Category Lead - Software (FTC 14 mths) in London

Lead the procurement spend across a range of software and related services. Manage a range of software suppliers including niche providers. Work across a complex organisation of multiple operating companies, ensuring the delivery of effective, robust and compliant procurement that delivers the business plan while maximising the Group’s buying power.

Lead procurement strategic activities, including category planning, sourcing, risk management and act as a single point of contact for senior stakeholders. Delivery of big strategic procurement programmes end to end.

Your responsibilities

• Responsibility for developing and implementing a 3-5 year category plan for the given sub-category.
• Responsibility for developing and implementing local and global sourcing strategies for all external spend related activity.
• Management of stakeholder relationships in all operating companies, ensuring appropriately robust challenge while delivering the operating companies’ business plans.
• Manage supplier risk to protect the operating companies and the Group from financial, operational and reputational damage.
• Provide commercial innovation to internal stakeholders through interaction with the supply base.
• Work with internal stakeholders and external suppliers to resolve commercial and contractual disputes; in particular suppliers with high complexity and/or high spend.
• Support operating companies tier 1 (high strategic/high risk/high spend) projects. Work with strategic suppliers to grow and develop supplier markets.
• Through liaison with the Procurement Operations Centre and operating company stakeholders, ensure supplier performance management is robust, effective and compliant.
• Work alongside business areas to identify, challenge, harmonise and simplify specifications and processes across the operating companies to ensure that Group buying power is maximised.
• Ensure that all procurement activity is carried out in line with Group and operating company governance principles.
• Develop effective working relations with key interfaces across the Group and operating companies including line, finance, legal and other stakeholders.
• Take active role in cross-departmental strategic and leadership activities.

Your skills, experience and qualifications

• Degree and/or ability to demonstrate strong knowledge of working in IT Procurement, preferably with Software.
• Strong demonstrable commercial expertise including contract negotiation and dispute resolutions.
• Strong aptitude and knowledge across full commodity lifecycle and awareness of market trends and suppliers.
• Strong business and financial acumen with the ability to evaluate, analyse and solve problems.
• Ability to influence, align diverse views and gain consensus, providing clarity and direction on what is to be achieved and break down barriers that get in the way of effective team working.
• Ability to prioritise, maintain clear focus and provide direction in constant ambiguity and change, using knowledge, judgment, resilience and courage to resolve conflicting priorities and manage crises.
• Ability to operate effectively in an environment with tight deadlines, finite resource and uncertainty.
• Senior level experience of partnering with Senior Leaders and Executives in a fast moving and agile business environment.
• Senior level experience in Procurement gathered in a complex global organisation.
• Experience of working in an environment of change involving people, process, policy and technology.
• Experience managing teams for success across multiple countries and cultures.
• Willingness to travel and work in a multi-site/location environment.