Head of Commercial Partnerships Technology (ID: c6HKoQMy)

We have an incredible opportunity to work within our new Commercial Partnerships structure as a Head of Category - Technology.

Location:

Role could be based in either our Edinburgh, Wythall or Telford offices with time spent working in the office and at home.

Flexible working:

All of our roles are open to part-time, job-share and other types of flexibility. We will discuss what is important to you and balancing this with business requirements during the recruitment process. You can read more about Phoenix Flex here.
Salary and benefits: £90-110,000 (depending on experience) plus 30-60% annual bonus potential, private medical cover, 38 days annual leave, 10% non-contributory pension, 12x salary life assurance, career breaks, income protection, 3x volunteering days and much more.

We have an incredible opportunity to work within our new Commercial Partnerships structure as a Head of Category - Technology.

The role:

You will be responsible for setting the strategic direction of the team and establishing and maintaining the technology sourcing strategy. They will manage a team of professionals and oversee the sourcing of technology products and services and the management of several key suppliers. They will have a strong vision for the category, exceptional negotiation skills and the ability to drive efficiency and value through strategic sourcing, commercial and supplier management. They will oversee the end-to-end process: sourcing, supplier management, commercial and contract negotiations and cost optimisation to support the company's objectives.

Strategic Leadership: Develop, implement and maintain a procurement strategy for technology that aligns with the company's overall business goals focusing on cost reduction, efficiency improvements, risk management and sustainability.

Team Management: Lead, mentor and develop a team of professionals fostering a culture of continuous improvement and professional growth.
Category Management and Plans: Lead the development and implementation of strategic, future-proofed category plans aligned with category objectives and organisational goals.

Supplier and Commercial Management: Establish and maintain strong and impactful relationships with key suppliers, leading on supporting the negotiation of significant contracts that deliver value, quality, and reliability. Support the leadership and management of the end-to-end relationships with Tier 1 and other material suppliers to ensure the delivery of high-quality services and products at competitive pricing.

Partnering and Stakeholder Engagement: Establish and maintain impactful relationships with key stakeholders and become recognised as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) on technology sourcing. Act as lead or advisor on significant technology sourcing exercises. Partner with key stakeholders across the organisation to understand corporate and local strategies ensuring alignment with the technology category strategy and plans.
Market Knowledge and Insights: Build and maintain up to date knowledge of the technology market, current and evolving trends, and existing and new market entrants. Seek out innovative solutions for the company.
Cost optimisation: Implement cost optimisation strategies including, but not limited to, demand management, volume consolidation, commercial management. and process efficiencies to drive savings and improve profitability. Leverage every opportunity for cost savings.

Risk Management: Proactively identify and mitigate risks associated with sourcing activities across the technology supply chain. This will include managing regulatory contractual change, ESG standards, plus supplier and contract risks ensuing resilient supply chains.

Continuous Improvement: Drive continuous improvement initiatives with the Centre of Excellence team ensuring that procurement and third-party management best practices and technology are adopted to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of Commercial Partnerships.

Performance Measurement: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics and monitor the performance of the team, track savings and identify areas for improvement.

What are we looking for?

• Strong leadership and management skills with a proven track record of leading a team through change.
• Highly effective negotiating skills with the ability to influence and communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with a data driven approach to decision-making.
• Detailed knowledge of the technology market and both established service providers and disruptors/ Fintechs.
• Current working knowledge of contracting models across the range of technology/IT categories and sub-categories.
• Knowledge of financial services products and regulation.
• Experience of working with procurement tools and systems.
• Ability to work independently, prioritise tasks and manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.

Who are we?

We want to be the best place that any of our 6,600 colleagues have ever worked.
We're the UK's largest long-term savings and retirement business. We offer a range of products across our market-leading brands, Standard Life, SunLife, Phoenix Life and ReAssure. Around 1 in 5 people in the UK has a pension with us. We're a FTSE 100 organisation that is tackling key issues such as transitioning our portfolio to net zero by 2050, and we're not done yet.

We want to hire the whole version of you.
We are committed to ensuring that everyone feels accepted and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. If your experience looks different from what we've advertised and you believe that you can bring value to the role, we'd love to hear from you.

If you require any adjustments to the recruitment process, please let us know so we can help you to be at your best.