Supplier Relationship Manager – Marketing (UK & Europe) Responsible to: Senior Procurement Manager – Marketing - UK & Europe Department: Finance Location: JD Sports Fashion plc, Bury Head Office Group Overview: Join the Global Leader in Sports Fashion and Outdoors! Ready to make your mark with a company that defines the future of retail? The JD Group is more than a retailer—we're a global phenomenon. From our humble start with a single store in Northwest England in 1981, we've exploded into a leading omni-channel powerhouse in Sports Fashion, Outdoors, and Gyms. You'll be joining a company with an undeniable trajectory: Global Reach: Our colleagues’ power multiple iconic retail brands in stores across markets around the world. Elite Status: Listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1996, the JD Group has been a FTSE 100 publicly quoted company since 2019 and continues to achieve massive growth both in the UK and internationally. We are committed to becoming the leading global omni-channel retailer in the sports and outdoor industry. To achieve this bold vision, we need talented individuals who are driven to embody our core strategic goals: People-Led: Invest in and empower the best talent. Innovative & Customer-Focused: Drive excellence by always looking for the next big thing and putting the customer first. Operational Excellence: Maintain the high standards that define our success. Strategic Growth: Constantly identify and unlock new areas for global expansion. If you have the desire, drive, and ambition to help us achieve these goals every day, your future is here. Come be a vital part of a successful, dynamic, and ever-expanding company where your work has a global impact! Role Background: This is an excellent opportunity for a Supplier Relationship Manager to support the Marketing Procurement function across the UK & Europe. The role is designed for someone with growing procurement and supplier relationship experience who is ready to step into a more skilled, commercially engaged position within Marketing categories. As a Supplier Relationship Manager, you will operate as a trusted commercial partner to Marketing teams, ensuring JD extracts maximum value, performance, and efficiency across key Marketing spend areas. You will work across creative, media, production, digital marketing, events, influencers, sponsorships, retail marketing. The role is based between two sites; at JD Head Office in Bury and our City Centre office, and may require occasional travel to suppliers, agencies, events, shoots or partner sites across the UK & Europe. You will leverage your expertise across three key areas: ü Commercial and Sourcing Support Supporting sourcing events, managing competitive processes, analysing costs, evaluating agency proposals, and helping develop category strategies. ü Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) Playing a central role in the ongoing management of agency relationships, monitoring performance, maintaining KPIs, supporting supplier reviews, and ensuring strong commercial governance. ü Procurement Operations & Governance Ensuring high standards of compliance, contract management, PO process accuracy, financial tracking and good procurement discipline across all Marketing teams. Responsibilities: This is an exciting opportunity to support and deliver the Group Procurement strategy. We are seeking an individual with a passion and enthusiasm for procurement, who can act as a commercial lead for procurement and contract activities. The successful candidate will ensure that all negotiation and contracting work aligns with Group and sector best practices while driving value, mitigating risk, and enabling sustainable business growth. 1. Stakeholder & Relationship Management § Act as a point of contact for day‑to‑day procurement enquiries from Marketing teams. § Support Marketing stakeholders in shaping briefs, requirements and scopes of work. § Help communicate procurement principles, processes and timelines to non‑procurement colleagues. § Build positive, collaborative relationships with Brand, Creative, Retail Marketing, Digital, CRM, Finance and Legal teams. 2. Strategic Sourcing & Planning · Support RFPs, pitch processes and supplier selection activities across Marketing categories. · Conduct pricing comparisons, benchmarking and commercial evaluations. · Maintain documentation including supplier lists, rate cards, contract logs and category files. · Ensure scopes, deliverables and service requirements are captured clearly and accurately. · Carry out market research on agency capabilities, emerging marketing services and industry trends. 3. Supplier Relationship Management · Play a key role in the day‑to‑day management of Marketing suppliers and agency partners. · Support quarterly business reviews, performance discussions and KPI tracking. · Monitor agency service levels, ensuring deliverables, timelines and budgets remain on track. · Assist in resolving supplier issues, escalations or under‑performance scenarios. · Maintain SRM dashboards, supplier documentation and commercial compliance records. · Support the Procurement Manager in embedding best‑practice relationship governance across the agency roster. · Promote continuous improvement by identifying areas where suppliers can deliver better value, innovation or efficiency. 4. Compliance, Risk & ESG · Ensure procurement policy and governance procedures are followed consistently. · Support contract administration, storage and version control across agencies. · Assist with due diligence checks, risk assessments and onboarding documentation. · Help embed sustainability considerations into Marketing procurement (e.g., sustainable production, low‑impact events, responsible media). · Assist with maintaining auditability and financial controls across Marketing spend. Key Relationships: · Marketing, Creative, Digital, Retail Marketing, Technology, Finance, Legal. · UK and International colleagues and external suppliers (noting that travel may be a requirement when necessary). Skills/Experience/Knowledge required: · 1–2 years’ experience in procurement, commercial operations or marketing support roles. · Strong organisational skills with ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously. · Excellent communication skills with confidence engaging internal teams and suppliers. · Strong analytical ability, comfortable working with data, budgets, rate cards and commercial comparisons. · Good stakeholder management skills, with a collaborative and professional approach. · Demonstrated experience supporting supplier relationships or agency interactions. · Familiarity with procurement processes such as RFPs, commercial evaluation or contract admin. The Successful Applicant • 1-2 years’ experience in marketing, marketing procurement or supplier relationship management, with a real passion for driving value and performance across key categories. • Experience working with Marketing teams or Marketing service categories. • Knowledge of agency fee structures, rate cards and scope‑of‑work documents. • Experience with contract management tools, purchase order systems or procurement platforms. • Ability to identify issues early and escalate appropriately with solution‑focused thinking. • Strong attention to detail and a proactive approach to improving processes.