Key Partner Manager

The Key Partner Manager within Smiths Detection is a broad role at a senior project level for the region with project delivery responsibilities ranging from supplier interface work package delivery multiple low/medium categorised projects and major projects. As an experienced project professional the Key Partner Manager is responsible for applying delivery excellence to their assigned projects through the application of various project management methodologies. The Key Partner Manager will be accountable for the successful delivery of projects that span Commercial and/or Technology leading integrated project teams in a matrix organisation when required.  In the Key Partner Manager role specifically they will be responsible for managing business to business relationships with Key suppliers and technology partners to the Northwest Europe Market.  The role will cover hardware and/or software suppliers/partners and will manage existing equipment support alongside product development activities.  Moreover the Key Partner Manager will be responsible for ensuring Threat Image Projection (TIP) libraries are updated in accordance with regulation and requisite approvals are acquired from the Regulators approved auditor of TIP libraries.

Duties

Project Management:

• Accountable for the initiating planning monitoring & controlling communicating and close-out phases for specified supplier/partner projects which can include the completion up to and including customer site acceptance approval and cash collection.
• Lead specified projects in accordance with recognised project best practice and frameworks combined with relevant Smith Detection Programme Excellence Centre (PEC) processes.
• Ensure projects have a minimum number of artefacts (e.g. Work breakdown Structure Cost Breakdown Structure Responsibility Assignment Matrix Responsible Accountable Consulted Informed (RACI) Matrix time scheduling resource planning risk and change management controls etc) commensurate to the project categorisation.
• Embrace and act as a champion for collaboration across the regional organisation and wider global Smiths Detection business.
• Maintain an open-minded approach to achieving successful delivery of projects. Thoughtful and creative thinking will enable new approaches to solving often complex and challenging customer projects.
• Provide recommendations in prioritisation of projects with 3rd parties and ensure each projects interaction and linkage is understood and shared with partners as part of an integrated programme plan.
• External stakeholder management during project execution acting as a key customer and 3rd party escalation point.
• Ensure project teams are delivering in accordance with customer expectations robustly managing scope as per defined contractual requirements. This includes progress reporting change management risk and issues management and contract closeout.

People and Talent Management:

• Promote disciplined project management throughout the project management function.
• Effectively harness and apply the knowledge of people from all functions.
• Awareness of the different role profiles team structures and competencies required to deliver the goals and objectives of the project.
• Create inclusive and coordinated project environments to achieve project success.

Commercial:

• Assuring that best industry practise project management is employed and through customer reporting provide confidence that projects are being monitored and controlled in a professional manner.
• By delivering projects to scope the Key Partner Manager will satisfy our customer commitments provide innovative products to the marketplace and maximise shareholder return.

Policies and Procedures:

• Ensure individual and project compliance with company policies for Ethics Health Safety and Environment.
• Support business change initiatives such as the standardisation and integration of Programme Lifecycle Management Product Lifecycle Process and Technology Development Management Process into a PEC process framework for application across the global business.
• Follows a proactive approach to developing an understanding of company policies and procedures and in the first instance uses resources such as training material procedure documents and process guidelines as a go-to source.

Portfolio specific duties:

• Fulfil the role of Key Partner Manager:
  • Interface with suppliers and technology partners to ensure project deliverables are maintained to time and cost parameters.
  • Ensure Quality remains at the core of deliveries from suppliers and technology partners.  Drive RCCA resolution where required.
  • Support commercial negotiations with suppliers and key partners where directed.
• TIP Management:
  • Ensure TIP libraries are updated in accordance with the relevant regulations.
  • Liaise with the Regulators approved TIP auditors to ensure libraries are approved for release to service.
  • Engage with the Regulator alongside Smiths personnel from Portfolio Innovation and Development teams to drive the approval and adoption of IntiniTIP in the UK.

Planning and Decision Making:

• Responsibility for planning organising and executing assigned projects.
• Operate in accordance with a delegated authority making prompt decisions to resolve problems and escalating issues in a timely manner.
• Required to arrange own activities and assignments in accordance with boundaries set by line manager.

Impact and Scope: 

• This is a project leadership role with accountability for the successful delivery of multiple low/medium categorised projects and occasionally major projects.
• Failure to achieve required outputs would result in serious delays and considerable expenditure of resources.

Qualifications :

Technical Knowledge Skills and Abilities

Educational requirements:

• Internationally recognised professional qualification in project management (equivalent to IPMA level C/D) desirable.
• Degree qualification (HND minimum) in relevant discipline (Business/Project Management or Technology/Engineering) desirable.

Knowledge:

• Thorough knowledge of project management methodologies (e.g. Waterfall PRINCE2 Agile etc) gleaned from a mixture of experience exposure and training.
• Good level of understanding of planning methodologies/techniques and other aspects of project controls such as earned value management.
• Awareness of complex integrated technology-based sensor systems and the critical roles that the technology and products play in the market.
• Awareness of the main priorities of typical cross-functions and how they operate and support the delivery of major technology projects (such as R&D Legal Finance Supply Chain Service etc).  

Skills:

• Experience operating as a project manager with direct experience of engineering/technology or construction/infrastructure environments desirable. Can demonstrate experience of the complete project lifecycle and degrees of project complexity.
• Strong verbal and written communication and people management skills.
• Good problem-solving skills combined with developing experience leading integrated teams to benefit the delivery of projects.
• Experience of baseline planning and scheduling forecasting and estimating cost/schedule integration techniques.
• Exposure to resource management and integration with Integrated Business Planning.
• Experience in critical path analysis reporting risk management tracking and the completion of corrective action plans.
• Exposure to the use of estimating scheduling risk and change software tools such as: SAP Primavera Oracle ERP MS Project Pertmaster Active Risk Manager Cobra Power BI.
• Application of continuous improvement both formal and informal approaches.
• Experience of product development covering product introduction enhancement and sustaining and/or experience at managing a customer in a commercial environment.

Competence and Abilities:

• Ability to demonstrate leadership and interpersonal skills with a natural passion to deliver against commitments.
• Ability to communicate at all levels of the organisation and developing ability to adapt the level of details that is required for a particular audience.
• Ability to manage a multicultural team in a matrix environment and influence people outside of direct reporting relationships.
• Good vision attention to detail highly organised and ability to work with little instruction on day-to-day work and general instructions on new assignments.
• Ability to influence and align activities project governance particularly those related to project management.
• Play a significant role in the production and control of baselined fully logic linked cost and resource loaded plans with appropriate milestones utilising approved work breakdown structures and techniques.
• Apply change activities from proposal through to integration into the Performance Measurement Baseline.

Additional Information :

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Diversity & Inclusion:

We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds are what make a company flourish. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment regardless of race colour religion sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin economic status disability age or any other legally protected characteristics. We are proud to be an inclusive company with values grounded in equality and ethics where we celebrate support and embrace diversity.

At no time during the hiring process will Smiths Detection Smiths Group nor any of our recruitment partners ever request payment to enable participation including but not limited to interviews or testing. Avoid fraudulent requests by applying jobs directly through our careers website ( believe that different perspectives and backgrounds are what make a company flourish. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment regardless of color religion sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin economic status disability age or any other legally protected characteristics. We are proud to be an inclusive company with values grounded in equality and ethics where we celebrate support and embrace diversity.

At no time during the hiring process will Smiths Group nor any of our recruitment partners ever request payment to enable participation including but not limited to interviews or testing. Avoid fraudulent requests by applying jobs directly through our careers website (Careers - Smiths Group plc)

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time