Procurement Manager (12 Month FTC)

ITN is one of the UK’s leading independent content production companies, trusted for over 70 years to tell the world’s most important stories. From BAFTA- and Emmy-winning journalism and impactful factual content to creative entertainment and branded storytelling, ITN brings truth and innovation to every platform. Making over 70 hours of live programmes a week and reaching 1 billion digital views a month, we are a content powerhouse that has an ambition to keep growing, with audiences across the UK and around the world.

Our people are at the heart of our success. With a reputation built on integrity and creativity, ITN continues to evolve with an ambitious growth strategy — investing in new technology, premium content, and future talent. We’re proud to foster an inclusive, collaborative culture where everyone can thrive and help shape the next chapter of ITN’s story. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer where everyone’s contribution matters. We’re committed to building a culture that reflects the audiences we serve — one where people feel included, supported, and inspired to do their best work.

How We Work

At ITN, how we work is as important as what we do. Our values describe what you can expect when you work here — and what ITN expects of you.

• Ambition – We set bold goals, take ownership, and keep learning. We look for new opportunities and better ways to make an impact.
• Courage – We speak up with honesty and respect, challenge ideas constructively, and value open, direct communication.
• Team – We collaborate, celebrate others’ successes, and make sure every voice is heard. We put the team’s success first.

We also recognise the importance of balance and wellbeing, so we welcome flexible working, part-time roles and job shares across all areas of ITN.

The Role

ITN is establishing a dedicated procurement function for the first time. The Procurement Manager is the operational engine of that function - running day-to-day sourcing, supplier and contract management across all categories, and delivering measurable commercial savings.

The post-holder must be able to run sourcing activity and hold supplier relationships independently within a clear delegated authority - not simply execute instructions. This is a hands-on, build-it-from-the-ground-up role with real commercial ownership and visible impact from day one.

Key Responsibilities:

• Run end-to-end sourcing - RFQs and formal RFPs - against agreed specifications, in line with the ITN Procurement Policy thresholds.
• Lead supplier negotiations on price, terms and service levels, securing value for money and total-cost-of-ownership outcomes.
• Manage evaluation panels and document award rationale so every material decision is auditable.
• Own and maintain the Approved Supplier List and the contract register.
• Run supplier onboarding and due diligence (Companies House, insurance, modern slavery, GDPR/DPA, sanctions/PEP screening) proportionate to value and risk.
• Manage renewals and notice dates through the pre-renewal review process, ensuring no contract auto-renews by default.
• Monitor supplier performance against SLAs and resolve performance and commercial issues.
• Identify and deliver cash and cost-avoidance savings across categories (Travel, News Gathering & Content, Tech/SaaS, Facilities, Production, Professional Services).
• Benchmark renewal pricing and challenge above-CPI uplifts before they are signed.
• Build and maintain spend visibility, and reduce maverick (off-policy) spend.
• Work with Finance to implement the No PO, No Payment rule and ensure the approval matrix consistently applied.
• Operate within delegated authority (to £30k), escalating above-threshold, new-supplier and multi-year/auto-renew decisions to the Head of Procurement.
• Maintain records sufficient to evidence policy compliance and support quarterly reporting to the CFO and SLT.
• Act as the day-to-day point of contact for budget holders across ITN, advising on sourcing route and commercial terms.
• Embed the new policy in practice - coaching budget holders and building procurement's credibility as a commercial enabler, not a blocker.
• Deputise for the Head of Procurement on operational matters when they are committed elsewhere.

These are the main requirements of the role and is not an exhaustive list of duties. It is intended to reflect the nature, range, and context of the work, which will change over time.

Key Requirements:

• Experience - Proven procurement experience across indirect categories, running RFQs/RFPs and managing suppliers and contracts independently. Track record of delivering measurable savings. Experience standing up or improving a procurement function. Media, broadcast or professional-services sector exposure.
• Qualifications - Full MCIPS (Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply). CIPS Chartered status. Degree in a relevant discipline.
• Commercial skills - Strong negotiation; comfort with total-cost-of-ownership analysis; confident with contract terms and able to work with Legal on non-standard paper. Experience of Tech/SaaS and multi-year subscription commercial models.
• Working style - Self-starter able to operate autonomously under a part-time manager; well organised; sound judgement on when to escalate. Comfortable in a fast-paced, news-driven environment with genuine urgency.
• Stakeholder skills - Credible with senior budget holders; able to influence without authority and make procurement easy to work with. Experience coaching non-procurement colleagues through a new policy.
• Systems - Confident with finance/PO systems and strong Excel/analysis skills. Experience implementing or improving a procurement or contract-management system.

Our people are at the heart of everything we do at ITN. It’s vital that our workforce reflects the diversity of both our audience and the wider society in the UK, so we actively seek candidates from diverse backgrounds and communities. Reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process will be offered, if required, due to a disability or health condition. We also recognise the importance of a good work life balance, so we do everything we can to accommodate flexible working, including part-time and job shares for all our roles. Please just let us know in your application, or at any stage throughout the process, if this is something you want to explore.