AI Tech Lead – Sourcing

Smith+Nephew; Watford; Hybrid; GBP 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working model

Generous annual bonus and pension Sche

Healthcare and life assurance

Job summary

Smith+Neo is seeking a senior Solution Architect to lead AI-enabled sourcing and procurement architecture in the Watford area. You will translate business needs into scalable designs and work with procurement, finance, legal, and security to ensure aligned delivery.

The role focuses on governance, trusted advisory, and technical leadership across product, engineering, and data teams in a hybrid work setup.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in a relevant field.
• Experience designing enterprise AI solutions and governance considerations.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end solution architecture for AI-enabled sourcing and procurement capabilities, including autonomous sourcing, category intelligence, negotiations, and payables.
• Translate business challenges into scalable architecture designs, functional specs, and delivery roadmaps.
• Define architecture patterns covering integrations, workflow orchestration, model selection, prompt design, grounding, and human oversight.
• Partner with Procurement, Finance, Legal, Compliance, Security, and Technology teams to ensure alignment and delivery.
• Drive AI governance, security, compliance, and responsible AI practices across procurement solutions.
• Provide technical leadership, architecture governance, and mentorship to product, engineering, and data teams.
• Act as a trusted advisor on procurement transformation and emerging AI opportunities.

Job description

Life. Unlimited. At Smith+Neo we design and manufacture technology that takes the limits off living.

What will you be doing?

• Lead end to end solution architecture for AI enabled sourcing and procurement capabilities, including autonomous sourcing, category intelligence, negotiations, and payables.
• Translate business challenges and opportunities into scalable architecture designs, functional specifications, and delivery roadmaps.
• Define architecture patterns covering integrations, workflow orchestration, model selection, prompt design, grounding, and human oversight.
• Partner with stakeholders across Procurement, Finance, Legal, Compliance, Security, and Technology teams to ensure alignment and successful delivery.
• Drive AI governance, security, compliance, and responsible AI practices across procurement solutions.
• Provide technical leadership, architecture governance, and mentorship to product, engineering, and data teams.
• Act as a trusted advisor on procurement transformation and emerging AI opportunities.

What will you need to be successful?

• 10+ years of experience in Solution Architecture, Enterprise Applications, Digital Procurement, Supply Chain Technology, or related disciplines with meaningful exposure to Source to Pay processes.
• Strong expertise across sourcing, contracts, purchasing, supplier management, invoicing, and finance integration processes.
• Proven experience translating business requirements into architecture blueprints, integration designs, data flows, and implementation roadmaps.
• Experience designing enterprise AI solutions, including copilots, intelligent automation, knowledge assistants, document extraction, and AI governance considerations.
• Strong understanding of enterprise integration, data architecture, security, compliance, and non functional requirements.
• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Procurement, Supply Chain, Business Administration, or a related field. Advanced degrees are preferred.
• Experience with technologies such as SAP S/4HANA, SAP Ariba, Microsoft Copilot, Azure AI Services, or similar enterprise platforms is highly desirable.

You. Unlimited.

We believe in creating the greatest good for society. Our Strongest investments are in our people and patients we serve.

Inclusion and Belonging:

Committed to Welcoming, Celebrating and Thriving on Inclusion and Belonging, Learn more about our Employee Inclusion Groups on our website (www.smith-nephew.com)

Your Future:

Generous annual bonus and pension Schemes, Save As You Earn share options.

Work/Life Balance:

Flexible Vacation and Time Off, Paid Holidays and Paid Volunteering Hours, so we can give back to our communities!

Your Wellbeing:

Private Health and Dental plans, Healthcare Cash Plans, Life Assurance and much more.

Flexibility:

Hybrid Working Model (For most professional roles).

Training:

Hands On, Team Customised, Mentorship.

Extra Perks:

Discounts on Gyms and fitness clubs and many other Employee discounts.

Stay connected by joining our Talent Community.

We're more than just a company - we're a community! Follow us on LinkedIn to see how we support and empower our employees and patients every day.

Check us out on Glassdoor for a glimpse behind the scenes and a sneak peek into You. Unlimited., life, culture, and benefits at S+N.

Explore our website and learn more about our mission, our team, and the opportunities we offer.