Head of Procurement IT Category Management (m/f/d)

Recognising tomorrow's opportunities today. Yours and ours.

At Swiss Life Asset Managers you will contribute your own talent and expertise in a motivated and flexible working environment. You will take on a high degree of responsibility and master demanding challenges independently, with the scope to express yourself and in cooperation with professional teams.

Working at Swiss Life Asset Managers is a dynamic experience in a stable environment. Our employees make the difference. People count.
Flexible working models will enable you to reconcile your professional and personal ambitions.

For our newly established sourcing unit, we are seeking a Head of Procurement at Swiss Life Asset Managers who will additionally act as Senior Category Manager IT Services.

In this key leadership role, you will build and lead the procurement / sourcing function as a central function for IT and business services procurement, driving cross-entity sourcing and category strategies. You will manage end-to-end sourcing processes, negotiations, and supplier relationships, while partnering closely with IT, Finance, Legal, Risk, IT Security, Data Protection and Compliance.

At the same time, you will shape and establish a modern sourcing organization, defining professional, sustainable, and value-driven sourcing standards across the entire IT and Non-IT portfolio. You will also lead a distributed team, including nearshore resources, and act as a trusted advisor to senior management on complex sourcing and outsourcing decisions.

Responsibilities

Function Leadership & Team Management

• Lead and develop the strategic and operational sourcing function, including distributed onshore and nearshore team members
• Build Strategic Sourcing as a central function for IT and business related sourcing, driving cross-entity alignment, governance standards and category strategies
• Develop, implement, and monitor category strategies across IT and Non-IT categories
• Drive the professionalization and continuous improvement of sourcing processes, tools, reporting and service delivery
• Ensure consistent application of sourcing standards, category strategies and governance requirements across entities and teams

IT Category Management & Strategic Sourcing

• Own and further develop category strategies for IT, IT Services, software, cloud/SaaS, infrastructure and related business or non-IT spend areas where assigned
• Act as Senior IT Category Manager, shaping vendor strategy for IT Services and driving sustainable value creation, risk mitigation and supplier performance
• Lead end-to-end sourcing processes, including market analysis, tenders, negotiations, supplier selection, supplier relationships for strategic and complex engagements
• Oversee and continuously improve procurement services, including sourcing pipeline transparency, saving tracking and value reporting
• Drive the professionalization and optimization of procurement processes, with a strong focus on IT integration, supplier management, and compliance requirements
• Establish and develop a systematic supplier management framework, including performance management and long-term partnership development
• Collaborate closely with project managers and business stakeholders to successfully deliver complex sourcing and outsourcing initiatives
• Monitor market and technology trends and advise senior management, particularly in IT, on complex make-or-buy scenarios
• Ensure alignment with regulatory requirements, TPRM standards, and governance functions (Legal, Risk, Compliance, Data Protection, IT Security)
• Promote innovative sourcing solutions that contribute to long-term business success

Experience

• University degree in Business Administration, Business Informatics, Law, or a comparable qualification
• 5+ years of experience in strategic sourcing and procurement leadership, ideally within the financial services industry
• Proven people leadership experience, including managing international and distributed onshore/nearshore teams
• Proven track record of building, maturing or leading strategic sourcing and category management functions
• Strong business orientation with the ability to link sourcing strategies to organizational value creation
• Deep understanding of IT categories, including IT Services, software, cloud/SaaS infrastructure and managed services ecosystems
• Good working knowledge of contract structures, legal frameworks, and standard contractual terminology; able to coordinate effectively with Legal, Risk, Compliance, Data Protection, IT Security and TPRM functions
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills with a confident and professional presence when engaging senior management, business stakeholders, and suppliers

Your benefits
We help our employees shape their professional development and their private life to their best advantage, throughout all phases of their life. Our attractive benefits play a part in this effort.

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