Regional Procurement Manager, Americas

About:

SailGP is racing redefined. The world’s most exciting racing on-water, SailGP was established in 2018 and is headquartered in London. The annual, global championship Races for a Better Future accelerating change in everything it does.

The fan-centric, inshore racing takes place among the sport’s top athletes in some of the most iconic waterfront destinations around the world and offers the sport’s largest monetary prize. Rival national teams battle it out in identical supercharged F50 catamarans, engineered for intense racing at electrifying speeds exceeding 60 mph/100 kph.

Summary: 

The Regional Procurement Manager is primarily responsible for implementing procurement processes and managing vendor relationships for SailGP events in their region of operation. They will also play a key role in ensuring that administrative tasks are completed to keep finance records and budget trackers aligned to activity. This role ensures compliance with SailGP’s Procurement, Finance and Legal policies are upheld whilst supporting effective supplier sourcing, contract management, process workflows and spend reporting. Acting as the primary point of contact for procurement matters across the regional events, this role is essential in driving consistency, efficiency and cost-effective outcomes through regional alignment.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Lead procurement activities across all events in region, including sourcing multiple vendors per category to ensure competitive pricing is obtained and suitable contingency plans are in place.
• Oversee end-to-end procurement processes in collaboration with SailGP departments, following the SailGP procurement process.
• Establish specifications for each item or scope, working with SailGP department leads.
• Draft, finalise, and manage all RFP/RFQ documents and procurement templates for regional events.
• Maintain and regularly update the Gatekeeper (GK) system so that key information such as process stage, vendor/PO/Contract status, risks and deliverables are available for stakeholders to view for all scopes.
• Ensure all contracts, insurance and compliance documents are collected, reviewed and approved before supplier works begin (via the GK system).
• Act as quality control lead for all procurement documentation and workflows.

Additional Support Tasks

Finance & Budget Management

• Provide support and guidance around the P2P process ensuring budgets and costs remained aligned.
• Provide consultative support to the SailGP stakeholder group in terms of vendor selection, highlighting financial risks and opportunities so informed selections can be made.
• Ensure compliance with SailGP’s financial policies and procedures, including approvals and documentation requirements via the GK system.
• Ensure the necessary stakeholders have access to the GK reports and project status updates so they can be aware of spend data and payment schedules. 
• Provide assistance to local event teams and suppliers with finance-related queries and issues during onsite delivery, including troubleshooting payment or documentation delays.

Process Ownership & Integration

• Ensure the Gatekeeper system is used for all procurement and finance processes across all UK/ME events.
• Ensure roles and responsibilities between local and global teams are clearly defined and communicated.
• Drive alignment between event teams and SailGP Global to support accurate and on-time budget management and supplier onboarding.
• Coordinate with Legal and other relevant functions to ensure all supplier documentation meets SailGP standards.
• Support post-event reconciliation and reporting, providing learnings and insights for future events.

Key requirements: 

• Champion an inclusive environment where diversity is valued
• Advocate and promote SailGP Values and contribute to a positive culture
• Operate with a financially responsible mindset and strive for the commercial sustainability of SailGP
• Consider how each team action contributes to Better Sport, Better Planet

Qualifications & Experience: 

• 5+ years experience in Event/FMCG procurement, Supply chain or vendor management, ideally across multiple markets or events.
• Strong understanding of procurement best practices, budgeting processes and contract administration.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with proven ability to coordinate across local and global teams.
• Strong negotiation skills and resilience is of vital importance. 
• Detail-oriented and process-driven with strong organisational skills and follow-through.
• High level of proficiency in Excel, budget tools and project tracking platforms.
• Strong communication skills and ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced event environment.
• Familiarity with large-scale event delivery and supplier ecosystems is highly desirable.

Location:

This is a hybrid role requiring 3 days per week in our New York City office.

SailGP is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace committed to building a team culture that celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion.