Associate, Procurement & Strategic Sourcing - Marketing Category

-; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global finance company seeks a seasoned professional for strategic sourcing in the Marketing Category. Responsibilities include end-to-end management of sourcing activities, building supplier relationships, and market analysis. Candidates should have over 5 years of relevant experience, a strong understanding of marketing dynamics, and negotiation skills. This role offers a hybrid work model, aiming for collaboration while providing flexibility.

Benefits

Comprehensive health resources

Education reimbursement

Flexible Time Off

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in strategic sourcing at a relevant institution.
• Comprehensive understanding of the marketing and creative agency sector.
• Expertise in competitive bidding and vendor risk due diligence.

Responsibilities

• Manage strategic sourcing activities from stakeholder needs to supplier agreements.
• Develop and implement sourcing strategies aligning with business goals.
• Conduct market research to support informed sourcing decision-making.

Skills

Strategic sourcing experience

Negotiation skills

Market analysis

Strong leadership

Financial modelling

Proficient in MS Office

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Advanced degrees in Business or Law

Job description

About this role

Business Unit Overview

BlackRock Finance consists of finance professionals across several disciplines such as Financial Planning & Analysis, Treasury, Tax, Finance Controls, Global Strategic Sourcing (GSS), Finance Platform Support and Controllers. GSS is a global team, with team members primarily based in New York, Gurgaon, Edinburgh, and Budapest. GSS aims to be an organization of trusted strategic sourcing advisors enabling BlackRock to achieve more value. The GSS team advises and supports business functions on all their supplier‑related initiatives whether they involve supplier identification, evaluation, selection, negotiation, performance management or escalation management. GSS seeks to avoid certain costs, deliver tangible cost reductions, furnish reliable analytical data and insights for improved decision making, and enable a socially responsible and diverse supplier base.

Background

GSS seeks a seasoned professional in procurement with a focus on strategic sourcing to support the overall Marketing Category for BlackRock at a global level. The subcategories within this space include external affairs, creative agencies, creative production, events and sponsorship, promotional merchandising, market research, paid media, and digital marketing.

This professional should be responsible for end‑to‑end management of strategic sourcing activities—from understanding stakeholder needs and available suppliers in the marketplace, to performing supplier assessment & due diligence, to negotiating, redlining, and executing supplier agreements in a timely fashion.

Principal duties include

• Strategic Advisory: Serve as a strategic advisor to all levels of management on all matters related to sourcing and procurement, offering insights and recommendations to optimize processes and achieve business objectives.
• Sourcing Strategy Development: Develop and implement comprehensive sourcing strategies through competitive bidding, proofs‑of‑concept, demand management, supplier consolidation, and process reengineering efforts that align with the company’s overall business goals, ensuring cost‑effectiveness, quality, and social responsibility.
• Supplier Relationship Management: Build and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers, negotiating and drafting favorable terms into contracts, ensuring the highest standards of quality and service.
• Market Analysis: Conduct thorough market research and analysis to identify trends, risks, and opportunities within the supply chain, and prepare PowerPoint decks to support informed sourcing decision‑making.
• Cost Management: Implement cost‑saving initiatives and strategies including leading competitive RFPs and vendor negotiations to reduce overall expenses without compromising on quality or performance.
• Risk Management: Identify potential risks within the supply chain and develop mitigation plans to ensure business continuity and minimize disruptions.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration: Work closely with internal stakeholders, including Marketing campaign owners, Corporate Affairs/Communications leads, Business Function Leads, Category Leads, Third Party Risk, and Legal teams around the world in the negotiation of General Services Agreements, Engagement Letters, and Statements of Work.
• Compliance and Ethics: Ensure all sourcing and procurement activities comply with corporate policies, ethical standards, and legal requirements.

Experience required

• At least 5 years of strategic sourcing experience at a consulting, marketing, technology or financial services institution, with a proven track record of success in a strategic sourcing advisory role.
• A passion for the marketing and creative agency sector, including a comprehensive understanding of market drivers, trends, and dynamics. This should include knowledge of how to negotiate technology agreements in the digital marketing space.
• Expertise with category planning, competitive bidding techniques (RFI, RFP, RFQ), creation of business cases, vendor selection, vendor risk due diligence, operations management, and vendor dispute/escalation management.
• Financial modelling skills to build multiple negotiation scenarios, total cost of ownership models, consumption models, and demand forecasts based on spend analytics and other data sources.
• Depth in drafting, redlining, and negotiating global contracts, including experience drafting engagement letters and service level agreements (SLAs), with professional service providers. This includes a solid understanding of contract law, including demonstrated ability to understand, interpret and articulate key legal terms in agreements.

Competencies

• Strong oral and written English language skills.
• Highly strategic thinker with a proactive approach to challenges and opportunities, possessing superior analytical skills, including the ability to translate analyses into negotiation strategies and results.
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively in a team‑oriented environment, eliciting support for key initiatives from senior management and other key stakeholders, by building and delivering clear, well‑structured presentations.
• Detail‑oriented and organized, with a commitment to excellence and continuous improvement and the ability to prioritize multiple concurrent sourcing initiatives.
• Adaptable and resilient, with the ability to thrive in a fast‑paced and dynamic business environment and with the willingness to adapt working hours and collaborate across global time zones to meet business needs and deadlines, understanding that most of the BlackRock supplier portfolio is comprised of firms based in the United States.
• Proficient MS Office skills, (including experience using CoPilot and other AI software products, enterprise procurement systems (e.g. Coupa), and experience using e‑signature platforms such as DocuSign.

Education Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree, with preferences for English Literature, History, Marketing, Business Administration, Engineering, Economics, Finance, Data Science, Supply Chain Management, or Legal Studies.
• Advanced degrees in Business, Law, or related areas are a plus.

Our benefits

To help you stay energized, engaged and inspired, we offer a wide range of employee benefits including: retirement investment and tools designed to help you in building a sound financial future; access to education reimbursement; comprehensive resources to support your physical health and emotional well‑being; family support programs; and Flexible Time Off (FTO) so you can relax, recharge and be there for the people you care about.

Our hybrid work model

BlackRock’s hybrid work model is designed to enable a culture of collaboration and apprenticeship that enriches the experience of our employees, while supporting flexibility for all. Employees are currently required to work at least 4 days in the office per week, with the flexibility to work from home 1 day a week. Some business groups may require more time in the office due to their roles and responsibilities. We remain focused on increasing the impactful moments that arise when we work together in person - aligned with our commitment to performance and innovation. As a new joiner, you can count on this hybrid model to accelerate your learning and onboarding experience here at BlackRock.

About BlackRock

At BlackRock, we are all connected by one mission: to help more and more people experience financial well‑being. Our clients, and the people they serve, are saving for retirement, paying for their children’s educations, buying homes and starting businesses. Their investments also help to strengthen the global economy: support businesses small and large; finance infrastructure projects that connect and power cities; and facilitate innovations that drive progress.

This mission would not be possible without our smartest investment - the one we make in our employees. It’s why we’re dedicated to creating an environment where our colleagues feel welcomed, valued and supported with networks, benefits and development opportunities to help them thrive.

For additional information on BlackRock, please visit @blackrock | Twitter: @blackrock | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/blackrock

BlackRock is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to age, disability, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation and other protected characteristics at law.