Senior Procurement Manager

Fieldfisher; Manchester; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private medical insurance

Health cash plan

Dental insurance

Life assurance

Matched pension contributions

Job summary

Fieldfisher is seeking a senior procurement professional to shape strategy and governance. The role focuses on embedding procurement policies, managing supplier relationships, and driving value across legal and professional services environments.

You will lead negotiations, oversee contract lifecycles, monitor risk, and champion ESG and sustainability throughout procurement activities, collaborating with senior leaders and cross-functional teams.

Qualifications

• Proven strategic procurement experience in professional services or regulated environments (desirable).
• Strong ability to analyse spend, supplier performance, and risk data.

Responsibilities

• Develop and embed procurement policies, governance frameworks and approval workflows.
• Maintain contract repositories, renewal schedules, dashboards, and records.
• Negotiate terms, pricing, SLAs, and contracts with suppliers; coordinate with legal stakeholders.
• Lead supplier risk assessment, due diligence, cybersecurity, privacy, and ESG governance.

Skills

Strategic procurement

Supplier management

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

ESG procurement

Job description

What can you expect

This is a high-impact role at the heart of the firm, responsible for shaping procurement strategy, supplier relationships, commercial decision-making, and risk management. You'll work closely with senior leaders across the business, driving value, improving governance, and influencing key operational and strategic outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish and embed procurement policies, processes, governance frameworks, and approval workflows.
• Maintain contract repositories, renewal schedules, reporting dashboards, and procurement records.
• Ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, ethical, and procurement standards.
• Drive the adoption of digital tools, analytics, and best-practice procurement processes.

Strategic Sourcing & Category Management

• Develop and deliver the firm's procurement and sourcing strategy in line with business needs and risk appetite.
• Lead sourcing activity across key spend categories, including technology, professional services, and facilities.
• Develop category plans, supplier roadmaps, and strategic account plans.
• Identify opportunities to optimise costs, improve processes, drive innovation, and create commercial value.
• Monitor market developments, supply chain trends, and emerging risks.

Market Research & Procurement Delivery

• Conduct supplier and market analysis to inform sourcing decisions.
• Support the development and execution of category strategies.
• Manage end-to-end procurement exercises, including RFPs, supplier evaluations, and recommendations.

Supplier Negotiation & Contract Management

• Negotiate commercial terms, pricing, service levels, and contractual agreements.
• Partner with legal and business stakeholders to review and finalise contracts.
• Oversee supplier contracts throughout their lifecycle, driving performance, compliance, and continuous improvement.
• Manage supplier issues, non-compliance, disputes, and service recovery plans.

Vendor Risk & Compliance

• Implement and manage vendor risk assessment frameworks.
• Review supplier due diligence, including cybersecurity, privacy, AI, sustainability, and regulatory risks.
• Monitor supplier compliance and ensure risks are identified, managed, and mitigated appropriately.

Supplier Relationship Management

• Build and maintain strong supplier partnerships that deliver value, innovation, and service excellence.
• Monitor supplier performance through SLAs, KPIs, and improvement plans.
• Oversee onboarding and ongoing supplier management activities.
• Encourage innovation and continuous improvement across the supplier base.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Partner with Business Services teams, lawyers, and senior leadership to align procurement priorities with business objectives.
• Provide commercial insight, procurement expertise, and supplier recommendations to key stakeholders.
• Communicate procurement strategy, performance, and opportunities effectively across the firm.

ESG, Reporting & Data Management

• Embed ESG, sustainability, diversity, and inclusion considerations into procurement decisions.
• Assess supplier environmental, social, and ethical performance and drive improvements where required.
• Maintain accurate spend, contract, supplier, compliance, and performance data.
• Produce reporting on procurement performance, savings, risk management, and ESG outcomes.
• Support firm-wide sustainability initiatives, including supply chain diversity, emissions reporting, and modern slavery compliance.

Experience & Knowledge

• Significant strategic procurement experience, ideally within professional services, legal, or similarly regulated environments. Professional procurement qualifications are desirable.
• Proven success delivering complex sourcing strategies across multiple spend categories.
• Experience establishing or enhancing procurement functions, policies, and governance frameworks.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to analyse spend, supplier performance, and risk data to inform decision-making.
• Extensive negotiation and contract management experience, with a focus on value creation and supplier optimisation.
• Experience managing supplier risk, compliance, cybersecurity, privacy, AI governance, sustainability, and due diligence requirements.
• Strong understanding of ESG principles and their application within procurement and supplier management.
• Experience managing supplier performance frameworks, including KPIs, SLAs, and continuous improvement programmes.
• Ability to develop procurement reporting, dashboards, analytics, and performance metrics.
• Demonstrated leadership capability, ideally within multi-site or international organisations.
• Outstanding stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to engage effectively at executive level.
• Collaborative and pragmatic approach, with strong communication and relationship-building skills.
• Proactive mindset with a focus on delivering improvements, reducing risk, driving efficiencies, and identifying opportunities for innovation.

Who are we looking for?

• We don't have a type. We believe our differences are our strength; varied cultures, approaches and experiences can only benefit us.

What do we offer?

• You can be yourself: It takes everyone to make us who we are. We’re a culture of diverse perspectives, with each of us making unique contributions that make us better together.
• In the office or WFH?: We think the best balance is more time in the office than at home, so we operate a 60:40 rule.
• Beyond salary: We offer plenty of benefits; private medical insurance, health cash plan, dental insurance, life assurance, critical illness insurance, matched pension contributions up to 7%, holiday trading, plus many more. Visit: Reward & Benefits ¦ Fieldfisher.
• Come for the WOW views: Based on the 17th floor in No.1 Spinningfields, with views of the entire City.
• Nurturing your talent: Take a 'build a career' approach to your training. You'll be on a pathway but free to wander if you see something you'd like to study more closely.
• Funnel your interests: You have a life outside work, and we can help it to flourish. Join clubs, affinity networks, inclusive events, and pro bono/charity initiatives.

Inclusion at Fieldfisher

At Fieldfisher, inclusion is central to how we work. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels respected, supported and able to succeed.

If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process or once you join us, we will work with you to put the right support in place. Examples include extra time for assessments, accessible document formats, alternative interview formats, quiet rooms, or physical and technological accessibility support.

For accessibility information on our Manchester office, visit: Accessing Fieldfisher Manchester ¦ Fieldfisher

We recruit on a rolling basis. Your application may be reviewed before the application deadline. We accept applications until we have filled the role.