Senior Procurement Manager - Corporate Services

Job Profile Summary

We are seeking an experienced and motivated  Senior Procurement Manager to join our developing team in the specialist insurance and reinsurance sector at the heart of the Insurance market, You will play a pivotal role in helping to establish and mature the function, ensuring vendors meet or exceed their contractual obligations; identifying and leading on a broad range of Procurement projects and programs as well as contributing to the development of our process-evolution and successful delivery of our business transformation agenda.

The Corporate Services tower within Group Procurement was established at the beginning of 2025 and is a relatively new spend-category in Group Procurement which is a central Operations function with a reporting line into the Group Chief Operations Officer.

You will work in close collaboration with the other members of this tower and be collectively responsible for establishing and maintaining strong relationships with stakeholders, increasing the scope and compliance of contracts and spend under management, providing accurate and reliable reporting and MI as well as expert advice and guidance on commercial and contractual matters. The role will require you to work constructively and positively with colleagues and stakeholders as well external Key Partners and Third parties who support our business.

Chaucer Group is embarking on a company-wide transformation programme. A further key aspect of this role will involve contribution to the transformation agenda by acting as Procurement lead for one or more of the planned Transformation Portfolios.

The successful candidate will be responsible for establishing relationships, working closely with the  Transformation Portfolio Lead and other relevant stakeholders to track, prioritise, report and contribute to delivery of the planned pipeline of work. Working closely with the Head of Procurement and other Procurement team colleagues, you will proactively collaborate to agree plans and resources, undertake some of the procurement activities directly,  identify risks and issues and be responsible for communicating and escalating risks where appropriate  to ensure timely and effective delivery of outcomes.

You will be instrumental in helping business teams navigate and balance compliance with regulatory and policy governance, while maintaining agility and a strong commercial focus. Your expertise in supporting complex change projects will be essential in ensuring that transformation objectives are met without compromising operational excellence.

Job Description

Performance Management Activities

• Responsible for on-going, successful performance of Strategic partners and Key Vendor in terms of the service and products they are providing to Chaucer Group.

• Managing performance and mitigating supply-based risks of varying complexity; escalating or directly managing as appropriate on a case-by-case basis. 

• Lead engagement with a designated transformation portfolio, acting as the primary procurement interface for portfolio planning and delivery.

• Collaborate with the portfolio lead to understand and help prioritise the pipeline of change initiatives.

• Work with procurement colleagues to plan and allocate resources, ensuring alignment with portfolio objectives.

• Personally deliver a number of key projects, while supporting and coordinating with category teams to achieve required outcomes.

• Support business teams in navigating change, balancing compliance with regulatory and policy governance with the need for agility and commercial focus.

• Provide guidance and support to ensure that transformation projects are delivered in a timely, coordinated, and effective manner.

• —          

• Implementation of strategies that safeguard the company’s interest and maintain business resilience.

• Measuring vendor performance and holds them to their SLA’s and contractual obligations and other expectations as per the contract and the BU’s requirements.

• Proactively establishing and fostering successful, positive working relationships with vendor personnel. Driving vendor engagement through formal and informal interactions.

• Issue Management – responsibility for issue Management and for escalating any issues found by SMEs in their day-to-day interactions with Vendors.

• Accurate and detailed record keeping in compliance with Procurement team practices and data sets.

• Provision of detailed, thorough, and accurate reports and data analysis as required.

• Compliance with all Group policies.

Market Evaluation and Selection

• Identification of new / potential vendors through robust assessment, evaluation and analysis to present and support business recommendations. Including but not limited to Market Evaluations, Selections, RFIs and RFPs, Business requirements, Partner proposal analysis and CBAs.

• Leading negotiations with suppliers to secure optimal terms and conditions on the best commercial value, in compliance with company policy and industry regulations.

• Developing and maintaining a solid understanding of the business, business processes and procedures, to be able to effectively communicate these to partners and key vendors.

• Leveraging global agreements and contracts throughout the business to help drive value and cost benefits across the entire organization, while still recognising local needs and requirements.

• Contributing to a robust partner and vendor management information catalogue to support best practice in all areas of the business involving partner and vendor management including DR emergencies.

• Coordinating monthly or quarterly partner and vendor meetings as required, chairing meetings and ensuring accurate minuting and action recording, engaging key stakeholders as opportunities or issues arise.

• Ensuring transparency in all undertakings.

Contract Negotiation and Management 

• Leading negotiations to secure optimal terms and conditions on the best commercial value, in compliance with company policy and industry regulations.

• Leading and or supporting strategic procurement initiatives.

• Leading on supplier onboarding and due diligence checks from initiation through governance to contract execution and filing.

Skills and Competencies

• Proven ability to support and deliver complex change projects within a regulated environment.

• Business focus with a keen interest in commercial and operational issues.

• Excellent problem-solving and decision-making abilities.

• Service-oriented, with a commitment to delivering user-friendly, value-adding solutions.

• Effective communicator, able to build relationships and represent the department professionally.

• Numerical and analytical aptitude.

• Ability to provide clear guidance and reporting in both written and spoken formats.

• Demonstrable experience in procurement and supplier relationship management in a similar organisation / industry sector

• Negotiating skills, influencing abilities and vendor management experience.

• Robust understanding of good procurement practice.

• Initiative to proactively identify and manage both opportunities and issues.

• Understanding of contract-law principles and ability to perform contract reviews across a variety of technology related contract models.

• Experience working in a matrix team environment and cross functional projects

• Experience of working compliantly across decentralised operational processes

• Experience working with business transformation projects and initiatives.

• Experience of working within a regulated industry (ideally Financial Services)

• Excellent influencing and consultative skills, along with strong initiative to proactively identify and manage both opportunities and issues.

• Ability to  communicate effectively with senior team members and key professional relationships

• Ability to manage complex interactions with vendors

• Experience in category planning and/or management

Education

·         MCIPS or equivalent procurement certification

• Experience in category planning and/or management

Nothing in this job description may replace an individual’s contract of employment or the company’s policies and procedures as contained in the employee handbook

ABOUT US

Chaucer is a leading insurance group at Lloyd’s, the world’s specialist insurance market. We help protect industries around the world from the risks they face. Our customers include major airlines, energy companies, shipping groups, global manufacturers and property groups.

Our headquarters are in London, and we have international offices in Bermuda, Copenhagen, Dubai and Singapore to be closer to our clients across the world. To learn more about us please visit our website.

Chaucer is committed to diversity, actively values difference and respects people regardless of the protected characteristics which are outlined in the Equality Act 2010 (UK legislation) as a result of the Equal Treatment Directive 2006 (EU legislation). 
A diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace are core to our success as a business and integral to our winning strategy and culture. We recruit from the widest available pool of talent, and our hiring, assessment and selection process is fair, free from bias and one which ensures we select the right person for the job, based on merit. We are committed to promoting a culture that actively values difference, and recognises that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect throughout their employment.
We are open to considering flexible working arrangements for all roles and encourage you to outline your needs during the interview process.