Senior IT Category MAnager

Planet is a leading technology company transforming payments by putting customer experience first. We offer integrated solutions that include payment processing, VAT refunds, dynamic currency conversion, and management services for merchants in the Retail and Hospitality sectors worldwide. In recent years, we have experienced significant growth, expanding our services and global presence. With strong private equity investors, Advent International and Eurazeo, we have the financial capital and expertise to grow our capabilities and reach through acquisitions. Our mission is to create a world of connected commerce where payments are simple, secure, and seamless, enabling our partners to deliver exceptional experiences to their customers.

Role Overview: As a Senior IT Category Manager, you will be responsible for building and transforming the IT procurement category, establishing best-in-class processes, and delivering a step-change in value and performance. You will act as a strategic partner to the CTO and IT leadership teams, including Infrastructure, ITSM, Security, Applications, and Architecture, ensuring sourcing strategies align with technology roadmaps, risk posture, and business priorities. In this role, you will lead complex commercial negotiations and manage contracts to secure competitive outcomes, mitigate risk, and ensure compliance with internal policies. A critical focus will be on optimizing relationships with major offshore service providers, addressing cost leakages, and renegotiating agreements to deliver substantial savings. You will collaborate closely with Legal, Security, and Finance to oversee the full procurement lifecycle, maintaining operational excellence and governance standards. You will also manage and develop strategic relationships with global technology vendors, ensuring delivery of high-quality solutions at optimal terms. Leveraging data-driven insights, you will identify opportunities to rationalize the IT supplier base, optimize spend, and support sustainability and innovation goals. Your ability to work cross-functionally and communicate effectively will be key to influencing stakeholders and demonstrating the strategic value of Procurement within the IT domain.

What you will do:

• Drive complex negotiations and contract management to secure competitive outcomes and minimize risk across IT categories (hardware, software, cloud, and services).
• Rebaseline and renegotiate commercial terms with major onshore and offshore service providers, eliminating cost leakages and improving delivery value.
• Optimize commercial arrangements with leading technology vendors across licensing, subscriptions, cloud consumption, and support services.
• Partner with Legal, Security, and Finance to ensure robust risk management, compliance with governance standards, and contract lifecycle discipline (renewals, notice periods, and terminations).
• Identify and implement cost-saving opportunities through strategic sourcing, supplier leverage, demand management, and process optimization to support IT budget efficiency.

Strategic Procurement & Supplier Rationalization

• Own the IT procurement strategy and execution, accountable for measurable improvements in cost, quality, and supplier performance.
• Develop and execute IT category strategies aligned with technology roadmaps and innovation priorities, enabling scalable, secure, and cost-effective solutions.
• Rationalize and optimize the IT supplier portfolio using data-driven insights to consolidate spend, reduce complexity, and improve governance and service levels.
• Establish a strategic supplier panel, SRM framework, and performance scorecards to drive continuous improvement and partnership value.

Operational Excellence

• Lead the redesign and continuous improvement of IT procurement processes, leveraging best practices and automation to increase efficiency and compliance.
• Ensure end-to-end process discipline across requisition-to-contract-to-invoice, enforcing policy controls (e.g., No PO, No Pay) and audit-ready documentation.
• Monitor supplier performance, contractual obligations, SLAs, and KPIs; implement corrective actions and improvement plans where required.
• Support sustainability objectives by embedding responsible sourcing criteria and efficient consumption practices in IT deals.

Internal Advocacy & Collaboration

• Work closely with the CTO and IT leadership teams (Infrastructure, ITSM, Security, Applications, Data) to align sourcing strategies with technology needs and business outcomes.
• Proactively engage stakeholders to understand requirements, influence decision-making, and ensure early involvement of Procurement in IT initiatives and renewals.
• Represent Procurement across the organization, promoting its strategic value and fostering collaborative, outcomes-focused relationships.

Who You Are:

• Minimum 5 years in procurement or management consulting with a strong track record across hardware, software, cloud, and IT services; combines strategic insight with hands-on execution.
• Experienced in leading complex, high-value negotiations to secure favorable terms, deliver measurable savings, and maintain strong supplier relationships. Demonstrated success renegotiating multi-million contracts with major offshore providers (e.g., TCS, Tech Mahindra) and leading global technology vendors (e.g., Microsoft, Amazon).
• Highly organized; applies a structured, project-based approach to procurement initiatives and IT sourcing programs in dynamic environments.
• Proficient with analytics tools (e.g., Power BI) to assess IT spend, identify addressable opportunities, and generate actionable insights; quantifies impact through savings and performance improvements.
• Skilled in rationalizing IT supplier bases through data analysis and strategic sourcing, contributing to cost reduction, operational efficiency, and improved governance.
• Deep understanding of procurement policy, IT governance, and risk management; ensures consistent adherence across all IT procurement activities.
• Passionate about technology, AI, and process improvement; continuously seeks innovative ways to optimize IT procurement workflows and efficiency.
• Empathetic, cross-functional collaborator; comfortable presenting to leadership (including CTO and IT executives) and building strong relationships to align procurement with technology needs.
• Open to feedback and committed to professional growth; embraces change and contributes to the evolution of IT procurement practices.
• Understands procurement’s role as a strategic enabler; approaches work with a collaborative, stakeholder-focused mindset.

Why Planet: Planet is an equal opportunity employer where diversity is valued, and all employment is decided based on qualifications, merit, and business need. Come and grow your career in the most exciting, fast-paced technology market, with a business that delivers feel-good connected commerce. We would love to hear from you – Apply now. At Planet, we embrace a hybrid work model, with three days a week in the office. Reasonable accommodations may be made in order to allow for an individual to perform the essential functions of this role successfully.

Company Background: Planet provides integrated software, payment and technology solutions for its customers in the Hospitality and Retail sectors and worldwide via a network of global Financial Services Partners. Founded over 35 years ago, we have evolved our services, delivering an innovative digital commerce platform that puts customer experience first. With headquarters in London and around 3,000 expert employees located across six continents we serve customers in over 120 markets.