Senior Sourcing Expert IT Services

The IT Services team Category composed of Senior Sourcing Experts is responsible for:

1. Setting the Group Procurement strategy for IT Services with internal stakeholders of IT (Technology Office, Product Owners, all engaged with the help of Sourcing Business Partners), taking into account (whilst challenging) business needs, market trends, and risks. Benefits will be delivered on a dynamic basis in terms of cost, innovation, service support with the right level of risk. The strategy will anticipate and encompass key contract renewals.
2. Challenging the needs in a constructive dialog with internal requesters and the Sourcing Business Partner.
3. Defining the negotiation strategy and driving it while involving internal stakeholders including AXA Senior Executives.
4. Linking with the community of IT Services Buyers across the Group: the IT Services team will ensure proper links with the Entities’ Procurement teams (including CPOs) to develop transparency on common work/vendors/challenges and support local projects in a pull mode.
5. Ensuring constant market knowledge and vendor trends, detecting disruption in the market and vendor strategies in order to anticipate and mitigate risks as well as seize opportunities.

The scope of the role encompasses the following:

1. AXA Group Operations (GO) own IT Services needs for IT delivery (RFP, renewals, negotiations, stakeholders management, suppliers management, etc.).
2. Global MSA’s negotiations / implementation / renewals with global IT Services Vendors for the benefit of all AXA Group Entities (Accenture, Capgemini, Cognizant, TCS, etc.). For certain IT Services vendors, negotiations may be managed by Vendor Managers and the incumbent will be in support mode; for others, the incumbent may lead.
3. IT Services Category Management: define category strategy & implement it, animate the IT Services community with all IT Services Experts of all AXA Entities.

Key priorities of the category strategy encompass: review of the Global Preferred Supplier List and definition of clear KPIs for dynamic panel management; reshape the IT Services rates card; leverage the “One AXA” when synchronization opportunity arises from the consolidated sourcing pipeline; share regular market trends and suppliers watch, etc.

Main activities

1. Ensure upstream procurement involvement within the IT stakeholders through Sourcing Business Partners for AXA GO (Group Operations) or through the network of AXA Entities buyers in order to deliver value & get savings & minimize AXA’s risk exposure.
2. Proactively manage contract lifecycle: renegotiation, alternatives, compliance, etc.
3. Challenge the needs: the Senior Sourcing Expert will challenge the needs and have a dialog with business areas to set the right conditions to optimize benefits. Levers will include recommending alternative solutions/alternative vendors. Gather needs throughout AXA Services and AXA Group and get the best deals for the AXA Group.
4. Define negotiation strategy with internal stakeholders, involve these stakeholders including AXA Executives when driving the negotiations with Vendors.
5. Drive the contractual negotiations with Vendors and internal stakeholders (Legal, Compliance, Data Privacy, Security, Operational Resilience). For AXA Entities, in pull mode, the IT Services buyer may be in support/advising mode to another AXA Entity IT Services buyer.
6. Provide the Procurement network Group wide with key information about the negotiated deals, being able to promote these deals to ensure AXA Entities adherence to them.
7. Drive the development of new market opportunities (new suppliers, technologies, substitution products, etc.) for creating/ensuring healthy competition between vendors for the benefits of AXA.
8. As may be assigned, lead a Vendor Account Management at global level or local AXA services level (for a specific vendor), ensuring relevant alignment to Vendor Management framework and managing the relationship at various levels, including organizing Exec Review Meetings with AXA Senior Executives.
9. Participate in the elaboration of the strategy for the IT Services Category, involving internal stakeholders and Sourcing Business Partners.
10. Propose and implement levers for reducing or avoiding costs through vendor competition.
11. Actively support the IT community in their everyday transformation.

The Senior Sourcing Expert IT SERVICES will work in a global and multi-cultural work environment.

Technical and professional skills

1. Negotiation skills, including with monopolistic vendors.
2. Ability to design/articulate negotiation strategies.
3. Broad understanding of IT evolution especially on IT Services.
4. Deep knowledge of IT Services pricing models (IT Services metrics, SLAs for Services).
5. Knowledge of key IT Services contractual clauses and stakes.
6. English - Fluent in speaking and writing - another European language is a plus.

Soft skills

1. Good Communication & teamwork to be able to work in agile mode & across the IT experts community.
2. Excellent collaboration.
3. Strong colleagues/internal customers & business focus, result orientation.
4. Creative mindset to innovate & challenge to get competitive deals delivery.
5. Ability to work with the leadership team on top of the overall IT community.
6. Ability to work in a constant international environment.

Experience

1. Master Degree in Procurement or MBA level.
2. Significant experience (> 8 years) in Procurement with at least 3 years in IT Services negotiations.
3. Exposure to large, multi-country companies.