Director of IT Procurement/Procurement Business Partner

Responsibilities Reports To: Senior Director, Head of Procurement Position Summary: The Procurement Business Partner is a hybrid management and individual contributor role. The selected candidate is responsible for overseeing and optimizing the procurement processes and activities related to the sourcing of goods and services within the IT category. This strategic role is pivotal in driving procurement excellence, controlling costs, and fostering strong supplier relationships to support the organization’s objectives. Key Responsibilities: Develop and implement category strategies that align with Finastra’s business goals and procurement policies. Lead cross-functional teams to execute the category strategy, ensuring thorough cost, process, market, and technical analyses. Manage supplier selection, contract negotiation, and procurement operations for the IT category. Collaborate with internal stakeholders to understand their needs and ensure alignment with the procurement strategy. Drive continuous improvement initiatives within the procurement function to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. Mentor and lead a team of procurement professionals, fostering a culture of high performance and development. Ensure that effective processes and communication channels are in place to maximize the delivery and implementation of any sourcing or procurement activities. Define IT sourcing strategies for technology products, services, solutions and digital platforms aligned to technology and business unit objectives and priorities. Develop, through a collaborative and inclusive approach, a Global IT sourcing and IT procurement strategy that delivers against IT and business strategy priorities and translates IT and business imperatives into effective IT sourcing, procurement and vendor management strategies. Sponsor and initiate continuous process improvement projects to improve delivery to exceed internal stakeholder expectations and requirements. Promote/communicate the importance of the department to the organization's senior executive team and stakeholders. Present all pertinent vendor and/or industry trends to stakeholders and propose updates and improvements to existing strategies. Present executive-level presentations, business cases and papers in support of the sourcing and procurement strategies, including representing complex data in a simple yet compelling way to support your position. Manage the communication process with vendors, including what information should be communicated, when and by whom, to ensure that appropriate leverage is preserved. Maintain and present market analysis to IT and business leaders regarding innovative product, solution and service opportunities. Identify cost-optimization opportunities across Finastra/globe and present a concise business case/plan to stakeholders. Advance the organization’s skills that support business agility, speed and risk management through automation or the adoption of new technology and leveraging internal and external data sources. Manage projects against an approved plan and objectives to ensure that commitments are met by monitoring, assessing and resolving variances in budget, timing or quality of work. Provide proactive, high-value procurement and contract negotiation consultation to the business and direct reports through thorough understanding of the business needs. Develop mechanisms to ensure that the department is embedded with the business, including team participation in technology and business unit strategy days, off-sites and leadership team meetings. Monitor and support key development, evaluation and retirement of strategic IT vendor relationships, and update sourcing strategies and systems accordingly. Regularly interact with IT and business stakeholders to balance cost, risk and speed to ensure that the business can realize its objectives. For material sourcing events, lead the negotiation strategy and negotiation team for IT contracts. Monitor and support key strategic IT vendor relationships, including contract and conflict resolution. Oversee maintenance of vendor agreements and, where applicable or in cooperation with legal and stakeholders, ensure that they are up-to-date and compliant with relevant laws and regulations. Serve as a point of escalation for vendor issues and disputes and drive those issues to resolution. Provide oversight to vendor audits where required; arrange and direct departmental activities and true-up/reconciliation schedules, in cooperation with stakeholder groups. Develop and manage a high-performance team responsible for supporting all IT vendor-related functions. Develop talent through succession planning, training and mentoring of direct reports. Support the development of skills, such as data analytics, collaboration, negotiation and influence. Support team training and continuous improvement, along with team and individual metrics and KPIs. Demonstrate leadership, including team leadership and organizational skills. Advise and coach team members as they lead strategic and tactical efforts. Establish metrics and key performance indicators for the team. Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Finance, Supply Chain, Information Technology or a related field; Master’s degree or MBA preferred. Professional certifications such as CPSM, CPM, or CPIM are advantageous. Extensive experience (ideally 10+) in procurement, category management, or a related field, with a proven track record of delivering results. Strong analytical skills and experience with procurement software and systems. Excellent negotiation and supplier relationship management skills. Ability to lead and influence cross-functional teams. Applicants for this position need to be located in the following cities or their immediate surrounding areas: Atlanta, Austin, Lake Mary (US) or Mississauga, Canada. Due to the requirements of this position, this job posting is not available for, and Finastra will not be considering any, applicants from New York City. Finastra is committed to providing accessible employment practices that are in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). We will accommodate applicants' needs upon request, throughout all stages of the recruitment process. Please inform us of the accommodation(s) that you may require. Information received related to accommodation will be addressed confidentially.