Supplier Business Partner

Role Purpose

The Senior Supplier Business Partner is a senior individual contributor accountable for managing a complex external workforce portfolio and ensuring strong outcomes for both the business and supplier ecosystem.

The role combines business partnering, workforce solutioning, supplier performance, commercial governance and transformation advisory. The Senior SBP Partner is expected to independently lead business conversations, understand technology and R&D capability requirements, guide businesses towards appropriate externalisation models, and demonstrate readiness for the SBP Lead role.

Business Partnership & Workforce Transformation

• Act as a consultant and trusted partner to business leaders on workforce strategy, skills, capacity, supplier capability and externalisation.
• Independently attend and lead business conversations, translating business priorities into workforce and supplier interventions.
• Build strong understanding of IT/R&D skills, technology capabilities and evolving skill requirements relevant to the assigned portfolio.
• Guide businesses in moving from transactional T&M models towards ODCs, Managed Services, Managed Teams/Pods and outcome-based delivery, where appropriate.
• Challenge constructively and provide data-backed recommendations on workforce mix, supplier strategy, cost, capability and delivery risk.

Portfolio, Business & Fulfilment Performance

• Own the assigned external workforce portfolio end-to-end and ensure both business requirements and supplier commitments perform against agreed outcomes.
• Drive fulfilment performance across demand ageing, time-to-fill, quality, conversion, onboarding and workforce continuity.
• Maintain strong command of portfolio performance and proactively intervene before demand, supplier or operational issues become escalations.
• Identify upcoming workforce, skill, capacity and delivery risks and initiate preventive actions with the business and suppliers.
• Drive material issues from problem to root cause to recommendation to intervention to measurable closure.

Supplier Performance & Governance

• Own supplier performance through structured governance, scorecards, performance conversations and regular reviews.
• Hold suppliers accountable for fulfilment, quality, SLA, responsiveness, conversion, capability and committed outcomes.
• Establish recovery and corrective-action plans for underperformance and independently drive closure.
• Understand supplier strengths, specialisations and capability gaps and align the right suppliers to business requirements.
• Develop supplier relationships that deliver measurable business value, capability, performance and continuous improvement.

Commercial, Data & Operational Excellence

• Maintain oversight of POs, consumption, forecasts, provisions/accruals, commercial commitments and financial risks.
• Ensure Fieldglass and associated workforce data are accurate, complete, current and reliable for decision-making.
• Partner with Finance and Procurement on commercial governance, reconciliation, provisioning and material supplier issues.
• Maintain strong process, compliance, documentation and control discipline across the assigned portfolio.
• Demonstrate a proactive, preventive and continuous-improvement mindset.

Functional Leadership, Project Ownership & Lead Readiness

• Own and deliver at least one strategic cross-SBP project end-to-end, with a defined business problem, milestones, stakeholders and measurable outcome.
• Act as a functional anchor for other SBPs, sharing expertise, coaching colleagues and helping raise overall SBP standards.
• Lead complex cross-functional topics involving business, suppliers, Procurement, Finance, HR and operations.
• Deputise for the SBP Lead in selected business, supplier and governance conversations.
• Demonstrate Lead readiness through enterprise thinking, independent judgement, transformation orientation, proactive solutioning and ownership beyond the assigned portfolio.

Key Performance Indicators

• Business Outcomes: Stakeholder confidence, quality of workforce advice, business performance against agreed workforce outcomes and transformation progress.
• Fulfilment & Supplier Performance: Ageing, fulfilment SLA, conversion, supplier scorecard, quality and corrective-action closure.
• Transformation: Movement towards appropriate ODC, Managed Services and outcome-based models, capability improvements and value delivered.
• Operational & Commercial: Data accuracy, PO/provision discipline, compliance, risk prevention and reduction of recurring issues.
• Leadership & Project Impact: Successful delivery of one strategic project, cross-SBP contribution, business influence and demonstrated readiness to deputise for the Lead.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in HR, Business, Engineering, Procurement, Supply Chain or a related discipline.
• Typically 10–15 years' relevant experience in workforce, supplier/vendor management, procurement, staffing, service delivery or business partnering.
• Demonstrated experience independently managing a complex external workforce or supplier portfolio and senior business stakeholders.
• Good understanding of IT/R&D skills and technology workforce requirements, with the ability to learn evolving capability areas.
• Understanding of external workforce and service models including T&M, ODC, Managed Services and outcome-based delivery; SAP Fieldglass/VMS experience preferred.

Key Competencies

• Business consulting, partnering and stakeholder influence
• IT/R&D workforce understanding and externalisation solutioning
• Supplier performance, commercial acumen and negotiation
• Proactive problem prevention, continuous improvement and data-driven decision-making
• Leadership through influence, project ownership and enterprise thinking

Benefits

• Discounts for Employees
• Possible Health Benefits
• Mobile Phone for Employees
• Possible Meal-Discounts
• Company Retirement
• Hybrid Work Possible
• Possible Mobility Offers
• Events for Employees
• Coaching
• Flextime Possible
• Near-Site Childcare
• Parking
• Canteen, Café
• Good Public Transport
• Barrier-Free Workplace
• Inhouse Doctor

Contact

Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India Private Limited
Plot No. 5-P, EPIP 1st Phase
560066 Bangalore

MBRDI Recruitment E-Mail: mbrdi_recruitment@mercedes-benz.com