Sourcing and Category Manager Lead for IT Services

Join us as a Sourcing and Category Manager Lead for IT Services at Barclays, where you will develop and execute a Category Strategy and Sourcing Plan for Technology Services, optimizing spending and managing risks.

Key Accountabilities:

• Manage sourcing activities within the category spend area, ensuring compliance with sourcing control, risk, and governance processes.

• Understand and adhere to Barclays Procurement structure, policies, procedures, and controls.

• Build and maintain a strong network with Sourcing and Procurement colleagues.

• Collaborate with business/process owners, Supplier Managers, Procurement operations, and other key stakeholders to optimize supplier costs while maintaining service levels and minimizing risk.

• Identify opportunities for efficiencies within the Technology Services spend category and other spend categories within Human Capital and Professional Services.

• Develop category strategies and executable plans aligned with business needs and market trends.

• Execute all sourcing projects in accordance with policy and management assurance testing results.

Skills and Experience:

• Extensive procurement experience with a Blue-chip/FTSE100 firm; financial services sector experience is a plus.

• Experience dealing with senior stakeholders.

• Essential experience in Technology Services spend category; desirable experience in HR and Professional Services spend areas.

• Business degree or equivalent commercial work experience.

• Knowledge of global market and key vendors in Technology Services and other highlighted spend categories.

• Detailed knowledge of commercial models and techniques for best-in-class deals in Technology Services and other highlighted spend categories.

• Excellent contract negotiation, networking, and stakeholder management skills.

• Understanding of commercial value drivers, competitors, and industry practices over the medium term.

• Decision-maker setting strategic direction for continuous improvement and innovation.

• Confident and effective communicator, building and maintaining relationships internally and externally.

You may be assessed on key critical skills relevant for success in role, such as risk and controls, change and transformation, business acumen, strategic thinking and digital and technology, as well as job-specific technical skills.

This role can be based out of Glasgow, Northampton, Knutsford, or Canary Wharf.

Purpose of the role

To optimise and address Barclays 3rd party spend requirements, including the definition, development and implementation of approaches for relevant spend categories and requirements with close collaboration with the business and execution of strategic sourcing and buying channel development/optimisation.

Accountabilities

• Profile spend in category area and develop understanding of business strategy, business requirements, cost levers and opportunities. Collaboration with internal stakeholders to identify sourcing needs, develop requests for proposal and ensure sourcing activities align to the banks needs and priorities.
• Planning and execution of sourcing events including RFP/ RFXs, negotiations to best meet the business requirements for value, speed, compliance, risk.
• Monitoring and guiding of controls and compliance requirements to be met through the category and sourcing cycle from request to contract, including regulatory engagement, controls, audits, data quality etc….
• Development, implementation and operation of policies and procedures for sourcing activities aligned to the policies, standards, relevant compliance and regulation.
• Identification and delivery of change opportunities to improve effectiveness, control and efficiency of sourcing processes including buying channel optimisation for relevant categories of spend (catalogues, demand challenge etc.).
• Identification of industry trends and development related to sourcing and category management by attending conferences, participating in training, and conducting market research on techniques and tools.

Vice President Expectations

• To contribute or set strategy, drive requirements and make recommendations for change. Plan resources, budgets, and policies; manage and maintain policies/ processes; deliver continuous improvements and escalate breaches of policies/procedures..
• If managing a team, they define jobs and responsibilities, planning for the department’s future needs and operations, counselling employees on performance and contributing to employee pay decisions/changes. They may also lead a number of specialists to influence the operations of a department, in alignment with strategic as well as tactical priorities, while balancing short and long term goals and ensuring that budgets and schedules meet corporate requirements..
• If the position has leadership responsibilities, People Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others..
• OR for an individual contributor, they will be a subject matter expert within own discipline and will guide technical direction. They will lead collaborative, multi-year assignments and guide team members through structured assignments, identify the need for the inclusion of other areas of specialisation to complete assignments. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
• Advise key stakeholders, including functional leadership teams and senior management on functional and cross functional areas of impact and alignment.
• Manage and mitigate risks through assessment, in support of the control and governance agenda.
• Demonstrate leadership and accountability for managing risk and strengthening controls in relation to the work your team does.
• Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the organisation functions to contribute to achieving the goals of the business.
• Collaborate with other areas of work, for business aligned support areas to keep up to speed with business activity and the business strategies.
• Create solutions based on sophisticated analytical thought comparing and selecting complex alternatives. In-depth analysis with interpretative thinking will be required to define problems and develop innovative solutions.
• Adopt and include the outcomes of extensive research in problem solving processes.
• Seek out, build and maintain trusting relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders in order to accomplish key business objectives, using influencing and negotiating skills to achieve outcomes.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.