About the team: The successful candidate will work in close partnership with the VP Direct Spend, and executive level business partners in defining and implementing activities necessary to meet the business objectives.
About the role: The RELX Group Global Procurement (GP) function is a strategic procurement organization with global responsibilities for the sourcing of direct and indirect spend categories. The successful candidate will be a key member of the Direct Spend Management Team.
Within the assigned areas of responsibility, the Director, Global Procurement is responsible for developing and implementing effective spend management initiatives in Editorial, Production and Operations procurement while working cooperatively with local business units to ensure legal and policy compliance.
The candidate must develop collaborative relationships, shared objectives, and early engagement with the RELX Group business units to ensure projects and process/workflow related opportunities are identified, evaluated and standardized in a way that will drive efficiencies and project cost savings.
The key objectives are:
Develop, implement and articulate innovative and effective YoY procurement category strategies based on use of relevant market resources, strategic needs of supported business units, analytics of internal and external data sources including spend, knowledge of supplier services and capabilities, , and technological developments for the Editorial, Production and Operations services throughout RELX Group.
Evaluate and recommend strategic business opportunities in Editorial, Production and Operations services throughout divisions, utilizing industry knowledge and resources, current and emerging business models, and subject matter expertise as well as procurement expertise.
Successfully manage, develop and coach global team to drive change and achieve results.
Enable team to provide strategic procurement expertise, partnership and support throughout RELX.
Demonstrate executive leadership through active participation in Global Direct Spend Management Team (DSMT) and Global Procurement’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and other executive gatherings.
Responsibilities:
Procurement Strategy - Evaluates business requirements for assigned Direct Spend responsibilities, agrees shared objectives with the business, and creates a short term and long term Direct Spend procurement strategy with clear and measurable deliverables and timeframe. Direct Spend categories include: Editorial services, Production services, and Operations services
Data, Trends, Analyses – Determines strategy and execution for collection of internal and external data for successful category management. Educates and guides category teams to identify opportunities within data. Demonstrates effective analysis and use of tools such as Co-pilot or ChatGPT. Provides day-to-day leadership for category operations, strategic planning and supplier performance leading to cost savings, improved performance and effective management of category spend. Provides strategic support to businesses on special projects. Ensures GP category spend data is cleansed and reviewed quarterly. Ensures category trackers are updated. Enables visualization of available data for strategic dashboards.
Project Management - Oversees global procurement sourcing project management by using standardized procurement project templates and sourcing platform across RELX Group business areas. Provides strong direction on managing projects effectively and demonstrates expertise for the implementation of strategic plans and achievement of objectives. Approves and delivers end-to-end project plans and achieves milestones and outcomes.
Systems and Tools - Advises and provides consultation with GP Management Team, Executive Leadership Team, DSMT, GP Finance and Program Management Office (PMO) colleagues and Business executive management for implementation of processes, systems and projects.
Process Improvements - Participates in the ongoing improvement and cost effectiveness of procurement service delivery by driving the compliance of internal procurement systems and demonstrating process improvements, monitoring best practices, continuously upgrading services and technology, and reviewing best source of service provisions. Participates in reengineering efforts to improve business practices across RELX Group procurement and focuses on changing business needs and improving operating results. Supports analyses on work processes, workflows, and procedures and recommends changes to improve the effectiveness of the organization. Cultivates a positive environment of continuous improvement, flexibility, motivation and integrity.
Cost Savings – Contributes to department cost savings goals through relationship management and growth, strategic metric setting, analysis and identification of opportunities and completion of cost savings projects. Meets or exceeds all cost savings and FTE rationalisation goals in a timely fashion.
Supplier Management - Manages EPO category supplier program to rationalize and optimize global supplier base. Ensures category team provides consistent vendor relations based on recognized procurement compliance standards, best practices, and business ethics.
Training – Communicates, trains and coaches team on current procurement practices and resources. Provides training or access to training for RELX Group Direct Spend global customers and procurement professionals as appropriate, ensuring training compliance within category team.
Staff Management – Manage and develop team to achieve objectives and represent Global Procurement in accordance with RELX Group values and ethical guidelines, including timely objective setting and development review discussions. Manage teams to achieve targets for Direct Spend, GP and EPO category and manage organizational and activity change initiatives as required.
Requirements:
Advanced degree or certification in business administration, operations, procurement, finance, or related field preferred
Knowledge of content transformation, production and operationalsuppliers and industr
The successful candidate will have Director-level work experience in procurement or operations managing supplier relationships and directing salaried professionals in a similar capacity as well as process and tools experience
Subject matter expertise in Direct Spend Global activities: Operations, Supply Chain (Editorial, Production, Operations services, Content or Data Enrichment, subject matter expertise an advantage).
Highly honed negotiation skills, developed through significant deal making experience
Extensive influencing skills that can be used to lead teams and build partnerships with internal resources and supply base
Ability to communicate effectively with senior executives
Proven experience leading organizational change
Experience writing and generating RFP's, RFI's and RFQ's to suppliers
Excellent quantitative/analytical skills
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
-Excellent team development and management skills
Behaviors:
Ability to build strategic working relationships at the executive level to facilitate agreement with internal partners
Ability to deal with ambiguity and remain flexible in approach to complex problems
Ability to operate in environment requiring working through conflict to resolution
Ability to attract, retain and develop senior professionals to build a high perfoming team
Ability to work well with cross-functional teams
Ability to build trust with others who may not have identical goals
Persuasive written and oral presentation skills
Ability to effectively and concisely present complex data and concepts
Culturally aware with the ability to communicate and lead projects in multi-cultural, multi-national environments
Ability to travel globally.
About the Business:
RELX is a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers.
The group serves customers in more than 180 geographies and has offices in about 40 countries. It employs more than 37,000 people, around 40% of whom are in North America. The headquarters is in London. The market capitalization is approximately £37bn ($50bn) and the company is listed on the London Stock Exchange, Euronext and NYSE.
The company has four market segments. It develops information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers in the Risk, Scientific, Technical & Medical, Legal, and Exhibitions sectors.
Work in a way that works for you
We promote a healthy work/life balance across the organisation. We offer an appealing working prospect for our people. With numerous wellbeing initiatives, shared parental leave, study assistance and sabbaticals, we will help you meet your immediate responsibilities and your long-term goals.
Working flexible hours - flexing the times when you work in the day to help you fit everything in and work when you are the most productive
Working for you
We know that your wellbeing and happiness are key to a long and successful career. These are some of the benefits we are delighted to offer:
Generous holiday allowance with the option to buy additional days
Health screening, eye care vouchers and private medical benefits
Wellbeing programs
Life assurance
Access to a competitive contributory pension scheme
Save As You Earn share option scheme
Travel Season ticket loan
Electric Vehicle Scheme
Optional Dental Insurance
Maternity, paternity and shared parental leave
Employee Assistance Programme
Access to emergency care for both the elderly and children
RECARES days, giving you time to support the charities and causes that matter to you
Access to employee resource groups with dedicated time to volunteer
Access to extensive learning and development resources
Access to employee discounts scheme via Perks at Work
We know your well-being and happiness are key to a long and successful career. We are delighted to offer country specific benefits. Click here to access benefits specific to your location.
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