Lead Procurement Specialist

Lead Procurement Specialist

Role Description

We are looking to recruit an experienced, commercially focused and organised procurement professional with strong category expertise and excellent communication and influencing skills to join our rapidly growing global FinTech business. The role will lead procurement activity across assigned categories, take ownership of commercial outcomes and apply sound judgement to balance value, risk, service and business requirements.

The Lead Procurement Specialist will lead and coordinate procurement and supplier-management activity for assigned categories, ensuring that new and existing supplier relationships are commercially effective, appropriately governed and fully documented. The role owns the procurement lifecycle from requirements definition and category strategy through sourcing, negotiation and contract signature, followed by ongoing supplier-performance, risk and contract-management reviews.

Organisational Design

This Role will report to the Head of Procurement & Supplier Management and operate within the Global Operation and Delivery function within FNZ.

Team Responsibilities

The Procurement function has primary responsibility for sourcing strategy throughout the FNZ Group, globally, including the ongoing management of third-party relationships, collection of due diligence annually and driving benefits for FNZ Group.

Specific Role Responsibilities

• Lead procurement activity for assigned categories, applying category expertise to identify, prioritise and deliver opportunities and benefits for FNZ Group.
• Develop, own and execute category strategies aligned with business priorities, market insight, risk appetite and commercial objectives.
• Work collaboratively across business areas, constructively challenge requirements and influence stakeholders on the best commercial approach.
• Develop and lead strategic supplier relationships that deliver measurable value, service improvement and risk mitigation.
• Analyse global spend, demand and market trends to identify sourcing opportunities, commercial risks and areas for consolidation or improvement.
• Lead and influence commercial discussions to embed a strong cost culture across FNZ Group.
• Lead supplier negotiations and own commercial outcomes, including pricing, contractual protections, service levels and KPIs that meet FNZ and client requirements.
• Drive commercial and procedural improvements across the business in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
• Own delivery against agreed savings and value targets, maintaining a clear and supportable record of benefits achieved.
• Maintain an accurate central record of all third-party agreements, obligations and requirements.
• Maintain an up-to-date view of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for third-party services throughout the Group.
• Report on value achieved and provide clear procurement communications to budget holders and other stakeholders.
• Lead and coordinate RFPs within the established procurement and approval framework, ensuring a robust, fair and well-documented process.
• Provide procurement and supplier-management expertise to the FNZ Group, acting as a trusted commercial partner to the business.
• Monitor, challenge and document supplier performance, including review of management information, SLAs and KPIs, and collection of client and end-user feedback.
• Oversee contract-management activity for assigned suppliers, tracking key obligations, renewal and termination dates, risks, issues and agreed actions in line with FNZ governance requirements.

Performance Assessment

• Commercial outcomes: Deliver agreed savings, value, service and risk outcomes for assigned categories.
• Category leadership: Maintain credible category strategies and provide informed procurement direction based on spend, market and supplier insight.
• Stakeholder influence: Build effective internal and external relationships, challenge constructively and secure commitment to recommended commercial approaches.
• Supplier performance: Ensure supplier performance, service levels, risks and corrective actions are monitored, challenged and documented.
• Effective communication: Communicate clear, timely and evidence-based recommendations, decisions and escalations to relevant stakeholders.
• Accurate record keeping: Maintain complete and accurate procurement, sourcing, approval, contract and supplier records to support governance, audit and regulatory requirements.
• Procedures and controls: Apply, maintain and improve robust procurement and supplier-management procedures and controls.
• Projects: Lead or provide procurement expertise to projects affecting assigned categories, suppliers or commercial processes.
• Continuous improvement: Continually assess procurement processes and controls and lead improvements or efficiencies.
• Other responsibilities: Undertake other reasonable procurement or commercial activities required to support the effective operation of the company.

Expected Behaviours:

• Commercial ownership: Take accountability for procurement recommendations and outcomes from initial requirement through contract and supplier-management activity.
• Accuracy and judgement: Produce accurate, evidence-based analysis and exercise sound commercial judgement.
• Delivery: Prioritise competing activity, maintain momentum and meet agreed deadlines and commercial targets.
• Influence and challenge: Communicate with credibility, challenge constructively and build commitment across internal and external stakeholders.
• Governance and regulatory awareness: Ensure procurement activity is completed in line with applicable policies, controls, approvals and regulatory requirements.
• Category expertise: Demonstrate strong knowledge of assigned categories and act as a subject-matter expert for the business.
• Industry awareness: Monitor external market, supplier and industry developments that may affect category strategy, cost, service or risk.
• Working across boundaries: Collaborate across FNZ's global functions and understand end-to-end business requirements and dependencies.
• Continuing professional development: Develop, track and evidence professional and technical knowledge and skills in line with the T&D Framework.
• Representation: Represent Procurement and Supplier Management positively across the organisation and reinforce cost-conscious, commercially disciplined decision-making.

Experience Required

• Demonstrable procurement experience with strong knowledge of one or more relevant categories.
• Proven experience developing and executing category strategies and leading sourcing activity through to commercial outcome.
• Strong supplier relationship, contract-management and supplier-performance management experience.
• Demonstrable experience leading negotiations, coordinating RFPs and delivering savings or other measurable commercial benefits.
• Strong stakeholder-management and influencing skills, including the confidence to challenge requirements and recommendations constructively.
• Experience analysing spend, Total Cost of Ownership and market data to support procurement decisions.
• Sound understanding of procurement governance, approvals, controls, risk management and record-keeping requirements.
• Strong project-management, prioritisation and organisational skills, with the ability to work accurately to tight deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills and proficiency in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.
• A relevant professional procurement qualification or equivalent practical experience is desirable.

About FNZ Culture

Our culture is what drives us. It's at the heart of who we are and everything we do. It's what inspires, excites and moves us forward. Our ambition is to create a culture for growth, one that opens up limitless opportunities for our employees, customers and the wider world. At FNZ we know that great impact is only possible with great teamwork.

That’s why we value the strength and diversity of thought in our global team.

The FNZ Way is the cornerstone of what we do. It is comprised of four values that set the standard for how everyone at FNZ interacts with each other, with our customers, and with all our diverse stakeholders around the world.

• Customer obsessed for the long-term
• Think big and make an impact
• Act now and own it all the way
• Challenge, commit and win together

Read more about The FNZ Way and our values: www.fnz.com/culture

Opportunities

• Right from day one, you will work alongside exceptional, multicultural teams - experts in the