Procurement Manager - Services

About Howden

Howden is an international collective of around 22,000 talented and passionate professionals across over 100 countries, united by a collaborative and boundary-pushing mindset in insurance. Our employees are our greatest asset and largest shareholders, driving an inclusive culture, excellent client service, and continuous growth through a people-first approach. Success at Howden is a team effort, depending on individual contributions of skills and experience to create a tangible impact.

As an employee-owned company, Howden empowers skilled specialists to make meaningful differences for clients, fostering a culture that supports work-life balance, career advancement, sustainability, and volunteering. Our culture is what retains our employees over time.

Role Overview

The Procurement Manager - Services role involves close collaboration with Category Managers and the Head of Procurement to provide analytical insights, manage sourcing events, and assist in supplier and contract management activities. This position plays a vital role in improving procurement performance and nurturing relationships with business units and suppliers across categories including HR, Consulting, Legal, and BPO services.

Key Responsibilities

• Analyze expenditure and procurement metrics to identify improvement opportunities.
• Maintain cost models, monitor relevant market indices, and manage spend analytics datasets.
• Support improvement initiatives across various categories and spending areas.
• Collect and disseminate market insights and benchmarking information.
• Lead mid-level sourcing projects and RFx processes independently with guidance from the Category Manager.
• Engage with suppliers and subcontractors for quote requests and respond accordingly in coordination with buyers.
• Conduct market research to expand team knowledge on potential suppliers for requested products or services.
• Assist in creating templates for quote responses to streamline quote evaluations.
• Generate regular and ad-hoc reports on service performance and purchasing trends across the organization.
• Perform related administrative tasks to support team efficiency.
• Help develop and maintain category templates and process documentation.

Essential Qualifications and Skills

• Degree in Business, Procurement, or a related discipline.
• At least five years of procurement experience.
• Strong analytical skills with expertise in handling large data sets to extract procurement insights.
• Experience in both quantitative and qualitative data analysis and report creation.
• Solid knowledge of procurement and sourcing principles and strategies.
• Detail-oriented mindset with exceptional problem-solving abilities.
• Proven negotiation and supplier management capabilities.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Familiarity with Source to Pay systems and procurement analytics tools.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and BI tools.

Our Commitment and Culture

Howden offers a career tailored to what matters most to you, whether that is personal growth, volunteering, or innovation in insurance. We emphasize work-life integration to ensure employees are happy and fulfilled both at home and work.

Diversity and inclusion are core values; we embrace unique individuals who share our principles of bravery, support, and positive difference-making. We foster equality and respect across all dimensions, including age, disability, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, and family circumstances.

Our dedication to sustainability is ongoing, focusing on caring for people, the planet, and responsible business. Governance, policies, and reviews align with our goal to positively impact the world.