Vendor Management Lead

RELX Group; City of Westminster; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A global information and analytics leader in the UK is looking for a Vendor Management Specialist to drive the vendor selection and strategy for technology services. This role includes managing vendor relationships, optimizing procurement, and ensuring compliance. Ideal candidates will have extensive experience in IT sourcing and vendor management. The position supports flexible working hours and offers a comprehensive benefits package, including generous vacation entitlement and parental leave.

Benefits

Comprehensive Pension Plan

Flexible working hours

Generous vacation entitlement

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in IT sourcing and vendor management.
• Strong leadership experience in RFPs and contract negotiations.
• Deep understanding of IT services landscape.

Responsibilities

• Own vendor selection and governance strategy.
• Develop vendor location strategy to optimise costs.
• Partner with Global Procurement for RFP processes.

Skills

IT sourcing

Vendor strategy

Technology vendor management

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Job description

The SAM and Sourcing team leads our technology & tooling purchasing with a focus on value for money, compliance and technology selection processes. The team is geographically dispersed across multiple time zones with hubs in the UK, US and Philippines to support our customer base and end users during their working day. The team works closely with Legal, Finance, Architecture, Global Procurement and our Technology Leadership.

About the role

You will join a broader team focused on software and service management, taking ownership of Elsevier's technology services vendor management strategy. Your mission is to ensure third‑party providers are selected, governed, and optimised to deliver maximum value, mitigate risk, and support long‑term business objectives. This role centres on outsourcing, staff augmentation, and black‑box service contracts, requiring strong leadership and strategic thinking to manage complex vendor relationships effectively.

Responsibilities

• Defining and owning the vendor selection and governance strategy across staff augmentation, external development, and managed/black box staffing services in Technology.
• Developing vendor location strategy (e.g., onshore/offshore/nearshore balance) to optimise cost, time zones, and talent quality; in synergy with our Technology location strategy and our broader RELX sister companies' vendor strategy.
• Partnering with Global Procurement and Legal to establish and maintain a preferred vendor shortlist, including standardised contracts and compliance checks.
• Collaborating with Global Procurement & Legal to lead the full RFP lifecycle‑from requirements and evaluation through to vendor selection and tough negotiations.
• Building and running governance processes for ongoing performance management, financial oversight, and risk control.
• Leading regular strategic and operational vendor reviews to confirm contractual compliance and performance, identify and track improvement actions and opportunities to deliver additional value from the relationship.
• Engaging with relevant IT stakeholders, ensuring a level of due diligence and governance is in place for the onboarding, service introduction and ongoing management of vendors.
• Partnering with senior IT leaders to design bold sourcing strategies and identify/lead vendor consolidation initiatives to reduce fragmentation and cost inefficiencies.
• Engaging vendors to drive and invite thought leadership, innovation, and specialist added value by leveraging a strong working relationship.
• Driving measurable value through proposed renegotiations, rationalisation, and innovative sourcing models (multi‑vendor, offshoring, managed services) in partnership with Global Procurement and Legal.
• Providing transparency and communication across the technology organisation regarding approved vendors, processes, and guidelines.
• Benchmarking and introducing best practices from leading technology organisations.
• Establishing reporting metrics (cost savings, vendor performance, risk reduction, and satisfaction).
• Partnering with Business Continuity, ISDP and Technical Resilience to ensure vendor compliance with our risk and security management standards and policies, and Architecture to ensure compliance with our Technology standards.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in IT sourcing, vendor strategy, technology vendor management and transformation‑ideally from a top‑tier firm.
• Strong leadership experience running RFPs, vendor selections, and high‑stakes contract negotiations.
• Deep understanding of the IT services landscape (cloud, infrastructure, AWS, managed services).
• Proven results in driving cost savings, vendor rationalisation, and performance uplift.
• Experience managing large‑scale external supplier portfolios (>$100M spend).
• Excellent stakeholder engagement across technology, procurement, and executive leadership.
• Understanding of financial governance, compliance, and risk management in vendor engagements.

About Elsevier

A global leader in information and analytics, we help researchers and healthcare professionals advance science and improve health outcomes for the benefit of society. Building on our publishing heritage, we combine quality information and vast data sets with analytics to support visionary science and research, health education and interactive learning, as well as exceptional healthcare and clinical practice. At Elsevier, your work contributes to the world’s grand challenges and a more sustainable future. We harness innovative technologies to support science and healthcare to partner for a better world.

Join our team

Join our team and contribute to a culture of innovation, collaboration, and excellence. If you are ready to advance your career and make a significant impact, we encourage you to apply.

Work in a way that works for you

We promote a healthy work/life balance across the organisation. We offer an appealing working prospect for our people. With numerous wellbeing initiatives, shared parental leave, study assistance and sabbaticals, we will help you meet your immediate responsibilities and your long‑term goals.

Flexibility

• Working flexible hours – flexing the times when you work in the day to help you fit everything in and work when you are the most productive.

Benefits

• Comprehensive Pension Plan
• Home, office, or commuting allowance.
• Generous vacation entitlement and option for sabbatical leave
• Maternity, Paternity, Adoption and Family Care leave
• Flexible working hours
• Personal Choice budget
• Internal communities and networks
• Various employee discounts
• Recruitment introduction reward
• Employee Assistance Program (global)