Senior Category Buyer - Professional Services

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

The Opportunity

• This role leads the strategic sourcing, development, and ongoing optimisation of a diverse portfolio of Professional Services categories, supporting BAU and Reimagine transformation.

Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities

Category Strategy

• Lead the development and delivery of Strategic Category Plans (SCPs), ensuring creation, alignment, and compliance.

• Conduct detailed spend analytics, demand modelling, and market intelligence assessments.

• Translate business needs into actionable category strategies.

• Define long‑term category roadmaps including supplier segmentation and maturity progression.

• Identify, assess, and rationalise the supplier base.

• Lead cross‑functional category governance, including Consultancy Category Boards.

• Promote early stakeholder engagement and strategic procurement planning.

• Identify and drive continuous improvements in category management maturity.

Sourcing

• Lead end‑to‑end sourcing events for all Professional Services categories.

• Apply Total Cost of Ownership principles and value‑based procurement.

• Lead complex negotiations including contractual, commercial, and delivery‑based elements.

• Develop bespoke sourcing strategies for complex or urgent business demands.

• Partner with Legal (OGC) for commercial terms, IP, and risk considerations.

• Coach and support junior buyers on procurement excellence.

• Ensure high‑quality sourcing documentation (eGSP, SBR, SCP alignment, SAP Ariba).

• Align with global and regional buying teams.

Contract Management & Supplier Relationship Management (SRM)

• Lead the end‑to‑end Contract Management lifecycle across Professional Services.

• Develop performance frameworks including KPIs, SLAs, and governance structures.

• Conduct regular SRM reviews with senior supplier executives.

• Identify in‑contract value including rate optimisation and scope refinement.

• Own supplier‑related risk management activities.

• Ensure clear contractual deliverables and milestone tracking.

• Drive supplier innovation, digitalisation, and productivity improvements.

• Ensure commercial governance and auditing compliance.

Stakeholder Leadership & Business Partnering

• Build strong, trusting, and influential relationships with stakeholders.

• Act as a commercial advisor to senior leadership.

• Support business case development with commercial insights.

• Challenge and manage demand to ensure cost efficiency.

• Partner with Transformation Leads, Finance, and more.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

 Essential:

• Self-motivated, uses initiative and problem solver – focussed on delivering results, with a proven track record of demonstrating logic and analytical thinking.

• Able to deliver quality and consistency in a complex, highly demanding environment

• Professionally qualified with a proven track record in a purchasing environment

• Strong leadership and influencing skills (experience in managing senior stakeholders is vital)

• Excellent stakeholder management and relationship management skills and experience 

• An excellent negotiator with a proven track record of successful commercial negotiations  

• Able to manage and execute complex projects on time and in budget.

• Excellent communication skills with the ability to converse at all levels of the organisation and with external suppliers/customers

• Valid Driving license required

Desirable: 

• Previous experience as a Buyer in an Indirect Procurement function.

• Shared Service/Business Process Outsourcing background desirable but not mandatory.

• Ability to be highly organised and continually focus on attention to detail

• A commercial understanding of terms and conditions and ability to negotiate them (with the support of OGC).

Key Performance Indicators

• Delivery of annualised savings

• Strategic Category Plan development

• Supplier rationalisation

• Sourcing timing adherence

• Contract Management quality

• SRM delivery

Key Interactions

• Indirect Procurement Senior Leadership Team

• Indirect Procurement Team

• Enterprise Stakeholders (ranging in role and seniority)

• Finance Business Partners

Personal Profile

• An individual with a creator’s code mindset who is driven to make an impact and grow the business and themselves, by adopting a ‘one’ team approach with integrity and love for their customer.

• An individual, who works independently, is results driven, demonstrating tenacity, drive and perseverance with the ability to deliver operational plans in a complex, highly demanding environment. 

• An individual with the capability to combine a short term, pragmatic focus with medium term planning.

• A resilient and enthusiastic individual who responds constructively to new ideas and inputs

• A good communicator with the ability to communicate complex ideas 

• An individual with the ability to challenge existing thinking in a positive way whilst building credibility and trust through experience and personal style

• Proactive team player, who is happy to be hands on, contributing to the overall performance, working environment and culture of the team.