Senior Strategic Procurement Manager

Here at Royal London, we are seeking to hire a Senior Strategic Procurement Manager responsible for leading a procurement category and team to deliver the fullest commercial and operational value to Royal London.

About the role

This role is responsible for leading a procurement category and team to deliver optimal commercial and operational value to Royal London. Utilising a Category Management approach, you will identify strategic opportunities to reduce costs services, mitigate risks, and improve performance. Acting as a trusted procurement business partner, you will identify opportunities for innovation and the application of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, automation, and cloud computing to enhance business and operational performance. The role will also drive Group Procurement’s sustainable procurement agenda forward, achieving environmental and social impact targets through responsible sourcing and management of third-party contracts. Additionally, this position will engage directly with a diverse array of internal and external stakeholders, ensuring that Procurement delivers innovation, value, strategic thinking, and customer-focused solutions that are aligned with Royal London’s Purpose and strategic outcomes. You will support the Head of Procurement in formulating the strategy, fostering engagement, and cultivating the team's culture. This will involve working closely with team members to foster a collaborative and results-driven environment. By promoting best practices and ensuring the team is aligned with overall business objectives, you will help drive the procurement function to achieve its goals and enhance its performance. You will play a key role in mentoring and coaching team members, ensuring they have the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in their roles. Regularly reviewing and updating the team's processes and systems will be part of your responsibilities, ensuring they remain efficient and effective in meeting the needs of Royal London.

About you

• Commercially astute, able to develop business cases and be a strong negotiator.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, able to engage effectively with a range of audiences and maintain lasting relationships (internal and external).
• Proven leadership and coaching skills, able to deputise for the Head of Procurement – UK and Ireland.
• Good analytical skills – a strong attention to detail and capability to see, assess and mitigate commercial risks.
• The ability to see projects in their holistic entirety.
• Strong planning and organisational skills, able to manage a variety of complex projects simultaneously.
• Clear thinker, with proven commercial acumen and strategic focus.
• Represent the team in a wholly professional and ethical manner.
• Sets a distinct and consistent tone from the top, champions effective risk consideration and management, works with all areas of the group in an open and collaborative way.

About Royal London

We’re the UK’s largest mutual life, pensions and investment company, offering protection, long-term savings and asset management products and services. Our People Promise to our colleagues is that we will all work somewhere inclusive, responsible, enjoyable and fulfilling. This is underpinned by our Spirit of Royal London values; Empowered, Trustworthy, Collaborate, Achieve. We’ve always been proud to reward employees by offering great workplace benefits such as 28 days annual leave in addition to bank holidays, an up to 14% employer matching pension scheme and private medical insurance.

Inclusion, diversity and belonging

We’re an Inclusive employer. We celebrate and value different backgrounds and cultures across Royal London. Our diverse people and perspectives give us a range of skills which are recognised and respected – whatever their background.