Senior Global IT Category Manager

Unilabs is on a multi-year journey to become Europe's leading diagnostics company. To achieve this, we need to operate our markets, build synergies that leverage our size and scale, and ensure we are best setup to meet the evolving needs of patients, medics and healthcare ecosystems.

As part of our ongoing wider transformation journey to build a more agile, efficient, and patient-centred organisation and strengthen our medical, operational and commercial performance – we are looking to recruit a Senior Global IT Category Manager based in Barcelona, Spain.

The lead role is responsible for leading global strategic sourcing and category management for all IT-related spend, including software, hardware, cloud services, telecoms, IT consultancy and AI solutions. The role will be responsible for developing and executing procurement strategies in this area, and building and optimizing supplier relationships, and driving commercial value and operational improvements, while aligning on the strategy for both the business and technology.

The role will lead a small team of Category Managers, partnering closely with the global IT team and business stakeholders to deliver value, innovation, and reliability across technology.

There may be a requirement to travel as required by the business.

Key responsibilities

Category Strategy and Sourcing

·        Conduct market analysis and supplier segmentation to identify opportunities.

·        Lead cross-border IT deals and end-to end category management process that includes RFPs, negotiations, and contract awards/management, at the same time as delivering commercial and strategic value to the business.

·        Define and execute global sourcing strategies across all IT categories: Software, Hardware, Telecom and Network, Cloud Hosting, IT Services, and AI Solutions.

·        Develop and maintain strong partnerships with key global suppliers, driving innovation, cost efficiency, and risk mitigation.

·        Manage key supplier relationships and performance, including SLAs and KPIs.

Stakeholder Engagement

·        Act as a trusted advisor to senior IT stakeholders, guiding supplier selection and ensuring alignment with business and technology objectives, whilst driving commercial value

·        Collaborate with IT leadership team to understand requirements and ensure they align with the business strategy

·        Act as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders on IT category and commercial matters.

Contract and Risk Management

·        Perform and deliver complex IT agreements, including enterprise software licensing, SaaS, cloud infrastructure, and managed services.

·        Draft, review, and negotiate commercial terms in IT contracts.

·        Ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, and internal policies and governance frameworks and standards.

Cost Optimisation and Innovation

·        Foster strategic vendor partnerships with both major and niche technology suppliers, focusing on cost optimisation, innovation, and long-term value.

Leadership and Development

·        Play a central role in a high-performing, collaborative Global Procurement team, exemplifying best-in-class sourcing practices.

·        Foster a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and commercial excellence.

·        Support capability development across the category management team through coaching, training, and knowledge sharing.

•    Coach and develop the team to ensure operational excellence and continuous improvement.

·        Monitor technology market trends and identify new opportunities for strategic sourcing and digital enablement.

·        Extensive experience i.e. 10+ years in global senior IT procurement, strategic sourcing and category management within multinational environments

·        Proven expertise in IT contract negotiation and management of software licencing models and commercial frameworks, across Technology categories (Software, IT Services i.e. SaaS, cloud, enterprise agreements, Hardware and Telecoms)

·        Collaborative, engaging and influential style, with proven success building credible senior stakeholders and shape business decisions.

·        Solid understanding of the IT industry and major technology providers.

·        Certifications like CIPS, ITIL would be an advantage

·        Experience with digital applications and AI-driven healthcare solutions would be an advantage

·        Fluent in English, spoken and written

·        A highly collaborative and true team player.

·        Proactive with a positive, solutions-focused mindset.

·        Comfortable working at pace, consistently delivering to deadlines, and stable under pressure.

·        Resilient and adaptable to change

·        Experience of leading and developing a team of category managers through transformation and change