieving service and operational excellence, enhancing financial sustainability and optimising risk management. Building strong, collaborative relationships within a diverse and competitive vendor network is vital to our success.

To support our transition towards sustainability, we are looking for a talented and motivated candidate to join us in the position of Vendor Management Liaison. This role will focus on enhancing the link between the vendor management, procurement planning and tendering, and purchasing teams to ensure more efficient and effective collaboration, while also supporting change management activities targeting our internal stakeholders and suppliers.
 

With us you will:

• facilitate communication and maintain open lines of dialogue with vendors, as well as identify and mitigate potential risks at an early stage
• increase supplier diversity and competition within the vendor network
• assess and evaluate suppliers by implementing performance reviews to ensure contract compliance and deploy a professional approach to supplier relationship management
• improve performance measurement processes and manage KPIs
• monitor the efficiency of the procurement service levels and promote the use of standard e-procurement tools and processes, optimising processes whenever possible
• support change management activities targeting internal stakeholders and suppliers, acting as a change agent for the Procurement and Vendor Management roadmap and representing the PD in meetings with EPO bodies
• ensure and actively promote cross-team communication and collaboration with purchasing and vendor management procurement teams, ensuring vendor activities are aligned
   

Apply if you have:

• knowledge and sound understanding of procurement and contract management processes
• a proven track record of successful vendor relationship management
• strong stakeholder management and negotiation skills
• significant experience in and knowledge of supplier performance management and supplier analysis
• expertise in executing tender procedures
• project management and implementation experience
• the capacity to assess business needs and translate them into procurement sourcing strategies
• market understanding in one or more of the main indirect procurement categories (information technology, buildings and facility management, professional services)
• a sound understanding of procurement-related risk management
• experience of performing commercial offer evaluation

Our minimum requirements for this post

• Diploma of completed studies at master's level or – in exceptional cases – equivalent professional experience
• Generally, an excellent knowledge (at least C1) of one official language (English, French and German) and ability to understand the other two; alternatively, excellent knowledge (at least C1) of at least one official language (in such cases, the willingness to learn the missing language(s) and to reach level B2 within a set time frame would be required)
• Citizenship of one of the member states of the European Patent Organisation

Process

Candidates are kindly asked to upload an updated CV and outline their motivation in the designated application field (character limit 4000). If so wished, the motivation letter can also be uploaded as a Word or pdf attachment under "Application document" in SuccessFactors. In this case, please indicate in the designated field "Please refer to attached motivation letter".

The successful candidate will be selected on the basis of qualifications, competencies, professional experience and language knowledge, supplemented as appropriate by interviews, tests and/or a personality questionnaire.

A reserve list may be constituted, should more candidates than required at this time be considered suitable following the selection procedure. Such reserve lists are valid for 18 months and reserve list candidates may be contacted, should a vacancy with substantially the same profile arise during that period.

More information on how we recruit can be found on our EPO jobs and careers site.

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Key information

Job group: 4

Grade: G7 to G10 (net (basic) monthly salary* for this vacancy: EUR 5 901 to 9 620, (depending on experience and location) 

Duration of appointment: Five years, with the possibility of extension

Career path: Technical 

Location: Office-wide 

Application deadline: 25.02.2025

Interviews planned for: between 10.03.2025 and 14.03.2025

* after deduction of EPO-internal tax and before deduction of staff contributions to the social security and pension schemes.