Senior Sourcing Manager - Operations

1050 Linklaters Business Serv; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Linklaters is seeking an interim Senior Sourcing Manager to lead Operations sourcing, covering hard and soft facilities management, and to support broader non-technology categories across the firm. The role involves practical guidance, commercial support, and ensuring compliance with firm-wide sourcing policies while aligning strategies with regional needs.

In this interim capacity, you will work with Legal, Finance, Data Privacy, and Information Security teams, drive cost optimization, ESG

Qualifications

• Proven sourcing and supplier management experience.
• Experience in negotiating contracts and commercials.
• Experience in vendor selection exercises (RFP; evaluation; scoring).

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage Operations sourcing during interim assignment.
• Provide practical guidance and commercial support to sourcing teams across I&R, L&D, HR and Marketing.
• Collaborate with Legal, Finance, Data Privacy, and Information Security for due diligence and risk management.
• Drive ESG and sustainability initiatives in sourcing.
• Develop and implement global sourcing strategies aligned with firm objectives.
• Oversee supplier management and conduct business reviews to ensure SLA/KPI compliance.
• Plan knowledge transfer and handover at the end of the assignment.

Skills

Negotiation of contracts

Governance process

Vendor selection

Job description

Role Overview

The interim Senior Sourcing Manager will lead and manage Operations sourcing at Linklaters, including hard and soft facilities management services, while supporting team members across the wider non-technology categories, including I&R, L&D, HR and Marketing. The role will provide practical guidance and commercial support to help progress sourcing activity and resolve complex issues, without assuming formal line management responsibilities. During the interim assignment, the candidate will ensure sourcing strategies align with the organisation's business needs and will work closely with internal and regional stakeholders to deliver consistent value, mitigate risks, embed category strategies, and ensure compliance with firm-wide sourcing policies.

Key Responsibilities

Leading and managing Operations sourcing during the interim assignment, including hard and soft facilities management services, while supporting team members across I&R, L&D, HR and Marketing where required.

Experience in purchasing technology-related goods and services (including cloud solutions, software, and hardware) is strongly desirable, to support the ever-increasing incorporation of technology into operational solutions.

Providing practical guidance and commercial support to sourcing team members across I&R, L&D, HR and Marketing, helping progress sourcing activity and resolve complex issues.

Collaborating with the Senior Sourcing Manager for Technology where required to ensure consistency in sourcing and contracting.

Fostering collaboration across teams and regions to ensure cohesive communication and continuity of sourcing activity during the interim assignment.

Leading complex, high-value, and strategic Operations sourcing projects, and supporting projects across the wider non-technology categories where required, ensuring alignment with firm and GHO requirements during the interim assignment.

Driving contract and commercial negotiations for key agreements, including Service Agreements, outsourced service agreements, and licensing agreements.

Collaborating with Legal, Finance, Data Privacy, and Information Security teams to conduct due diligence, manage supplier onboarding, and ensure rigorous risk management.

Supporting Linklaters' global category oversight, ensuring strategies and processes are applied consistently across all regions. This includes providing guidance to other regional offices in accordance with Global Sourcing Policy.

Developing and executing sourcing strategies for Operations, including hard and soft facilities management services, and supporting team members with strategies across I&R, L&D, HR and Marketing, in line with the firm’s objectives and agreed priorities for the interim assignment.

Overseeing supplier management processes, including conducting business reviews, monitoring supplier performance, and ensuring compliance with SLAs and KPIs.

Performing spend reviews to identify opportunities for cost consolidation, resource rationalisation, and greater alignment with contractual commitments across categories and regions.

Partnering with business teams globally to meet sourcing needs while ensuring compliance with policies and adopting a strategic approach to sourcing initiatives.

Developing and implementing strategies to drive ESG and sustainability initiatives, ensuring sourcing decisions align with the firm’s Environmental, Social, and Governance goals.

Identifying and implementing improvements to sourcing processes, guidance documents, and reporting mechanisms at the GHO and global levels, in line with agreed priorities for the interim assignment.

Planning and managing change effectively, including supporting continuity and a clear handover of sourcing activity at the end of the interim assignment.

Supporting the evolution of the sourcing function by exploring technology advancements and driving improvements in the firm's sourcing stack. A particular focus will be on assessing how AI-powered tools and systems can deliver efficiency, enhance decision-making, and embed long-term value.

Your experience

Proven sourcing and supplier management experience, including:

• negotiation of contracts and commercials;
• management of suppliers via established governance process.
• supporting strategic projects in vendor selection exercises (RFP; evaluation; scoring; recommendation; contracting etc).

5 to 10 years of experience in a professional services firm or equivalen

The Team

A team of 15, managing the complete supplier lifecycle from onboarding to Exit. Each member of the team is broadly aligned to a category to manage.

Linklaters

Linklaters is a global law firm, providing legal services in 20 countries and through 30 offices.

Linklaters is a people business. Being best in class in the eyes of our clients means that our people must be exceptional.

We look not only for brilliant minds, but for people who will thrive in our environment: people who love working collaboratively and demonstrate the innovative, efficient, agile, entrepreneurial, and responsible mind-set we aim to bring to every interaction.

Ours is an environment of outperformance. We achieve this not with targets and incentives, but by fostering a positive, supportive, fair, and open atmosphere.

We respect and value difference but insist on inclusivity.

We celebrate all aspects of diversity and challenge any form of bias. This is vital to our ability to work as one team, with a common goal.

What sets us apart

We offer a truly global work experience and the opportunity to be involved in strategic projects that drive innovation and shape the future of our business.

We belong to a firm that embodies its corporate social, environment, and governance responsibility commitments.

We remain focused on talent and having the best people which will result in a diverse workforce.

Having got the best people, we want them to feel included, valued and respected so they can perform at their best.

We advocate speak-up culture to empower our people in sharing their voices and an open-door policy to ensure they are listened to.

We invest in custom-fit career paths for our people in line with their talents and aspirations.

We provide agile working solutions to meet the changing needs of our people and our business.

We are committed to people first relationships based on mutual trust, respect, and appreciation.

We support the health and wellbeing of our people, providing a safe space to talk about emotions and mental health with access to expert advice as needed.

We invest in developing leaders of the future who demonstrate emotional intelligence and a passion to discover, coach and develop the talents of others.

Technical Skills

This list of duties and responsibilities above is not exhaustive. It is intended to describe the general content of, and requirements for, the performance of this job. As such, the role may also include the undertaking of additional tasks as required.