Procurement and Contract Specialist (12 month FTC) in Newcastle upon Tyne

We’re Norton Rose Fulbright - a global law firm with over 50 offices and 7,000 employees worldwide. We provide the world’s preeminent corporations and financial institutions with a full business law service. At Norton Rose Fulbright, our strategy and our culture are closely entwined. We know that our expansion will mean little unless it is underpinned by truly global collaboration and we understand that pioneering work only takes place when our people have room to move and think beyond boundaries.

The Procurement & Contracts Specialist will play a key role in managing the full commercial lifecycle across new and existing supplier engagements. This includes running competitive tenders, negotiating commercial terms, reviewing, and marking up contracts, and overseeing supplier performance. The role requires a high level of commercial acumen, strong stakeholder‑management skills, and the ability to operate with confidentiality and professionalism when liaising with both internal teams and external suppliers. This role is a 12‑month fixed‑term contract.

• Procurement & Tender Management: Lead end‑to‑end tender processes (RFI, RFP, RFQ), including scoping requirements, evaluating responses, and supporting final recommendation. Conduct market analysis to identify suitable suppliers and benchmark pricing. Ensure all tender activity aligns with internal policies, compliance standards, and governance frameworks.
• Supplier Negotiations: Negotiate directly with suppliers for both renewals and new service engagements. Drive commercially competitive outcomes while managing risk and ensuring value for money. Prepare negotiation strategies and consolidate feedback from internal stakeholders.
• Contract Management: Review, mark up, and provide commentary on contract terms, including MSAs, SOWs, renewals, and licensing agreements. Work closely with legal teams to align commercial and legal positions. Ensure all contractual documentation is accurate, current, and maintained in accordance with internal processes.
• Supplier Relationship Management: Act as the primary point of contact for supplier queries, performance management, and issue resolution. Monitor and track supplier KPIs, SLAs, and commercial commitments. Escalate risks or performance concerns where required.
• Stakeholder Management: Liaise confidentially and effectively with internal stakeholders across multiple regions and business units. Provide commercial guidance, market insight, and procurement expertise to support decision‑making. Build strong relationships while maintaining independence and objectivity in commercial assessments.

• Essential Skills: Strong negotiation skills with a proven ability to secure favourable commercial outcomes. Ability to review, analyse, and mark up contracts with an understanding of key commercial and contractual risks. Excellent supplier‑management capabilities, including managing escalations professionally. Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret data and present clear commercial recommendations. Effective problem‑solving skills with the ability to work through complex commercial challenges. High level of professionalism and confidentiality when handling supplier and internal stakeholder information. Strong communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Preferred Experience: Experience in procurement within a professional services, technology, or legal environment. Familiarity with procurement tools, tender platforms, or contract‑management systems. Exposure to multi‑region procurement activity (EMEA/APAC/AUS) is beneficial.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: To attract the best people, we strive to create a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone can bring their whole selves to work, have a sense of belonging, and realize their full career potential. Our new enabled work model allows our people to have more flexibility in the way they choose to work from both the office and a remote location, while continuing to deliver the highest standards of service. We offer a range of family friendly and inclusive employment policies and provide access to programmes and services aimed at nurturing our people’s health and overall wellbeing. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams. We strive to create an inclusive and accessible recruitment process for all candidates. If you require any tailored adjustments or accommodations, please let us know.