UKI External Talent Category Delivery Lead

Accenture is a leading global professional services company, helping organisations build their digital core, optimise operations, accelerate growth and deliver tangible value. Combining deep industry expertise with advanced technology and a culture of innovation, we work with clients to solve complex business challenges and create lasting change.

We are looking for an experienced Procurement Category Manager to join our UKIA Procurement Plus organisation, leading activities across the External Talent Sourcing & Contracting category. External Talent is one of the largest and most strategically important categories within Accenture's UK, Ireland and Africa (UKIA) market unit. This role will play a key part in ensuring we have the right external talent and supplier partnerships in place to support our client projects and wider business objectives.

You'll work closely with stakeholders across Procurement, Category Management, Legal and Operations, taking ownership of sourcing, supplier and contract management activities across the External Talent category.

• Support the implementation of Global and Regional External Talent category strategies across UKIA.
• Deliver local category projects and sourcing initiatives aligned to wider Procurement and category objectives.
• Support category planning, governance and strategic initiatives.
• Build and manage strong relationships with key stakeholders, including senior business leaders and Client Account Leads.
• Manage External Talent projects through Accenture's Syn Ops system.
• Drive adherence to procurement processes and compliance requirements.
• Participate actively in the wider category community and contribute to a collaborative team culture.

• Lead and support sourcing and contracting projects from initial market research through to supplier award.
• Use Accenture's sourcing methodology to drive value through sourcing, negotiation and contracting activities.
• Conduct market research and identify potential suppliers.
• Develop technical specifications based on stakeholder requirements.
• Design and develop RFP documentation in line with Global and Regional strategies.
• Utilise e-sourcing and e-auction tools where appropriate.
• Lead supplier evaluation and commercial negotiations.
• Prepare supplier recommendations and decision materials for stakeholders.
• Manage the supplier award process and support implementation.

• Negotiate and deploy supplier contracts in partnership with Accenture's Legal teams.
• Ensure contracts include appropriate performance measures, KPIs and SLAs.
• Manage contract execution and ensure agreements are signed by all relevant parties.
• Support implementation of Local Country Addendums to Global and Regional agreements.
• Ensure contracts are accurately stored and maintained within relevant contract repositories and archiving tools.
• Ensure compliance with local legislation, regulations and Accenture policies.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key local suppliers.
• Lead supplier performance management activities, ensuring agreed KPIs and metrics are achieved.
• Promote the use of Global and Regional Strategic Providers and preferred suppliers.
• Monitor supplier performance and stakeholder feedback to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Maintain and support the preferred supplier list and drive adoption of negotiated agreements.

• Partner with stakeholders across Category Management, Procurement, Legal and Operations.
• Act as a key escalation point for sourcing and supplier-related challenges.
• Gather and manage stakeholder feedback on category performance and supplier delivery.
• Ensu…