IT Category Manager (VN2741) in London

About Marex Marex Group plc (NASDAQ: MRX) is a diversified global financial services platform providing essential liquidity, market access and infrastructure services to clients across energy, commodities and financial markets. The group provides comprehensive breadth and depth of coverage across four core services: clearing, agency and execution, market making, and hedging and investment solutions. It has a leading franchise in many major metals, energy and agricultural products, with access to 60 exchanges. The group provides access to the world’s major commodity markets, covering a broad range of clients that include some of the largest commodity producers, consumers and traders, banks, hedge funds and asset managers. With more than 40 offices worldwide, the group has over 2,300 employees across Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Marex has a Supplier Management function which is responsible for providing a robust and efficient governance framework to help mitigate supplier risk and deliver value throughout the supplier lifecycle. The Supplier Management team continues to build out a team of highly skilled risk and procurement professionals to support the firm in meeting its strategic objectives. We are seeking an individual to lead the IT spend category where there is an opportunity for the successful candidate to deliver tangible value through the delivery of cost savings, process efficiencies and thought leadership. The key areas of IT spend will primarily be focused on cloud infrastructure, hardware, software, telecoms and IT consulting across a global spend footprint. You will be involved in both complex and large-scale transformation projects across global business areas, as well as BAU renewals to ensure operational efficiencies are realised from a commercial perspective.

The IT Category Manager role reports into the Head of Supplier Management and will be responsible for ownership of the IT category from a procurement perspective. In this role you will work very closely with the Technology team providing them with the necessary help, support and advice to ensure the firm is taking a cohesive approach to IT procurement and cost management across a global footprint. In addition, the role will entail the need to provide support for some wider procurement group initiatives and stakeholders as required.

• Opportunity Assessment: Optimize procurement opportunities by seeking to develop a detailed strategy for each IT sub-category spend area. Identify key third-party spend across the Technology area, build an ongoing roadmap of pipeline of activities ensuring contract renewals are appropriately managed and identifying further opportunities for continuous improvement and value creation.
• Vendor Engagement & Management: Build an up-to-date list of active Technology vendors, maintain strong relationships with key Technology vendors providing support on regular vendor QBR’s and performance reviews. Assist in inputting into new commercially advantageous vendor arrangements/solutions.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Management: Build a comprehensive stakeholder map and create and maintain strong relationships with all business stakeholders. Keep key stakeholders and suppliers regularly updated with progress and ensure all parties are on-track with any of their deliverables. Support the Technology Supplier Management process and be a focal participant in regular working groups such as Cloud Outsourcing. Provide support in identifying accurate Technology cost allocations are advised to the Contracts Management team.
• Solution Delivery: Working closely with key stakeholders you will be involved in the end-to-end sourcing activities, which will include helping to define the business requirements, providing market analysis, launching new competitive sourcing events supporting the quotation/tender process, negotiating supplier rate-cards on preferential rates, track savings and implementing procedures to consolidate supplier spend and mitigate risk.
• Process Alignment & Optimization: Identify ongoing opportunities to improve current commercial processes and procedures working with cross functional teams. Ensure any changes meet the firms overarching internal policies and standards whilst being flexible and adaptable.
• Thought Leadership: Provide thought leadership and strategic insights to key stakeholders on market and technological developments. In addition, provide appropriate benchmarking data and metrics that may be beneficial to key stakeholders.

• Essential: Proven experience in managing a procurement category within a global firm, ideally for a minimum period of 3 years with a focus on the IT category area. Demonstrable track record of delivering significant firm value from identification of opportunities through to successful execution. Proven ability to build strong stakeholder relationships across a range of different business teams, be able to successfully influence in a collaborative manner. Possess strong project management skills with a background in delivering clear updates, ability to continuously chart and report on progress through to the successful outcome of all key initiatives. Must have the ability to come up with logical and flexible solutions that are fit for purpose and meet the firm’s requirements. Capable of working pro-actively and independently to identify areas of improvement, as well as supporting the efficient execution of activities to support the day-to-day oversight of IT spend.
• Desirable: Previous experience within a Financial Services organization. Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (MCIPS). Understanding of cloud service provider cost modelling and cost optimization opportunities.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Be comfortable in engaging with senior stakeholders across the firm.
• A collaborative team player, approachable, self-efficient and influences a positive work environment.
• Demonstrates curiosity.
• Resilient in a challenging, fast-paced environment.
• Ability to take a high level of responsibility in a fast pace and high-volume environment.
• Excels at building relationships, networking and influencing others.
• Focused and diligent. Attention to detail always.
• Takes an analytical approach to data management and reporting.

If you’re forging a career in this area and are looking for your next step, get in touch! Marex is fully committed to being an inclusive employer and providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process for all. We will provide reasonable adjustments to remove any disadvantage to you being considered for this role. We value the differences that a diverse workforce brings to the company. We welcome applications from candidates returning to the workforce. Also, Marex is committed to avoiding circumstances in which the appearance or possibility of conflicts of interest may exist within the hiring process. If you would like to receive any information in a different way or would like us to do anything differently to help you, please include it in your application.