IT Procurement Manager - 6 Month Contract Role

At Schroders, we focus on helping our clients achieve their financial goals and build future prosperity. As a global asset and wealth manager, Schroders delivers a broad range of investments designed to meet the diverse needs of institutions, intermediaries and high net worth individuals. For over 200 years we have built principled partnerships with our clients, putting them at the centre of everything we do.

Group Procurement is the centre of excellence for active commercial management of all of Schroders’ supply chain, enabled by great people, disciplined cost management and seamless risk and compliance. Group Procurement sits within the COO Corporate Functions, supporting the wider business on all its third-party commercial activity. The team are made up of multiple disciplines across Market Data, Technology, Corporate Services, Third Party Risk and Operations.

This role will provide procurement expertise across the group in order to maximise the long term value from all that Schroders procures. This will involve the identification and implementation of global procurement opportunities in a geographically dispersed environment with respect to supplier management, sourcing, systems, processes and reporting. The role will be based in London.

The Procurement Manager would have a core focus on the IT category with the following responsibilities:

• Category management including strategic sourcing, contract, performance and risk management across a broad range of IT categories.
• Leading on Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) across the IT supply chain.
• Activity delivery across a spectrum of business areas to determine the appropriate approach to market, optimum commercial models and supplier relationships for a product/service.
• To work closely with internal business colleagues to understand their requirements, mapping these to the sourcing strategy in line with overall procurement strategy.
• To provide procurement services that deliver maximum commercial advantage to Schroders including selection and application of appropriate procurement processes for a particular product/service.
• Challenging and influencing business stakeholders where appropriate to ensure the best outcome for Schroders.
• To negotiate appropriate commercial and contractual arrangements with technology suppliers for all products/services.
• Champion continual improvement and procurement best practice within the global business.
• Reporting on procurement activities, including savings and benefits achieved to management.

Essential Skills / Experience:

• Demonstrable experience of successfully operating within a strategic procurement team.
• Notable level of IT category expertise including major outsourcing arrangements.
• Experience of standing up a supplier relationship management (SRM) framework.
• Flexible approach to work with an ability to adapt to change.
• Excellent levels of communication, able to influence and persuade others, whilst building strong working relationships.
• Track record of global/regional delivery across complex environments.
• Demonstrable experience of utilising and managing procurement systems and tools.
• Strong analytics experience in order to understand and interpret information bringing insight.
• Excellent organisation, presentation and problem solving skills.
• Strong negotiation skills.
• Excellent IT and numeracy skills.

Desirable Skills / Experience:

• CIPS qualified.
• Financial Services experience.

Personal attributes:

• Capable of remaining positive when under pressure.
• Friendly, approachable, enjoys working with people from a variety of backgrounds.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision in a dynamic and time critical environment.
• Continuous improvement mind-set, challenges the status quo and seeks self improvement.
• Earn respect from colleagues and willing to complete tasks at either end of the complexity spectrum.

We are a global investment manager. We help institutions, intermediaries and individuals around the world invest money to meet their goals, fulfil their ambitions, and prepare for the future. We have around 6,000 people on six continents. And we have been around for over 200 years, but keep adapting as society and technology changes. What doesn’t change is our commitment to helping our clients, and society, prosper.