Category Manager Infrastructure

Group Procurement is responsible for third-party supplier engagements and business partnership to drive high performing and sustainable value from our supplier relationships. We strive to make LSEG easier and more attractive to do business with, and we consider our suppliers as a source of competitive advantage and not just about cost.
We operate a business partnering and supplier relationship management (SRM) model, aligned to business groups and spend categories, ensuring value through early and strategic engagement and informative vendor spend analytics.
Some key characteristics of the new Group Procurement organisation:

• Supplier spend c £2BN and c. 5,000 suppliers
• Team structured around:
  • Three towers of spend - Technology, Services and Corporate - passionate about category management, strategic sourcing, renewals & SRM
  • A Strategy & Performance centre, enabling function to drive and implement the strategy of the Group Procurement function, outstanding procurement policy and processes
• Key hubs for the category teams in London, Bangalore and New York with a small amount of decentralised activity to support local markets which are in various global locations including Europe and Asia

The purpose of this role is to create, develop and deliver a best in class" category procurement service with the express intent of delivering year-on-year benefit to the Group in terms of innovation, speed to market, quality, efficiency, risk mitigation and lower cost.
This role sits in the Technology tower as part of the Infrastructure team, reporting to the Category Director. The team supports spend of c.£150m per annum, with key spend areas including Mainframe, Compute, Databases and Infrastructure software. The roles activities are global and include the engagement and ongoing management of third-party suppliers, the sourcing and vendor strategy, and roadmap for the category. The role will perform a combination of sourcing, supplier and business relationship activities.
It also entails working closely with the rest of the Technology Procurement team (in particular Networks and Data Centres) and the wider Group Procurement team to support the evolution of the wider procurement strategy and transformation roadmap, ensuring this is reflected across all categories of spend within this remit:
Budget Responsibility: None
Direct Reports: None
Indirect Reports: 1
Key interfaces:

• With line management (Infrastructure Category Director and Head of Technology Procurement)
• Other Category Managers - peers and Category Directors
• Group Procurement Centre of Excellence and Shared Services teams
• Finance Business Partners, Legal, Tax and Risk
• Business: supplier business owners, budget holders and vendor management
• Key partnering functions: Head of Foundation Services and their functional leads

Enter the key responsibilities of the role:
Establishing a Group Procurement Strategy for the Category
Define, gain agreement to and implement strategic sourcing Category plans (including a pipeline of procurement opportunities) for aligned Pillar within the Infrastructure Technology category which includes both Software and Hardware. Continue to develop and maintain Category strategies and plans in conjunction with the team and business partners
Lead the implementation of strategic and preferred suppliers and drive downwards the number of active suppliers. Implement a programme of supplier categorisation to drive value and focus Use internal and external data and analysis, relationships and specialist insight to provide a clear authority view on business investment decisions (e.g. spend analysis, supply markets, sourcing value levers, supply market reviews, business assessments etc.), to stimulate innovative problem solving within the business, develop and commit to performance targets and provide reporting in line with business compliance and procedures Provide support to business Category owners to drive upwards preferred supplier and channel compliance to global standards. Drive sourcing initiatives in support of defined business goals and business roadmaps
Anticipate future procurement challenges, ensuring the business is equipped with the right strategies to deliver the best possible commercial outcomes including risks, routes to market, resource commitments, supply market dynamics, competitive strategies and delivery plans
Implementing the Group Procurement Strategy for the Category
Develop and lead supplier performance improvement programs and develop strategies to effectively improve supply chain performance in quality, delivery, and cost management Lead and drive strategic sourcing engagement for the Category, focusing on commercial and contractual negotiations, working with business partners and legal to close negotiations with contracts which fully protect the Group's commercial interests and ensure mitigation of operational risks conduct competitive RFI's/RFP's and lead on supplier negotiations as required. Provide an advisory service within a matrix orientated business by utilising an appropriate level of commercial expertise and foresight to ensure cost management and alignment with budget. Lead the delivery of a breadth of procurement initiatives, of varying complexity and value, using best in class sourcing solutions such as e-Procurement, e-Auctioning, strategic sourcing etc. Work with the business to ensure strategic supplier relationship management is considered in all procurement decisions, facilitating the handover into the contract management team and providing ongoing support and insight to address challenges with incumbent suppliers .Ongoing proactive review of existing Category arrangements in collaboration with business partners, to include ownership of the Category policy to ensure full compliance and optimised cost position. Lead the negotiations, tendering and selection of suppliers for all affiliate companies. Responsible for sourcing leadership on strategic projects including attendance at relevant project / programme board. Ensure appropriate risk mitigation strategies are an intrinsic part of sourcing decisions including contractual protections and ongoing supplier risk management
Developing and maintaining relationships
Build strong relationships with key partners in the Group, technology and business teams. Work with the technology leadership team and their reports to understand business strategy and drivers; provide creative challenge and thought leadership which influences and supports business decision-making. Be a key point of reference for negotiation, vendor escalations and supplier communications for commercial and governance aspects. Cultivate an environment of