Senior Procurement Specialist

IT Commercial Procurement Lead London 5 Months Outside IR35 At my client you’ll experience a dynamic, supportive environment where no two days are alike. As a global business, they connect specialists with knowledge through events, digital services and research. With over 10,000 colleagues across 30 countries, they're part of the UK’s FTSE 100. In Global Support, they offer expert assistance across various departments—tech, finance, legal, HR, and more—to help our teams and brands succeed.

Overview They are planning a significant programme of IT outsourcing and offshoring in order to optimise cost and deliver high quality service whilst enabling its’ retained organisation to undertake wide scale transformation. We are seeking an experienced Commercial Lead to take ownership of shaping, negotiating and executing the commercial deals that underpin and enable this strategy. We are seeking to move at pace with an ambition to have fully executed on an outsourcing agreement by Q2 2026. We have an established small panel of preferred partners (with existing MSAs) to whom we expect to award this work. This role will report to our Chief Technology Strategy Officer and work closely with IT Procurement team. The role will work as part of a Sourcing Programme team lead by the Chief Technology Operations Officer with the support of a Programme Manager, contributing to both strategy and implementation. Our ideal candidate will combine strong commercial acumen with technical understanding to secure value-driven partnerships that align with our strategic objectives. They will be London-based for at least three days per week with expected travel to India throughout the engagement period.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead complex commercial negotiations with an existing preferred panel of IT service providers, technology vendors, and offshore partners to secure favourable terms, pricing structures and service level agreements
• Develop and implement vendor management strategies that maximize value while minimizing risk across the IT outsourcing ecosystem
• Create comprehensive commercial frameworks and pricing models that drive cost efficiency while maintaining quality standards
• Collaborate with legal, procurement, and technical teams to ensure contracts meet business requirements and compliance standards
• Work with the Programme Team to effectively structure, plan for and execute the activities to develop, negotiate and execute contracts
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with key vendors, fostering a partnership approach while driving accountability
• Lead contract reviews and renewal processes, identifying opportunities for consolidation or renegotiation
• Develop risk mitigation strategies for vendor relationships, including contingency planning and exit strategies

Qualifications: Demonstrable experience in commercial management, vendor negotiations, or procurement, with specific focus on IT outsourcing and offshoring Proven track record of successfully negotiating complex, high-value commercial agreements with measurable cost savings CIPS and/or other alternative IT outsourcing accreditations desirable Strong understanding of IT service delivery models, offshore operations, and technology infrastructure Experience with contract management, service level agreements, and performance metrics in IT environments Advanced negotiation skills with the ability to influence at all levels of an organization Excellent analytical capabilities with strong financial acumen and attention to detail Outstanding communication and stakeholder management skills Knowledge of relevant regulatory frameworks and compliance requirements Experience with vendor management tools and systems Competencies Strategic thinking with the ability to align vendor relationships with business objectives Commercial mindset focused on value creation and cost optimization Strong negotiation and influencing skills Excellent problem-solving abilities and decision-making capabilities Relationship building and stakeholder management Resilience and adaptability in a fast-paced environment Results-oriented with a focus on delivering measurable outcomes If this sounds of interest please apply