EY—Sourcing Manager

Job description

Description: At EY, you’ll have the chance to build a career as unique as you are, with the global scale, support, inclusive culture and technology to become the best version of you. And we’re counting on your unique voice and perspective to help EY become even better, too. Join us and build an exceptional experience for yourself, and a better working world for all. Job Title : Procurement Sourcing Manager – Talent The Opportunity The purpose of the global EY organization is to Build a Better Working World. The insights and services the organization provides help drive long-term value for clients, people and society, and build trust in the capital markets. An essential function under EY Business Enablement, Supply Chain Services (SCS), is a global team with professionals in locations around the world supporting the EY organization. This structure enables knowledge-sharing across categories and regions, streamlining efforts to identify innovative suppliers that deliver value and support EY’s business objectives. A key component of SCS is Global Procurement, whose purpose is to drive greater synergies and value creation across sourcing, supplier management and contract lifecycle. The incumbent will be an employee of GDS India servicing the Talent Procurement Team. You will partner with Talent leaders and stakeholders to develop and execute sourcing strategies across Talent-related categories. You will play a critical role in increasing spend under management, driving category maturity, delivering commercial value and strengthening supplier partnerships across Africa and Europe Central. The main objective is to build a sustainable PSL model to allow safe and easy transacting for client-serving teams. Job Summary The role is based in GDS India and may be performed remotely or from an EY office location, subject to local arrangements. You will be accountable for developing and executing category strategies, leading sourcing initiatives, managing supplier relationships and driving procurement maturity across the Talent portfolio. In addition to the Africa focus, you will support sourcing responsibilities across Europe Central, helping to deliver consistent, commercially sound and well-governed procurement outcomes across regions. This role requires a highly independent procurement professional who is comfortable operating with significant autonomy. The successful candidate must be able to identify opportunities, set priorities, drive initiatives forward and maintain momentum with little external motivation. They will own and run the project, working proactively with stakeholders and suppliers to shape the agenda and deliver measurable outcomes. Main Objective The main objective of this role is to establish and maintain a well-governed Preferred Supplier List (PSL) for the highest-touch and most critical Talent procurement areas. The PSL should ensure the business has access to suitable, vetted and commercially competitive suppliers that support client-chargeable Africa requirements and relevant Europe Central sourcing needs. Your Key Responsibilities - Own and lead the Talent category strategy, with a primary focus on client-chargeable procurement requirements across Africa. - Support sourcing and category management activities across Europe Central, including cross-border sourcing initiatives where required. - Build, govern and continuously maintain a Preferred Supplier List (PSL) for the most high-touch and business-critical Talent procurement areas. - Act as a trusted procurement advisor to Talent leaders, client-serving teams and senior stakeholders across Africa and Europe Central. - Lead end-to-end sourcing projects, supplier selection processes, commercial negotiations and contract lifecycle activities. - Increase procurement visibility and spend under management across the relevant Talent portfolio. - Assist with implementing useful strategies across Europe Central and Africa alike. - Assess, analyze and manage category spend, identifying opportunities to consolidate suppliers, improve value and reduce risk. - Drive category maturity through governance, supplier management, sourcing best practice and continuous improvement initiatives. - Lead supplier relationship management activities, including supplier performance reviews and follow-up actions. - Develop category reporting, spend analytics, market insights and sourcing recommendations to support strategic decision-making. - Independently identify, prioritize and execute category opportunities with limited oversight or external prompting. - Balance regional business needs with global procurement objectives and ensure procurement activity remains commercially, operationally and stakeholder focused. Skills and Attributes for Success - Highly independent, self-motivated and able to drive the procurement agenda forward with little external motivation. - Strong strategic procurement and category management experience, ideally within Talent. - Experience creating, governing or optimizing supplier panels, preferred supplier lists or strategic supplier programs. - Strong commercial acumen, negotiation skills and ability to translate business needs into sourcing strategies. - Strong stakeholder management, influencing and relationship-building skills across senior and matrixed environments. - Analytical mindset with the ability to interpret spend data, market insights and supplier performance information. - Comfort working across regions, cultures and time zones while maintaining accountability for delivery. - Results-oriented approach with strong follow-through, ownership and execution discipline. To Qualify for the Role, You Must Have - Minimum 7+ years of procurement experience. - Experience developing and executing regional or multi-country category strategies. - Proven ability to lead sourcing activity, negotiate commercial outcomes and manage supplier relationships. - Experience analyzing spend and identifying procurement opportunities. - Fluent verbal and written English. - Strong procurement reporting, stakeholder engagement and communication capabilities. Ideally, You’ll Also Have - Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Procurement, Human Resources, Finance or a related field. - CPSM, CIPS or equivalent procurement certification. - Experience in a global, culturally diverse organization. - Prior experience supporting client-serving business environments or high-touch stakeholder groups. - Additional language capabilities beyond English would be advantageous, particularly where relevant to Europe Central sourcing activities. What We Look For We are seeking a high-energy, commercially focused procurement professional who can operate autonomously, challenge the status quo and proactively identify opportunities to improve procurement outcomes. The successful candidate will take full ownership of the Talent category, with a strong emphasis on client-chargeable Africa requirements and relevant Europe Central sourcing responsibilities. A key measure of success will be the establishment and ongoing management of a strong, well-governed PSL for the most critical and high-touch Talent procurement activities. The individual must be confident owning the agenda, engaging senior stakeholders, managing supplier performance and driving tangible value with minimal external prompting. EY | Building a better working world EY exists to build a better working world, helping to create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets. Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate. Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today.