Job Description Summary
The VP, Strategy and Operations acts as the Chief Procurement Officer's principal partner in developing and executing strategy and driving the transformation agenda: responsible for developing category strategies to optimise value from third-party spend, building the procurement operating model, and architecting the procurement modernization agenda, focused on technology, AI and process optimisation across source-to-pay. The role demands a strategic, analytical and operational mindset in equal measure, deep functional expertise, a data and technology driven approach, and the ability to lead through influence rather than direct line management.
The role would suit an experienced and/or qualified procurement professional, operating at senior level and requiring deep and broad expertise across procurement strategy, technology and operations. Works independently, sets direction for others and mentors junior members of the team. The role carries no direct category accountability of its own, but rather partners with category and business leaders, and is measured through the results of these teams.
About The Team
RELX leverages its spend through a central Global Procurement function responsible for delivering procurement savings, driving supply chain efficiencies, and mitigating supply risk across all major spend categories - technology, cloud and AI, data and content, marketing, professional services, contingent labour, print and production, facilities and travel. Global Procurement is led by the Chief Procurement Officer, supported by Global Category Leaders and a Programme Management Office responsible for procurement policy, process, tools and operational activity across all spend categories.
About The Role
We are looking for an analytically and intellectually driven senior leader, team player and self-starter with deep operational and strategy expertise across the procurement domain. The role would suit an individual from a technology, finance, consulting or information services background. This role provides significant exposure to and opportunities to influence senior executives across multiple business segments.
The role will be based at a primary RELX location in North America, with periodic international travel to our global offices, and reports to the RELX Chief Procurement Officer.
Main Accountabilities
- Own the development and refresh of the Global Procurement multi-year strategy, aligned to RELX Group strategy and to each business area's plan.
- Translate strategy into a sequenced transformation roadmap with clear owners, milestones and benefit cases; run the governance that keeps it on track.
- Own end-to-end source-to-contract process design and performance, and the technology roadmap.
- Drive process simplification, automation and self-service so that policy-compliant buying is the path of least resistance for the business.
- Design and evolve the procurement operating model - organisation shape, category architecture, centre-led versus embedded resourcing, location strategy and the interfaces with other business areas.
- Partner closely with the PMO to ensure improvement initiatives are executed in alignment with strategy.
- Lead and oversee strategic initiatives that cut across categories: supplier consolidation programmes, third-party cost transformation, procurement integration in M&A, and make-versus-buy reviews.
- Oversee data management and data quality.
- Coach and develop a geographically distributed team of specialists and people managers.
- Build senior relationships across business areas and corporate functions.
Requirements
- Have substantial senior experience in procurement, sourcing or third-party cost management within a large, complex, multinational organisation, including time in a strategy, operations or transformation role.
- Have category expertise across technology and indirect procurement.
- Have a proven track record of designing and delivering procurement or functional transformation at scale - operating model change, technology deployment, or process re-engineering.
- Have deep working knowledge of the source-to-pay lifecycle and at least one major S2P platform, including implementation or major upgrade experience.
- Be strong in commercial and financial fluency - able to build a business case, define and defend savings methodology, and hold a credible conversation with a CFO or divisional finance director.
- Be able to influence and earn credibility with executive stakeholders in a federated, multi-business-unit environment where authority is earned rather than granted.
- Have experience leading distributed teams, including managing managers, and building capability.
- Be an exceptional analytical thinker, comfortable with spend data, taxonomies and analytics tooling.
- Be a confident communicator, able to create clear, decision-oriented materials for senior leadership, including Board-level presentations.
This job is eligible for an annual incentive bonus. This posting is for an existing vacancy.
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