Technology Category Manager

About the Role
The Procurement IT Category Manager owns the sourcing and commercial strategy for the technology spend that powers our payment platforms and services. This includes payment processing and core platforms, cloud and data centre hosting, cybersecurity, network and connectivity, software and SaaS, payment hardware, and professional services. The role is pivotal in delivering measurable savings and value through strategic supplier partnerships while ensuring the availability, security, and regulatory compliance that are crucial to a payments business. The manager will work closely with Technology, Information Security, Risk, Legal, Finance, and business units, applying category management discipline and Oracle-enabled procurement processes to ensure the selection, contracting, and governance of the right suppliers across the group.

Job Accountabilities

• Manage the end-to-end procurement process of technology requirements from requisition to delivery, including support for payment processing through the AP team.
• Build Technology Category plans and cost optimization strategies.
• Generate cost savings and value through procurement activities by collaborating with stakeholders and suppliers.
• Support the standardization and sharing of best practices across group entities.
• Assist in the cost take-out and optimization strategy to achieve the target reduction in cost base.
• Identify and deliver procurement savings through strategic initiatives, negotiations, and identifying alternative suppliers.
• Manage supplier performance, evaluation, and support supplier risk management.
• Drive improvement in procurement processes through standardization, supplier catalogs, preferred suppliers, and automation.
• Ensure compliance with group policies and Delegation of Authority.
• Contribute to annual budgets and forecasting processes for cost base optimization.
• Provide input into Procurement Tracker and report KPIs such as processing times and procurement savings.
• Demonstrate strong commercial negotiation skills, including enterprise licensing and service agreements.
• Exhibit adaptability and a proactive approach to navigate the dynamic tech landscape.
• Contribute to improving overall efficiency and innovation of technology procurement to drive organizational strategy.

Experience / Skills Required
Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Finance, IT, Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum of 8 years of prior experience in an IT procurement role, ideally with procurement category management experience.
• MCIPS qualification is preferred but not mandatory.

Job-specific Skills:

• Significant experience in strategic sourcing and category management of technology spend.
• Essential senior stakeholder engagement and management experience.
• Proven experience in category management, procurement planning, and driving optimization initiatives.
• Background in leading large enterprise agreements in cloud, software licensing, and managed services.
• Strong negotiation capabilities.
• Proficiency in Oracle ERP, ideally Oracle Fusion Procurement.
• Experience in financial services, payments, or technology sectors, with an understanding of the payments ecosystem.
• Familiarity with third-party risk, outsourcing, and information security requirements for regulated payment providers.
• Knowledge of technology commercial models including SaaS, and cloud consumption.
• Ability to collaborate with Information Security, Risk, and Legal to incorporate security and resilience clauses in contracts.

Generic Skills:

• Capacity to work well under pressure with tight deadlines and dynamic environments.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong rapport-building with stakeholders.
• Critical thinking mindset and solution provider capabilities.
• Business acumen with sound judgment in balancing cost, risk, and service continuity.
• High energy levels, self-motivated, and integrity.
• Comfortable maintaining confidentiality and discretion.
• Flexibility to accommodate a variable working schedule.
• Proficient in Excel and PowerPoint for presentations.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a category strategy for all technology spend.
• Identify, evaluate, and select suppliers based on security and regulatory standards.
• Negotiate contracts to achieve measurable cost savings.
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Implement third-party risk assessments and resilience requirements.
• Leverage Oracle procurement tools for analytics and reporting.
• Monitor supplier performance and compliance metrics.
• Maintain market intelligence on emerging technologies and pricing trends.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives in procurement best practices.
• Report on savings, spend visibility, and risk exposure to senior leadership.