Director, Global Category Lead – Infrastructure (Job ID:10079555)

A leading global financial institution is seeking a Director, Global Category Lead - Infrastructure to define and execute the procurement strategy for infrastructure-related technology spend across its enterprise. This pivotal role offers you the opportunity to shape category strategy, manage supplier portfolios, and deliver commercial outcomes that align with technology priorities on a worldwide scale. You will be at the heart of strategic sourcing, working closely with cross-functional teams including Cloud, Network, Architecture, Operations, and regional procurement experts to ensure consistent execution and maximisation of enterprise value. As the primary commercial advisor for infrastructure investments, your expertise will help optimise costs, manage risks, improve supplier performance, and support major technology transformation initiatives. The organisation values inclusive leadership, collaboration, and knowledge sharing—providing a supportive environment where your skills can flourish. Flexible working opportunities and generous training programmes are available to help you grow professionally while making a significant impact. • Shape and execute global procurement strategies for infrastructure technology spend, ensuring alignment with enterprise roadmaps and business priorities. • Partner with senior technology stakeholders and regional teams to drive commercial excellence, optimise supplier relationships, and support transformation initiatives. • Enjoy flexible working opportunities and access to extensive training programmes within a collaborative and supportive global environment. • What you'll do: As Director Global Category Lead Infrastructure you will be responsible for defining the global procurement strategy for all infrastructure-related technology spend. Your day-to-day will involve collaborating with cross-functional teams to align category plans with business priorities while monitoring market trends to identify opportunities for rationalising suppliers or consolidating spend. You will lead complex sourcing initiatives from inception through negotiation—establishing commercial frameworks that drive cost optimisation and value creation. Acting as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders in Infrastructure Engineering, Cloud Operations, Network Architecture, Cybersecurity, and more; you will influence investment decisions using your deep market intelligence. Building strong executive relationships with key suppliers is essential as you conduct governance meetings to ensure accountability against contractual commitments. You will also partner internally across legal and compliance functions to ensure all sourcing strategies meet regulatory obligations while maintaining visibility over renewal pipelines and commercial risks. Success in this role means delivering measurable savings targets while supporting enterprise-wide technology transformation programmes. • Develop and maintain a multi-year global infrastructure category strategy that aligns with enterprise technology roadmaps and business objectives. • Establish category objectives, opportunity pipelines, and value creation initiatives by monitoring market trends, supplier developments, and industry benchmarks. • Lead high-value sourcing initiatives across the infrastructure portfolio by developing strategies that balance cost optimisation, risk mitigation, resilience, performance improvement, and innovation. • Conduct competitive sourcing events, supplier selection activities, and commercial negotiations to establish enterprise-wide frameworks and strategic agreements. • Drive total cost of ownership optimisation through value realisation initiatives that support major technology transformation programmes. • Serve as the trusted procurement advisor to Infrastructure and Technology leadership teams by providing market intelligence and commercial expertise for investment decisions. • Influence technology planning and demand management activities by ensuring early procurement engagement in strategic initiatives. • Establish executive-level relationships with key infrastructure suppliers through segmentation plans, governance meetings, and accountability frameworks. • Partner with suppliers to identify opportunities for innovation, productivity gains, service improvements, and long-term strategic partnerships. • Ensure sourcing strategies comply with enterprise risk management requirements by partnering with Legal, Risk, Compliance, Information Security, and Third Party Risk functions. What you bring: The ideal candidate for Director Global Category Lead Infrastructure brings substantial experience in technology procurement—particularly within large multinational settings where complex sourcing initiatives are commonplace. Your proven ability to manage executive-level supplier relationships ensures successful contract negotiations even when dealing with major industry players. A strong foundation in commercial analysis allows you to make informed decisions that balance cost optimisation against risk mitigation. Experience supporting cloud or infrastructure transformation programmes is highly regarded as it demonstrates your capacity for driving impactful change across an enterprise. Professional certifications further validate your commitment to excellence while excellent interpersonal skills enable you to foster trust-based connections throughout the organisation. Sharing best practices within a collaborative team environment is second nature—helping elevate overall performance while maintaining compliance with regulatory standards. • Minimum 12 years’ experience in technology procurement or strategic sourcing within large multinational organisations. • Proven experience in managing complex sourcing initiatives across infrastructure-related categories such as cloud services or network architecture. • Demonstrated experience in leading executive-level supplier relationships including contract negoti…