Senior Manager Global Procurements-Corporate and Professional Services

Role Overview

The Senior Manager, Global Procurement for Corporate and Professional Services shapes how the organisation buys and manages services spanning travel, translation, insurance, cash and finance, and a broad range of people-related needs. Working with functions such as People & Culture, Safety & Security, Finance, Legal, and country teams, the role turns operational requirements into sourcing plans and supplier arrangements that deliver lasting value, reliable service, and appropriate risk controls across a global organisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Set and deliver multi-year category plans for the assigned portfolio, using spend patterns, business demand, market conditions, supplier capability, and risk to define priorities and measurable outcomes.
• Plan a coordinated sourcing pipeline with business owners, taking account of contract renewal dates, benefits cycles, and operational needs; establish suitable commercial models, evaluation methods, and negotiation approaches for each category.
• Direct complex procurement exercises from initial market engagement through competitive tendering, evaluation, negotiation, contract award, and implementation, ensuring decisions are transparent and properly documented.
• Advise stakeholders on requirements, statements of work, service standards, pricing, and contract structures; resolve significant supplier or contractual issues alongside relevant legal, finance, risk, people, and operational teams.
• Build an appropriate supplier base through frameworks, qualified panels, and global or regional coverage, and tailor relationship management to supplier value, business criticality, and risk.
• Set supplier performance expectations and lead regular reviews covering service, cost, risk, innovation, and user experience; agree corrective actions and pursue ongoing improvements.
• Partner with Safety & Security on travel sourcing and contracting so arrangements support duty-of-care and traveller risk-management needs; assess and document exceptions to competition where required.
• Maintain policy-compliant, audit-ready sourcing and contract records, and reliable portfolio data on spend, savings, pipeline, supplier performance, and risk; contribute category expertise to broader procurement improvement work.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business administration, or a related subject, or equivalent professional experience.
• CIPS Level 4 or above, or a comparable procurement qualification.
• At least seven years of progressively responsible procurement experience, including substantial responsibility for category management and strategic sourcing.
• Evidence of leading complex competitive sourcing, multi-supplier evaluations, commercial negotiations, and contract awards.
• Strong commercial judgement, with examples of improving value, supplier performance, or risk outcomes.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders, balance competing needs, and turn business requirements into workable procurement plans.
• Strong analytical skills, including spend analysis, market assessment, business-case development, and performance reporting.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex issues and recommendations.
• A master’s degree, direct experience in travel, insurance, HR or business-process outsourcing, language services, or related corporate categories, and experience in an NGO or nonprofit environment are advantageous.
• Familiarity with donor compliance frameworks and working knowledge of Spanish or Arabic are desirable.
• Success in the role calls for strategic and commercial thinking, sound negotiation, supplier and market insight, integrity, accountability, cross-cultural collaboration, and the ability to lead through influence.