IT Category Lead: Strategic Tech Sourcing & Partnerships

BSI; Greater London; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

BSI is seeking an IT Category Lead in London to shape and deliver procurement strategies across Software, IT Services, Telecommunications and Cloud. You will own end-to-end sourcing, drive savings and manage critical supplier relationships to support digital and operational capabilities.

The role requires significant IT category management experience, strong commercial acumen, and the ability to influence senior stakeholders while embedding sustainability and governance across sourcing

Qualifications

• Significant experience in IT category management and complex technology sourcing.
• Proven track record leading high-value, high-risk sourcing and negotiations with senior stakeholders.
• Strong commercial and contracting expertise across statements of work, pricing or rate models, performance frameworks and change or exit controls.
• Strong understanding of strategic supplier management within technology environments.
• Excellent senior stakeholder influencing skills with the confidence to challenge requirements and shape commercial decisions.
• Strong analytical capability to interpret spend data, market insight and commercial options and build business cases.
• Experience operating within governance-led, audit-ready procurement environments.
• Understanding of sustainable procurement principles and ESG frameworks such as ISO 20400, EcoVadis or equivalent.
• Ability to operate effectively with ambiguity, framing commercial risks, options and recommendations clearly.
• Relevant degree or equivalent professional experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop and own multi-year category strategies and annual plans across Software, IT Services, Telecommunications and Cloud.
• Build category insight using spend data, demand drivers, supplier economics and market benchmarking.
• Identify and quantify opportunities across savings, cost avoidance, service improvement, resilience and risk reduction.
• Translate category strategy into prioritised sourcing pipelines aligned to technology and business plans.
• Act as the primary commercial authority for IT sub-categories, challenging scope, supplier selection and commercial approach where appropriate.
• Partner with senior technology and business stakeholders to shape requirements and influence decisions ahead of investment and supplier engagement.
• Lead complex end-to-end sourcing, evaluation, negotiation and award activities across strategic technology spend.
• Negotiate robust commercial arrangements covering pricing, deliverables, intellectual property, liability, performance, change and exit requirements.
• Manage strategic supplier relationships through structured governance, KPIs, performance reviews, improvement plans and renewal strategies.
• Embed appropriate due diligence, procurement controls and audit-ready documentation across sourcing and supplier management.
• Integrate sustainability and responsible procurement considerations into category strategy, supplier selection and performance management.

Skills

IT category management

complex technology sourcing

stakeholder influencing

spend data interpretation

supplier management

commercial negotiations

Education

Relevant degree or equivalent

Job description

BSI is seeking an IT Category Lead in London to shape and deliver procurement strategies across Software, IT Services, Telecommunications and Cloud. You will own end-to-end sourcing, drive savings and manage critical supplier relationships to support digital and operational capabilities.

The role requires significant IT category management experience, strong commercial acumen, and the ability to influence senior stakeholders while embedding sustainability and governance across sourcing