OPEX Procurement Manager

Virtus Data Centres Ltd; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

VIRTUS Data Centres is seeking an Opex Procurement Manager to lead procurement across operational expenditure categories with a focus on a multi-country re-tender for Facilities Management, Security and Cleaning. You will own strategy, market engagement, tender documentation, PQQ/ITT, evaluation, negotiation and mobilisation alongside internal teams.

The role involves governance, supplier performance management and cost optimisation across the UK, Germany and Italy, ensuring service continuity,

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent in Procurement, Supply Chain, Commercial Management, or related discipline.
• End-to-end tender experience: strategy, PQQ/ITT, market engagement, evaluation, negotiation and mobilisation.
• Experience with FM, Security, Cleaning or outsourced service contracts.
• Strong supplier evaluation, SLAs and KPIs, governance and compliance.
• Experience cross-functionally with Operations, Finance, Legal and senior management.

Responsibilities

• Lead the re-tender across UK, Germany and Italy with governance and documentation.
• Develop procurement strategy, bidder list, evaluation criteria and templates.
• Translating requirements from Operations, FM, Security, Engineering, Finance and Legal into scopes.
• Run end-to-end tender processes: market engagement, PQQ/ITT, clarifications, evaluation and award.
• Coordinate external procurement consultants with clear deliverables and timelines.
• Ensure governance, risk, TUPE, health & safety and business continuity are considered.

Skills

Commercial judgement

Tender management

Stakeholder management

Operational procurement

Negotiation

Attention to detail

Organisational skills

Education

Degree in Procurement or related field

Tools

SAP

Ariba

Contract repositories

Job description

About VIRTUS

VIRTUS Data Centres is the UK's fastest-growing data centre provider. We own, design, build, and operate some of the most energy-efficient, flexible, and secure data centres in Europe.

In 2023, we announced our expansion into continental Europe, starting with Berlin and Milan, with plans to grow further across the region.

At VIRTUS, we aim to be a positive force in the fourth industrial revolution- delivering innovative solutions while staying firmly rooted in our core values: Clarity & Quality, Accountability, Customer Commitment, Purposeful Innovation, and Capability & Growth.

Job Summary

We are looking for an Opex Procurement Manager to lead procurement across VIRTUS' operational expenditure categories. The immediate priority is the re-tender of Facilities Management, Security and Cleaning services across our UK, Germany and Italy portfolio - a multi-country, multi-service programme covering live data centre environments.

You will own this end-to-end: strategy, stakeholder engagement, market engagement, tender documentation, PQQ/ITT, clarifications, evaluation, negotiation, award recommendation, governance approval and mobilisation handover. You will work alongside external procurement consultants and a broad internal stakeholder group spanning Operations, FM, Security, Engineering, Finance, Legal and site teams.

Beyond the re-tender, you will strengthen how VIRTUS buys and manages operational services more widely - contract renewals, supplier governance, cost optimisation and procurement process improvement.

This is a hands-on role. You will move between strategy, commercial detail and delivery tracking, in an environment where procurement decisions directly affect service continuity, compliance and customer experience.

Duties and Responsibilities

Lead the FM, Security and Cleaning re-tender

• Own the re-tender across the UK, Germany and Italy, ensuring it is well planned, properly governed, fully documented and delivered to agreed timelines.
• Develop the procurement strategy, bidder list, evaluation criteria and commercial templates, securing approval before market engagement.
• Work with Operations, FM, Security, Engineering, Finance, Legal and site teams to capture requirements and translate them into scopes that are practical, compliant and commercially robust.
• Run the tender process end to end: market engagement, PQQ/ITT, clarifications, evaluation, negotiation and award recommendation.
• Coordinate external procurement consultants, with clear deliverables, timelines, review cycles, responsibilities and escalation routes.
• Ensure operational continuity, mobilisation risk, TUPE (where applicable), site security and vetting, health and safety, customer impact and business continuity are properly factored into the process.
• Support contract finalisation, mobilisation planning and governance submissions, including Procurement Steering Committee approvals.

Manage wider opex procurement

• Develop and deliver procurement strategies across key opex categories and projects.
• Manage sourcing activity, contract renewals, supplier governance, KPI reviews and commercial challenge across the operational portfolio.
• Conduct spend analysis to identify cost reduction, value improvement, standardisation and supplier performance opportunities.
• Strengthen supplier relationship and contract management across key opex suppliers.

Strengthen governance and reporting

• Maintain compliance with VIRTUS procurement policy, Delegation of Authority and internal approval processes.
• Strengthen opex procurement governance, with clear controls, approval routes and decision-making discipline.
• Maintain accurate audit trails, procurement trackers and action logs.
• Report clearly to senior stakeholders on spend trends, procurement progress, risks, decisions required and commercial opportunities.

Experience and Qualifications:

Essential

• Degree or equivalent experience in Procurement, Supply Chain, Commercial Management, Business, Engineering, Facilities Management or a related discipline.
• Proven procurement, sourcing or supply chain experience - ideally in data centres, critical infrastructure, facilities management, telecoms, construction, engineering, real estate or operational services.
• Track record of managing end-to-end tenders: strategy, PQQ/ITT, market engagement, evaluation, negotiation, award recommendation and mobilisation support.
• Experience procuring or managing operational service categories such as FM, Security, Cleaning, hard and soft services, maintenance, technical services or outsourced service contracts.
• Strong grounding in supplier selection, commercial evaluation, contract negotiation, SLAs, KPIs and supplier performance management.
• Experience working across cross-functional stakeholder groups, including Operations, Facilities, Security, Engineering, Finance, Legal and senior management.
• Comfortable operating in a controlled governance environment with defined approval routes, auditability and commercial discipline.

Desirable

• CIPS qualified or working towards CIPS membership.
• Experience managing external consultants or procurement support partners.
• Experience of multi-country or European sourcing.
• Familiarity with SAP, Ariba, contract repositories and procurement reporting tools.

Key Skills and Competencies

• Strong commercial judgement, with the ability to balance cost, service quality, risk, compliance and operational continuity.
• Good understanding of opex procurement, outsourced service contracts and operational supplier management.
• Strong tender management capability, including planning, documentation, supplier communication, clarification management, evaluation and recommendation writing.
• Ability to manage complex stakeholder groups across Operations, FM, Security, Engineering, Finance, Legal, site teams and external consultants.
• Strong supplier management skills, including negotiation, performance review, issue resolution and continuous improvement.
• Ability to challenge requirements, supplier assumptions and commercial proposals constructively while maintaining strong working relationships.
• Strong written communication skills, with the ability to prepare clear tender documentation, evaluation summaries, approval papers and procurement reports.
• High attention to detail when reviewing tender submissions, commercial proposals, assumptions, exclusions, risks and contract requirements.
• Strong organisational skills, including the ability to manage multiple workstreams, deadlines, approvals and stakeholder inputs.
• Confident working in a fast-moving operational environment where procurement decisions can affect service continuity, compliance and customer experience.

In line with VIRTUS' Vetting Policy, the successful applicant must be willing to undergo a BS7858 screening process.

VIRTUS is an equal opportunity employer. As part of our commitment to fight for equality, we work to ensure a fair and consistent interview process. We celebrate diversity and we are committed to an inclusive work environment.

We reserve the right to close this post for applications should sufficient applications be received.