Sourcing Business Partner

Where will you be in the organization?

The division

You will join Group Procurement & Sourcing division. Our mission is to increase AXA Group competitiveness by optimizing the end-to-end Procurement cycle of external spend (excluding Insurance procurement), while building a high performance and risk-managed supplier base. We have a global and entity Procurement presence with 2 different mandates:

1. As Group, we:

• Leverage our purchasing power through global deals & key supplier relationship management
• Define & share vendor risk framework & outsourcing policies
• Provide and manage global Procurement tools
• Drive responsible Procurement across AXA
• Engage the Procurement community

• Optimize the external spend by managing categories and suppliers, and challenging the demand to support AXA GO strategy
• Implement vendor risk framework and policies at AXA GO
• Develop and use local & global Procurement tools
• Develop responsible Procurement at AXA GO

Our division is composed of several departments with respective accountabilities:

• Procurement Partnerships
• Procurement General Expenses & Real Estate
• Procurement IT & Security
• Procurement Cesame
• Procurement Transformation

The department / team

At Procurement Partnership, we aim to enhance Procurement function by leveraging ONE AXA voice with 3 main missions:

• Monitor and develop Key vendor Program as an asset to leverage AXA size and ensure Procurement Discipline with vendors, including management of some cross-category vendors
• Partner with GO (Products & Markets) to work proactively on demands and sourcing strategies
• Partner with Entities to enhance One AXA engagement model and jointly increase procurement value

About the job

Job purpose

As a Microsoft Key Vendor Manager, you will oversee the relationship with Microsoft for AXA Group, enabling governance and optimizing value throughout the relationship lifecycle.

Your role is to develop and maintain a strong and strategic partnership with Microsoft, support negotiation of main contracts in relationship with Categories and/or buyers, manage the vendor's performance, anticipate and understand market developments, and optimize costs.

In addition, you will support the overall Key Vendor program activities for topics related to Microsoft.

Main missions

Your responsibilities include:

• Develop vendor strategy to enhance Microsoft performance and value delivered to AXA
• Optimize vendor governance through strategic business reviews to push AXA’s strategy and priorities; through a close relationship with Microsoft Exec Sponsors and Microsoft stakeholders
• Drive and maintain ongoing relationships with Microsoft, with a good knowledge of Microsoft activities within AXA (‘orchestration of the relationship’)
• Have a good overview of vendor performance through AXA (in particular in terms of quality of service, projects execution and security) and identify areas for improvement.
• Act as a point of contact to resolve vendor issues and disputes, collaborating with other departments and AXA entities
• Ensure vendor compliance with regulatory requirements, contractual obligations, and company policies (ex. DORA)
• Collaborate with SMEs, CESAME and category colleagues to plan and negotiate MS Group contracts and to ensure contract lifecycle activities are performed
• Drive discussions on Master agreement terms, licensing and Cloud evolutions, Support models, etc.
• Lead discussions within the extended team (inc. CESAME, Workplace, Cloud, Distributed, etc colleagues) and SME team, animating complex multi-disciplinary groups to reach timely solutions
• Oversee important projects between AXA and Microsoft, requiring in-depth knowledge and governance preparation
• Engage in overall relationship activities, such as preparing briefing, exec meetings, coordinating event participation such as Customer Advisory Board, etc.
• Stay informed about industry trends, best practices, attending conferences and networking to share knowledge

We are looking for someone with the following experience and skills:

Experience

• Proven experience in vendor management and procurement, with a track record of developing and implementing successful vendor strategies
• Demonstrated experience in negotiating complex contracts, master agreement terms, and licensing with vendors, ideally within the technology or financial services industry
• Experience in collaborating with cross-functional teams, overseeing important projects, and providing guidance on budgetary matters related to vendor management.

Technical skills

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to lead and drive discussions within cross-functional teams, oversee important projects, and provide guidance on budgetary matters.
• Deep understanding of Tech vendors market
• Ability to converge vendor offer in the best interest of AXA
• Proficiency in creating and executing vendor management strategies, including KPIs and deliverables

Soft skills / transversal skills

• Strong networking skills to interact with C-level contacts (within AXA or externally), engage in overall relationship activities, and represent AXA effectively
• Proactive and driven individual with the ability to foster partnerships and opportunities with key vendor
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify and support opportunities to leverage One AXA and communicate escalations and successes effectively
• Capacity to multitask, prioritize strategic activities, and streamline administrative work to optimize time and focus on key vendor management responsibilities