Corporate Planning & Management, Global Procurement (Strategic Sourcing), Associate, Birmingham

The Corporate Planning & Management (CPM) Division unifies Finance & Planning, Spend Management, Operational Risk and Resilience, and CPM Engineering teams to deliver business planning and analytics, expense management, third party risk management, and governance strategies across the firm. CPM has 5 operating pillars.

Finance & Planning supports the execution of the firm's strategic objectives through the management of the planning process, firmwide reporting and analytics and insights into the firm's business plans and budgets. They develop a consistent framework for revenue division projections creating transparency, accountability and efficiency around projections. This pillar also includes the CF&O, EO and Engineering divisional CFOs, who are strategic finance advisors helping the firm and the non-revenue divisions achieve commercial financial opportunities.

Global Procurement strategically enables the firm's engagement with third parties, ensuring robust commercial and compliance controls while driving sustainability. It optimizes value, fosters innovation, and mitigates risks across the end-to-end supply chain for services and non-compensation spend. Departments include Strategic Sourcing, Third Party Risk Management, Procure to Pay, Integrated Travel and Expense and Sustainable Operations.

Product & Reporting manages end-to-end product lifecycle and reporting capabilities for vendor-supplied and internally developed solutions. We empower CPM stakeholders with intuitive tools and actionable insights while ensuring solutions meet business needs and regulatory demands. The CPM Engineering team provides engineering solutions that enable the firm to manage third-party spend, data and automation, plan budgets, forecast financial scenarios, allocate expenses and support corporate decision making in-line with the firm's strategic objectives.

CPM Management team includes senior leadership and teams that provide strategic oversight and operational support across the division. This pillar encompasses the Chief of Staff function and Communications and User Engagement team, which oversee change management and people strategies for CPM.

Role Overview: Professionals in CPM have an analytical mindset, exhibit intellectual curiosity, and are from diverse academic backgrounds. This role sits within Global Procurement. The role requires collaboration with different functions across the firm on a regular basis, an ability to work independently, and frequent interaction with senior stakeholders. It also entails in-depth analysis and reporting for senior management, requiring diligence and a commercial mindset. The candidate is required to work closely with global counterparts and should have excellent verbal and written communication skills.

The role requires a highly motivated and commercially astute Strategic Sourcing buyer to join our Strategic Sourcing team. In an increasingly AI-enabled sourcing environment, this role is critical in driving strategic value, optimizing spend, leading negotiations with suppliers, and fostering robust supplier relationships. The successful candidate will leverage cutting-edge AI tools and data analytics to inform sourcing strategies, manage complex categories, and influence key stakeholders across the business. This position offers an excellent opportunity for a professional to grow their career in a forward-thinking and impactful procurement function. Spend categories in scope include but are not limited to both Technology Sourcing (Hardware, Software, Telecom, Cloud Services, Professional Services) and Corporate Services/Non-Tech Sourcing (Real Estate, Human Resources, Marketing, Professional Services). Role based in Birmingham with potential for travel as required.

Job responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Strategic Sourcing & Category Management: Support development and execution of category strategies aligned with organizational objectives, leveraging market insights and AI-driven analytics to identify opportunities for cost savings, value creation, and risk mitigation. Conduct in-depth spend analysis and market research, utilizing AI tools to uncover patterns, forecast demand, and inform strategic sourcing decisions. Manage the full category lifecycle, including supplier selection, RFx processes, contract negotiation and partner with business owners on the implementation, and ongoing performance management. Incorporate total cost of ownership into negotiation strategies and drive continuous improvement within assigned categories. Support compliance to the Firmwide Third Party Risk and Control Framework and associated programs. Engage with Risk Partners across the organization (e.g., compliance, legal, technology), as needed to manage risks and drive resolution of Strategic Sourcing issues.
• Stakeholder Management & Influence: Serve as a primary point of contact and strategic advisor for assigned business partners, translating business goals and risk appetite into effective sourcing strategies. Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with internal stakeholders across various departments (e.g., Finance, IT, Legal, Operations) to ensure cross-functional alignment and successful strategy execution. Facilitate cross-functional alignment and provide executive updates, gaining consensus among diverse stakeholders through clear and compelling communication. Influence decision-making and drive strategy alignment by presenting data-driven insights and recommendations to leadership.
• Commercial Acumen & Negotiation: Demonstrate strong commercial acumen, understanding cost structures, licensing models, contract terms, and financial levers to drive value-based procurement decisions. Lead and support negotiations with suppliers to secure optimal pricing, terms, and innovation while preserving long-term strategic relationships. Analyze complex procurement challenges, synthesize data, evaluate trade-offs, and develop sound, objective recommendations that balance business needs, risk and commercials. Liaise with legal teams to draft and negotiate contract terms while ensuring appropriate contract structures, pricing models, vendor incentive models, service level agreements and performance indicators are applied consistently across vendors. Monitor market dynamics, including consumer preferences, industry trends, and regulatory changes, adjusting category strategies accordingly.
• AI-Enabled Sourcing Environment: Actively leverage AI to support understanding of spend, supplier performance, risk monitoring, and contract intelligence. Utilize AI-driven insights to optimize purchasing decisions, manage risks, and enhance supplier collaboration and innovation. Embrace and adapt to new AI tools and technologies that streamline procurement processes, from demand forecasting to automated contract analysis.

Competencies:

• Functional Expertise: Understanding of strategic procurement, category management approach and procurement value proposition.
• Strategic Mindset: Ability to effectively create category strategies and influence key stakeholders on sourcing decisions. Needs to clearly understand and articulate the Procurement value proposition and demonstrate clear strategic thinking / intent. Ability to analyze complex problems, develop innovative solutions, and contribute to long-term strategic planning.
• Technical Skills: Demonstrate strong technical skills required for the role including project management, supply chain management, sourcing and procurement and financial/analytical skills.
• Drive and Motivation: Successfully handles multiple tasks, operates at pace, takes initiative to improve his/her own performance, works resiliently towards challenging goals, persisting in the face of obstacles.
• Client and Business Focus: Strong stakeholder engagement skills. Effectively handles difficult requests, builds trust, long-term relationships with clients, helps the client to identify/define needs and manages client/business expectations.
• Teamwork: Is a strong team player by collaborating with others within and across teams, encouraging other team members to participate and contribute and acknowledging others' contributions.
• Technology Adoption: Embraces and adapts to new AI tools and technologies that streamline procurement processes, from demand forecasting to automated contract analysis.

Qualifications:

Bachelors / Post Graduation; Minimum three to five years' experience in Strategic Sourcing and Category management, particularly in the indirect spend with a preference in corporate services sourcing. Experience of sourcing procure to pay tools (Ariba, Fieldglass, PMweb).