Company Description

Work with Us. Change the World.

At AECOM, we're delivering a better world. Whether improving your commute, keeping the lights on, providing access to clean water, or transforming skylines, our work helps people and communities thrive. We are the world's trusted infrastructure consulting firm, partnering with clients to solve the world’s most complex challenges and build legacies for future generations.

There has never been a better time to be at AECOM. With accelerating infrastructure investment worldwide, our services are in great demand. We invite you to bring your bold ideas and big dreams and become part of a global team of over 50,000 planners, designers, engineers, scientists, digital innovators, program and construction managers and other professionals delivering projects that create a positive and tangible impact around the world.

We're one global team driven by our common purpose to deliver a better world. Join us.

Job Description

SME Strategy Overview

AECOM recognizes the important role small, diverse businesses play in our economy and believes in contributing to the communities in which we work. In FY23, we worked with 562 SMEs (11% increase from FY22), 51.5% of the subconsultants we worked with were SMEs and 50% of our total subconsultant spend was via SMEs (a 45% increase from FY22). We believe that small and diverse businesses bring innovation and expertise that assist AECOM in supporting our customers and their missions and continuously seeks to identify new small and diverse firms to support our work across our markets.

Building on our global reputation as an industry leader in the support of small and diverse firms, our vision is to be at the vanguard of SME partnership best practice here in the UK and Ireland. To do this, we continue to evolve our SME initiative, led by our SME Strategy Manager. Our focus is ensuring that we are creating strong, collaborative, long term partnerships with the SMEs we work with and that we are doing what we can to support SMEs within our supply chain.

Our SME Strategy Principles

Improve SMEs experience working with AECOM – understanding and addressing SME challenges.Support our internal teams in effectively engaging with and managing relationships with SMEs - ensure we have up to date guidance, resources, and tools available to project teams.Utilise SMEs to maximize value, quality, growth and innovation for AECOM and our clients, and deliver successful project outcomes - aligning our work with key clients SME strategies and resourcing needs.Embed ESG and values-based procurement into our SME approach - aligning SME activities to our Social Value Strategy & VBP objectives.

Role Overview

As SME Strategy Manager, you will be responsible for maintaining and executing our SME strategic vision. You will work closely with senior management, key stakeholders, and external partners to ensure continuity in key projects. Your role will be central to sustaining momentum in ongoing initiatives, refining our SME engagement strategy, and ensuring the procurement processes are optimized to support SMEs.

Responsibilities include:

Understand the importance of SMEs to AECOM, our local communities and our clients, along with the key challenges SMEs face and how we can support in overcoming them.Understand how SMEs fit into our wider ESG & Social Value StrategyLead and manage the execution of our SME strategy, ensuring that key strategic initiatives are delivered on time, within scope, and aligned with company goals.Update SME database with FY25 dataIdentify and pursue new opportunities for growth and partnership with SMEsWork with the wider teams (e.g. Work Winning, CAM, Procurement and Business Lines) to identify SME Work and review and adapt current processes to enhance the organization’s ability to engage with SMEs effectivelyAct as the primary point of contact for key internal and external stakeholders, including SME clients, partners, and suppliers.Build and maintain strong relationships with SMEs, industry bodies, and regulatory authorities to advocate for SME-friendly practices.Keep the SME Hub, Playbook and Database up to date.

QualificationsBachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, or a related field.Minimum of 3 years of experience in strategy, procurement, supplier diversity, or SME engagement, preferably in the infrastructure, engineering, or construction industry.Demonstrated experience leading and managing complex projects or strategic initiatives with multiple stakeholders.Proven ability to develop and execute strategies aligned with organizational goals.Strong understanding of ESG principles and Social Value strategies, particularly as they relate to SMEs.Excellent communication, interpersonal, and negotiation skills, with the ability to build relationships at all levels.Strong analytical skills, with the ability to assess data, generate insights, and make data-driven decisions.Proficiency in project management tools and Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint.Knowledge of procurement practices and regulatory frameworks related to SMEs.

Preferred Qualifications

Advanced degree (e.g., MBA) or relevant certifications (e.g., CIPS, PMP).Previous experience working with or within small and medium enterprises.Familiarity with UK and Ireland SME regulatory frameworks and initiatives.Experience in embedding ESG and values-based procurement into supply chain strategies.Strong track record of delivering measurable results in SME engagement or similar initiatives.Knowledge of CRM systems and data management tools, with experience updating and maintaining large databases.Awareness of the challenges faced by SMEs in the infrastructure sector and innovative approaches to address these challenges.Active participation or leadership in industry bodies or professional networks supporting SMEs or supplier diversity.

Additional Information

About AECOM

AECOM is the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, delivering professional services throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. On projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, new energy and the environment, our public- and private-sector clients trust us to solve their most complex challenges. Our teams are driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world through our unrivaled technical and digital expertise, a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to environmental, social and governance priorities. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm and its Professional Services business had revenue of $14.4 billion in fiscal year 2023. See how we are delivering sustainable legacies for generations to come at aecom.com and @AECOM.

Freedom to Grow in a World of Opportunity 

You will have the flexibility you need to do your best work with hybrid work options. Whether you’re working from an AECOM office, remote location or at a client site, you will be working in a dynamic environment where your integrity, entrepreneurial spirit and pioneering mindset are championed.

You will help us foster a safe and respectful workplace, where we invite everyone to bring their whole selves to work using their unique talents, backgrounds and expertise to create transformational outcomes for our clients.

AECOM provides a wide array of compensation, benefits and well-being programs to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families. We’re the world’s trusted global infrastructure firm, and we’re in this together – your growth and success are ours too.

Join us, and you’ll get all the benefits of being a part of a global, publicly traded firm – access to industry-leading technology and thinking and transformational work with big impact and work flexibility. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person’s potential, and we’ll help you reach yours. We are a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to applicants who have a disability or long-term condition, who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role. Please let us know using this email address [email protected]  if you would like to apply through the Disability Confident Interview Scheme.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.