Sourcing Manager

Role Overview

As the successful candidate, you will collaborate closely with a diverse range of stakeholders, particularly within IHG’s Information Technology organization. Over time, you may also support the needs of our Professional Services and Marketing & Commercial Services teams. Your expertise in sourcing, contracting, negotiating, and supplier management will be key in delivering outstanding results for IHG.

Your primary responsibility will be leading sourcing and contracting for Software, IT Services, Hotel Technology, Infrastructure, Security, Cloud and Telecom categories, which represent a significant portion of IHG’s spend. This includes working with strategic, specialized and niche software providers, hyperscalers, telecommunications carriers, managed service providers, systems integrators, outsourcing firms and other technology suppliers. You will lead projects across these subcategories, managing sourcing, contracting and negotiations for assigned events. Collaboration with sourcing teams, business partners, and cross-functional teams in Finance, Legal, Privacy, Information Security, Architecture and other stakeholder groups will be essential.

This is a unique opportunity for a skilled and experienced procurement professional to make a significant impact on IHG’s procurement strategy, lead and develop sourcing talent, and deliver measurable value for the business.

Key Accountabilities

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  Lead and develop a team of sourcing professionals, setting clear priorities, coaching performance, building category and commercial capability, and creating an inclusive, accountable, high-performing team culture.

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  Strong understanding of end-to-end Sourcing & Contracting processes, including stakeholder engagement, sourcing strategy, supplier evaluation, commercial negotiations, due diligence, contract development, governance, approvals, and contract execution.

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  Work closely with stakeholders and sourcing teams to understand Information Technology sourcing needs across multiple subcategories, ensuring alignment with business, technology, risk and financial requirements.

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  Lead sourcing, contracting and negotiations on assigned projects and manage initiatives designed to improve total cost of ownership, innovation, service quality, resilience and continuous improvement. Execute global sourcing events and similar strategic initiatives.

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  Lead end-to-end sourcing activities, including opportunity assessment, market analysis, sourcing strategy, RFI/RFP/RFQ development, supplier evaluation, negotiation, award recommendation, contracting and implementation handoff.

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  Develop and implement category and subcategory strategies for IT Services, Software, SaaS, Cloud, Telecom and related technology spend, using demand, spend, supplier-market and risk insights to create a prioritized multiyear sourcing pipeline.

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  Apply appropriate commercial models for technology agreements, including fixed-price, time-and-materials, managed services, consumption-based, subscription, license, maintenance and outcome-based structures.

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  Conduct in-depth research and benchmarking, using data and analytics to guide decision-making, challenge supplier proposals and lead successful negotiations.

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  Build and maintain strong stakeholder relationships across Information Technology, Finance, Legal, Privacy, Information Security and other business functions to ensure sourcing strategies support functional and enterprise goals.

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  Partner with Legal and business stakeholders on contract development, including pricing, service levels, performance metrics, remedies, intellectual property, data protection, security, audit, business continuity, termination and transition provisions.

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  Lead supplier selection and negotiation processes with transparent evaluation criteria, fact-based decision records and effective governance; communicate recommendations and trade-offs clearly to senior stakeholders.

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  Contribute to the creation, implementation and continuous improvement of sourcing-management processes while guiding cross-functional teams.

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  Manage sourcing, demand-management and continuous-improvement projects within IHG’s sourcing model to achieve business goals.

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  Address issues raised by suppliers, stakeholders and internal teams, escalating material commercial, delivery or risk concerns when necessary.

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  Adapt quickly to changes in IHG’s procurement processes, technology and operating model.

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  Deliver increased value through savings, cost avoidance, demand optimization, working-capital improvement, risk reduction, innovation and improved supplier performance.

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  Ensure compliance with corporate procurement policies, governance frameworks, delegation of authority and risk-management procedures.

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  Establish clear project plans, resource assignments, milestones and reporting; manage team workload and ensure high-quality, timely delivery across a portfolio of sourcing events.

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  Excel Proficiency & Spend Data Management: Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, spend data management, data analysis, reporting, and validation, with the ability to independently review, reconcile, and audit spend data to identify discrepancies, gaps, and potential inaccuracies.

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  Strong understanding of Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) measurement and stakeholder feedback management, with the ability to analyze satisfaction trends, identify improvement opportunities, address stakeholder concerns, and drive continuous improvements in service delivery and stakeholder experience.

Key Skills & Experience

Typically 8+ years of relevant sourcing, procurement or category-management experience, including substantial experience in Information Technology categories and demonstrated people-leadership responsibility.

Information Technology Category Expertise

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  Demonstrated technical and commercial expertise sourcing IT Services, Software and Telecom, with additional experience across Cloud, Infrastructure, Hardware, Cybersecurity, Hotel Technology, outsourcing/offshoring and IT-enabled services.

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  Strong knowledge of enterprise software, SaaS, platforms, cloud services and the relationships among licensing, implementation, integration, support, hosting, data and security requirements.

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  Ability to analyze software licensing and subscription metrics, consumption and usage data, support and maintenance structures, rate cards, resource pyramids, labor locations, service levels and telecom pricing components.

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  Experience negotiating with major technology suppliers, systems integrators, managed service providers and telecommunications carriers in complex, global environments.

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  Working knowledge of technology sourcing risks such as vendor lock-in, data portability, implementation dependencies, cybersecurity, privacy, business continuity, concentration risk and exit/transition requirements.

Strategic Sourcing & Commercial Capability

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  Strong understanding of category-strategy implementation, strategic sourcing, procurement governance and the complete source-to-contract lifecycle.

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  Proven negotiation, influencing and contract-management capability.

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  Skilled in market analysis, RFx leadership, bid normalization, should-cost/TCO analysis, supplier evaluation, scenario development and negotiation planning.

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  Strong commercial judgment and the ability to balance cost, service, innovation, speed, risk and stakeholder priorities when presenting recommendations.

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  Experienced in managing complex supplier relationships and supporting supplier performance and value-realization activities.

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  Advanced proficiency with procurement and analytical tools such as SAP Ariba or GEP, Microsoft Excel and Power BI, or comparable platforms.

People Leadership & Stakeholder Management

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  Demonstrated experience directly managing, coaching and developing sourcing or procurement professionals, including goal setting, workload allocation, feedback and performance management.

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  Ability to lead through others, delegate effectively, maintain appropriate review and governance controls, and create development opportunities for team members.

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  Strong stakeholder-management and communication skills, with the credibility to advise, challenge and influence leaders at all organizational levels.

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  Collaborates effectively in global, matrixed team environments and builds alignment among technical, commercial, legal, finance and risk stakeholders.

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  Drive proactive stakeholder engagement by ensuring timely communication, transparent project reporting, milestone tracking, and early identification of potential delays to maintain alignment, build trust, and enhance stakeholder confidence.

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  Demonstrate a strong sense of accountability, ownership, and self-motivation while consistently delivering against high-performance standards. Ability to work with urgency, adapt to changing business priorities, and drive timely outcomes without compromising quality, commercial value, governance, or risk management.

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  Comfortable managing ambiguity, competing priorities and change in a fast-moving environment.

Additional Preferred Experience

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  Experience working in a global, multi-region organization and leading virtual or geographically distributed teams.

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  Experience in hospitality, travel, retail or franchised organizations is preferred but not required.

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  Professional procurement or supply-management certification, such as CPSM, CIPS/MCIPS or an equivalent credential, is preferred.

Education

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  Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Information Technology, Supply Chain, Finance, Business Administration or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience.