Summary

The Senior Buyer will be responsible for managing the procurement of a range of mostly indirect spend products and services, focusing on either regional or global opportunities with occasional market specific projects focused on Publicis key markets. Previous experience with enterprise systems procurement in association with the sales cycle is preferred. Additional exposure to professional services categories including implementation of complex systems would be an added advantage.

The Senior Buyer will work closely with and under the direction of the Global Category Director responsible for category strategy formulation. The Senior Buyer will be expected to have the maturity to work independently with minimal supervision, be able to use advanced business acumen to work through business opportunities, design execution plans and make optimal recommendations for ratification and approval by the Global Category Director. The Senior Buyer will use their knowledge and expertise to interact with very senior level stakeholders, gather and refine requirements, perform market analysis, draft RFP, execute go to market approach, and negotiate contract and commercial positions.

Key responsibilities

• Undertakes complex spend analysis, spots patterns, trends and opportunities and makes recommendations for new project opportunities to the Global Category Leads.
• Undertakes market research and consults stakeholders to understand technical and commercial aspects of a range of complex business needs.
• Works with various stakeholders to shape and articulate complex business needs and outcomes, whilst ensuring alignment of procurement plans to wider organisational strategic objectives.
• Prepare sourcing strategy for approval by CPO and/or relevant Global Category Lead: explores and assesses appropriate options and tailors actions accordingly.
• Prepares well-structured RFX documentation containing relevant information for complex requirements, including shaping qualitative criteria and pricing schedules and running fair, transparent and efficient competitive bidding processes.
• Oversees or directs the evaluation process for complex or politically sensitive procurements to ensure compliance with all policy requirements and to drive value for money outcome.
• Ability to draft contract terms from a standard template and negotiate contractual terms: ensures the application of principles of contract law in procurement and uses knowledge to provide influential advice to senior stakeholders. Engages with senior legal experts on complex contract law matters.
• Ability to write implementation plans, communications and create business plans
• Advises on the development of the contract management strategy for complex requirements based on risk, the nature of the contract, and its importance to achieving agency and government objectives.
• Challenges and offers suggestions to improve procurement activities, where appropriate, including identifying opportunities for aggregation.
• Responsible for tracking savings and cost avoidance potential, dealing with financial planning and forecasting

Required Skills/Experience

• Minimum 3-5 years’ experience of executing complex RFP processes
• Developed project management skills: highly organised and able to prioritise tasks
• Advanced negotiations skills
• Business acumen: sound financial, legal and communication skills
• Politically savvy: ability to build and maintain effective working relationships
• Previous experience of working in a fast paced, dynamic and entrepreneurial procurement environment
• A proven team player with excellent communication skills, analytical skills and attention to detail
• Completely literate in English language and one other (French will be an added advantage)

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent

Additional Information

About the Global Procurement Team

Publicis Groupe Procurement is a board-mandated function. Global Procurement provides strategic partnership to, providing holistic procurement business solutions, which bring real benefits to Publicis Groupe companies, clients, and employees. The department’s motto is to Protect, Enrich, Challenge, and by consequence, Reduce Publicis Groupe spend via best in class procurement processes and negotiations .

Talent at Publicis Groupe

Transformation means keeping pace with the huge changes taking place in the economy, in technology and in society. In an age of convergence and empowerment, we aim to attract people who can help our clients reinvent themselves and guide them through their transformation. That is the challenge: help our clients transform their business. It demands colourful personalities with an irrepressible passion for all the opportunities unleashed by digital disruption.