Lead Market Data Commercial Manager

The Lead Market Data Commercial Manager is responsible for both their own commercial relationships and MD contracts and will lead the Commercial Management function of x3 Commercial Managers, ensuring delivery against Procurement scorecards, savings targets, team objectives and governance requirements.

Team Overview: Group Procurement is the centre of excellence for the commercial management of Schroders’ global supply chain, delivering value through effective cost management, supplier governance, and risk control. The Market Data function operates as a specialist capability within Procurement, responsible for the acquisition, management, and governance of third-party data services globally. The team is structured around a Business Partnering model, with Commercial Managers aligned to key business divisions to support stakeholder requirements and deliver optimal commercial outcomes. The Lead Market Data Commercial Manager provides central leadership, coordination, and performance oversight across all Commercial Managers to ensure consistent delivery aligned to Procurement objectives.

What you’ll do:

• The Lead role will manage their own pipeline of several strategic Market Data Vendor relationships and associated contractual pipeline, in addition to being team lead to the Market Data Commercial Management Team (approx. x3 direct reports).
• Oversee commercial strategy and vendor alignment approach.
• Contract lifecycle prioritisation, alignment and pipeline management.
• Set standards for stakeholder engagement and Business Partnering delivery.
• Responsible for maintaining Market Data processes, guidelines, and Procurement governance controls.

Key Workflows:

• Commercial Management Team Leadership & Contract Pipeline Management: Oversee and coordinate the global contract renewal pipeline for their area, ensuring prioritisation aligned to opportunities i.e. competing landscape, savings, risk, and business objectives. Set commercial team priorities and manage workload distribution across directs. Monitor delivery against Procurement and Corporate Functions Goals & Objectives.
• Vendor Strategy & Commercial Alignment: Define and implement vendor alignment in-line with business priorities. Ensure consistent approach to supplier positioning and negotiation across the team. Align vendor strategy to business requirements identified through Business Partnering activities.
• Business Partnering Oversight: Embed Business Partnering standards and expectations across Commercial Managers. Ensure effective stakeholder engagement, demand challenge, and requirement shaping. Provide guidance and escalation support to improve stakeholder outcomes.
• Supplier Management & Negotiation: Maintain oversight of and management of strategic supplier relationships in their area of responsibility. Support (where required) the team on complex negotiations and escalations. Drive improved commercial outcomes across cost, contractual terms, and service delivery.
• Procurement Performance & Governance: Drive Commercial Team to deliver against savings and cost optimisation targets, risk, compliance, and governance KPIs. Ensure adherence to Market Data commercial processes, guidelines, and principles, Procurement Operations workflows and governance controls. Maintain audit readiness and process compliance.
• Financial & Contract Lifecycle Management: Align contract activity to budget targets, forecasts, and financial planning cycles. Maintain oversight of contract lifecycle execution and pipeline health.
• Operational Excellence: Ensure team’s integrity and accuracy of contractual inventory management, oversight of Scorecard and Procurement Workbook on commercial outcomes, promotion of internal use of PowerBI / MI Reporting Contract R and supplier data, annual budget planning and forecasting. Drive process standardisation and continuous improvement.
• Innovation & Continuous Improvement: Identify and implement Commercial Management process efficiencies and operational improvements. Promote adoption of AI tools and automation to enhance workflow efficiency, reporting and data quality, scalability of processes.

Key Responsibilities:

• Managerial focus to help develop a high-performing team of Commercial Managers.
• Drive Weekly 1:1’s and contract review SteerCo’s. Team Workslate focus on priority items. Team support to troubleshoot BAU through daily standups.
• Facilitate and drive the contract renewal pipeline, ensuring delivery against savings, risk, and timeline objectives.
• Work with other Commercial Managers to ensure alignment of vendor strategies across the supplier base.
• Deliver against: Team saves targets, goals and objectives and in alignment scorecards and performance objectives.
• Establish and enforce: Business Partnering standards across the commercial team. Market Data processes and Procurement governance frameworks.
• Provide oversight on: Negotiation stance and escalations. Stakeholder engagement quality (via Commercial Managers). Vendor Relationship Management Commercial decision-making.
• Align team delivery to: Budget targets, forecasts, and financial governance requirements. Deliver consolidated reporting and performance insights. Drive operational excellence, process consistency, and control effectiveness. Champion innovation and AI‑enabled efficiencies.
• Support the Global Head in delivery of strategic objectives.

Skills, Experience and Qualifications:

• Strong Commercial experience, team leadership, organisational skills and delivery management across global teams.
• Proven experience managing contract renewal pipelines and commercial delivery against KPIs.
• Expertise in vendor strategy and commercial negotiation. Supplier management and value optimisation.
• Strong focus on and alignment with Procurement scorecards, performance frameworks, and governance controls. Procurement Operations workflows and compliance requirements.
• Deep knowledge of market data products, licensing models, and vendor landscape.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen (budgeting, forecasting, cost optimisation).
• Ability to enforce process adherence and governance standards.
• Experience driving process improvements and operational efficiencies.
• Demonstrated ability to leverage AI tools and automation to enhance delivery.
• Strong stakeholder awareness and ability to guide effective engagement via team.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and decision‑making skills.
• High attention to detail with ability to operate in a fast‑paced, global environment.
• Excellent communication and relationship skills. Able to produce management‑appropriate communications.
• Attention to detail and a flexible attitude.
• Good time management and ability to work to tight deadlines, particularly in relation to diarised processes.
• Strong MS‑Office skills.

We recognise potential, whoever you are. Our purpose is to provide excellent investment performance to clients through active management. Diversity of thought facilitated by an inclusive culture will allow us to make better decisions and better achieve our purpose. This is why inclusion and diversity are a strategic priority for us and why we are an equal opportunities employer: you are welcome here regardless of your age, disability, gender identity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, socio‑economic background or any other protected characteristics.

About Us: We're 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've 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.