Supply Chain Consultant - Defence & Security

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Are you motivated by solving complex supply chain and procurement challenges in highly regulated, mission-critical industries?

Our Defence and Security team is looking for an experienced supply chain professional to help clients improve the performance, resilience and readiness of their supply chains. You may already work in Defence, or you may bring relevant experience from aerospace, nuclear, energy, oil and gas, advanced manufacturing or another complex industrial sector.

You will join our growing Defence Supply Chain team, working with public and private-sector clients in the UK and internationally. You will help clients address challenges such as strengthening supplier performance, accelerating production, improving supply chain resilience, transforming procurement and making better decisions across complex international supply networks.

This is an opportunity to apply practical industry experience to some of the most important supply chain challenges facing Defence and national security. You will combine your knowledge of supply chain, procurement or manufacturing environments with PA’s strategy, technology and transformation capabilities to help clients deliver lasting results.

We are particularly interested in candidates who have developed their careers within industrial supply chains, procurement organisations or manufacturing environments and would like to apply that experience to Defence and national security challenges.

You will have opportunity to:

• Work with Defence organisations, manufacturers and their suppliers to improve supply chain performance, resilience and readiness.

• Help clients understand and manage complex international supply chains and multi-tier supplier networks.

• Develop and implement supply chain, procurement and supplier-management strategies.

• Support clients to strengthen supplier performance, manage supply chain risk and address constraints affecting production and delivery.

• Help organisations improve planning, forecasting, sourcing, inventory, supplier collaboration and operational decision-making.

• Support production ramp-up, manufacturing scale-up and operational readiness programmes.

• Design and deliver supply chain and procurement transformation programmes, from initial analysis through to implementation.

• Use data, analytics and digital technology to improve supply chain visibility and support better decisions.

• Work with senior client stakeholders across commercial, procurement, supply chain, operations, engineering and programme teams.

• Contribute to the continued growth of PA’s Defence Supply Chain business, including developing propositions, supporting business development and sharing your expertise with colleagues.

Essential experience:

You will bring:

• Experience working within complex industrial supply chains in Defence, aerospace, nuclear, energy, oil and gas, manufacturing or similarly regulated sectors.

• Experience in supply chain, procurement, supplier management, planning, operations or a related discipline.

• Experience working with complex supplier ecosystems, international supply chains or global sourcing arrangements.

• A track record of delivering supply chain, procurement or operational improvement programmes.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving and stakeholder management skills.

• The ability to work collaboratively with clients and adapt your experience to new environments and challenges.

Desirable experience:

Experience in one or more of the following would be beneficial:

• Supply chain transformation, resilience or risk management.

• Strategic sourcing, supplier development or supplier performance improvement.

• Supply chain design, modelling or network optimisation.

• Production ramp-up, manufacturing scale-up or operational readiness programmes.

• Application of digital, data and analytics solutions within supply chain environments.

• Consulting or client-facing transformation experience.

• MCIPS, CIPS, APICS/ASCM, CILT or equivalent professional qualifications.

The type of person who will succeed in this role:

You will enjoy solving difficult problems and working with clients to turn analysis into practical change. You will be comfortable moving between strategic questions and the operational realities of suppliers, factories, programmes and international supply networks.

You do not need to have spent your whole career in Defence. We value the experience and different perspectives that candidates from adjacent industrial sectors can bring. What matters is your ability to understand complex supply chain and procurement challenges and apply your experience in a Defence environment.

We know the skill-gap and ‘somewhat need to tick every box’ can get in the way of meeting brilliant candidates, so please don’t hesitate to apply – we’d love to hear from you.

Apply today by completing our online application

Please be aware that some of our UK roles at PA Consulting require a UK security clearance.

All PA people are required to undergo background checks and to achieve the Baseline Personnel Security Standard however, some UK roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting, where applicants must have at least 5 years of continuous residency in the UK.

We therefore ask that you only apply if you meet the residency requirements (i.e. you are a British citizen or have been resident in the UK for the past 5 years), as this is the prerequisite for a security clearance. If you're unsure about your eligibility, we encourage you to review the UK Government’s guidance on security vetting before applying.

Working arrangements

We work in a hybrid way, combining time in the office, on client sites and working remotely. Our general approach is to spend a minimum of two days each week in an office or on a client site, although this will vary by role and assignment.

Some assignments may require regular travel and periods of up to five days each week at a client site.

We know that strong candidates do not always meet every requirement in a job description. If you have relevant industrial supply chain or procurement experience and are interested in applying it to Defence and national security challenges, we would like to hear from you.

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Our purpose guides how we work with our clients and our teams, and support our communities, to deliver insight and impact, solving the world’s most complex challenges. We're focused on building a workplace that values human difference and diverse mindsets, and a culture of inclusion and equality that unlocks the potential in our people so everyone can be their best self.

Find out more about Life at PA here.

We are dedicated to supporting the physical, emotional, social and financial well-being of our people. Check out some of our extensive benefits:

• Health and lifestyle perks accompanying private healthcare
• 25 days annual leave (plus a bonus half day on Christmas Eve) with the opportunity to buy 5 additional days
• Generous company pension scheme
• Opportunity to get involved with community and charity-based initiatives
• Annual performance-based bonus
• PA share ownership
• Tax efficient benefits (cycle to work, give as you earn)

We’re committed to advancing equality. We recruit, retain, reward and develop our people based solely on their abilities and contributions and without reference to their age, background, disability, genetic information, parental or family status, religion or belief, race, ethnicity, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity (or expression), political belief, veteran status, or any other range of human difference brought about by identity and experience. We welcome applications from underrepresented groups.

Adjustments or accommodations - Should you need any adjustments or accommodations to the recruitment process, at either application or interview, please contact us.

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