Senior Specialist Procurement

About the role

This role leads complex technical, telecom infrastructure and services sourcing, including high-value and technically demanding projects. It involves supervising procurement staff, managing strategic RFPs and negotiations, and engaging Director and Senior Director-level stakeholders to ensure commercially sound decisions and compliance with approved procurement policies.

Key responsibilities

• Lead complex, high-value RFPs for telecom, technical equipment, infrastructure and specialized services, from accepted sourcing package through commercial evaluation, negotiation and award recommendation.
• Supervise assigned procurement staff: allocate workload, set priorities, review deliverables, coach team members and monitor performance.
• Manage the sourcing pipeline, RFP timelines, competitive bidding, commercial comparisons and negotiation strategies across assigned categories.
• Engage Directors and senior colleagues and cross-functional stakeholders to align requirements, resolve disagreements and secure timely decisions.
• Challenge incomplete or non-compliant requests and influence senior stakeholders to follow approved procurement policies, processes and Delegation of Authority.
• Coordinate technical evaluations, Steering Committee submissions, commercial evaluations and approval documentation in the prescribed sequence.
• Lead supplier negotiations, benchmarking and cost optimization; manage key supplier relationships and commercial risks.
• Contribute to category planning, procurement KPIs, spend analysis, process improvement and ERP-enabled sourcing discipline.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Telecommunications, Business Administration or a related discipline; Master's degree or professional certification (CIPS, ISM) preferred.
• 6-8 years of procurement and strategic sourcing experience, preferably in telecom, technical infrastructure, engineering equipment and complex services projects engaging with Directors and above.
• Minimum 2-3 years of direct supervisory experience managing procurement/sourcing staff, including work allocation and performance management.
• Proven hands-on leadership of complex RFPs and commercial negotiations with Directors, Senior Directors or equivalent.

Required skills

• Technical and services sourcing, supplier negotiations and commercial evaluation.
• Executive-level stakeholder engagement, persuasion, conflict resolution and policy enforcement.
• Team supervision, workload prioritization, coaching and operational leadership.
• Procurement governance, contracting and Delegation of Authority knowledge.
• Analytical, presentation and business English communication skills.