Senior Procurement Associate - UAE National

Job description / Role

Line of Service
Internal Firm Services

Industry/Sector
Not Applicable

Specialism
Activation & Customer Success

Management Level
Senior Associate

Job Description & Summary
A career in Procurement, within Internal Firm Services, will provide you with the opportunity to develop and manage the procurement of all goods and services required by PwC for operational and strategic purposes. As a part of the team, you'll assist in developing our standard practices and compliance infrastructure, managing relationships for both internal clients and suppliers to aid in the strategic selection of suppliers, supplier diversity, and contract negotiations.

Procurement operates under the umbrella of our centralised Finance Department and is overseen by the Director of Procurement. This dedicated team holds the key responsibility of refining procurement processes, establishing procedures, crafting strategic initiatives, implementing and administering procurement activities, and optimising expenditure through category management. Additionally, they play a crucial role in supporting the day-to-day operational aspects of our agreements with the operations team. The Procurement Senior Associate, reporting to the Procurement Category Lead, plays a pivotal role in streamlining category-specific expenditure within our procurement operations

As a Senior Associate, you'll work as part of a team of problem solvers, helping to solve complex business issues from strategy to execution. PwC Professional skills and responsibilities for this management level include but are not limited to:

-Serves as the primary point of contact for activities such as cost reviews, optimization analyses, tendering, contract reviews, and negotiations with essential vendors spanning all expenditure categories.
-Financial Adhere to the procurement strategy defined by our leadership team, with a primary focus on areas of high cost-saving potential, diligently identifying and addressing challenging procurement expenses throughout the organisation.
-Collaborate closely with the Procurement Category Lead in efficiently managing category expenditures. This involves formulating comprehensive category strategies, fine-tuning contract terms, costs, and service quality. Vigilantly assess vendor performance and conduct region-wide benchmarking.
-Play a pivotal role in the sourcing processes within our expenditure categories, including crafting scopes of work, carrying out both technical and commercial evaluations, presenting recommendations, and facilitating approvals from key stakeholders.
-Examine contract terms and propose amendments that align with PwC's objectives, particularly strategies for financial negotiations in significant areas of expenditure, with the ultimate goal of achieving year-on-year reductions in comparable spending.
-Personally exemplifies the firm's culture of long-term cost savings in procurement, advocating for centralization of procurement expenses and contracts. Systematically record and document cost savings realized across the spectrum of procurement categories.
-Ensure the accurate capture of procurement data to integrate seamlessly with our Finance Systems, including but not limited to Purchase Orders (LPOs), guaranteeing the collection, reconciliation, and appropriate management of meaningful and precise data.
-Customer Cultivate strong internal customer relationships within your designated spend category, engaging key functional leads in collaborative partnerships with a shared commitment to optimizing functional procurement budgets. Nurture and develop external supplier relationships with strategic partners in the markets relevant to your spend category.
-Assume responsibility for the seamless execution of day-to-day support for functional procurement activities, encompassing all facets from tendering to contract award and negotiations.
-Thoroughly oversee the finalisation of purchase details and deliveries once contracts have been awarded, ensuring a smooth transition from negotiation to procurement execution.
-Provide steadfast and ongoing contract management support to teams that may require additional assistance, fostering a culture of cooperation and problem-solving.
-Dedicate yourself to ensuring the utmost satisfaction of internal customers with our procurement services, consistently meeting and exceeding their expectations through proactive business partnering and impeccable service delivery Internal Process Engage with our business partners to gain a deep understanding of their specific needs and implementation possibilities, enabling us to offer expert guidance in the delivery of streamlined and efficient procurement processes and tools within the region.
-Swiftly escalate any challenges or issues to our Team Lead for prompt resolution, fostering a proactive and agile approach to problem-solving. Actively contribute to the design and implementation of new opportunities and improvements within the category management team, continually enhancing our capabilities.
-Take a proactive role in identifying, planning, and executing risk management and mitigation strategies for supply contracts and agreements, safeguarding our interests and commitments.
-Methodically track and report key functional metrics, targeting reductions in expenses and enhancements in operational effectiveness.
-Execute reporting and analysis duties as required, providing valuable insights and intelligence to inform our decision-making processes.
-Champion the identification and execution of risk management and mitigation strategies for agreements, further fortifying our contractual relationships.
-Maintain a vigilant eye on risk, quality, and independence processes, advocating for fairness and ethical conduct within our organization.

-Education Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance or related field required. CIPS Certification preferred Language
-Fluency in written and spoken English, proficiency in Arabic is an advantage
-Overall Experience 3+ years of experience in a procurement function Specific
-Experience Experience in procurement in a large organization
-Experience within the Middle East is an advantage

Requirements

Knowledge and Skills
-Knowledge of Corporate Procurement principles
-Knowledge of implementing cost improvements
-Strong liaison skills, with the ability to maintain geographical relationships
-Excellent people management skills
-Ability to work within a team and develop excellent relationships with co-workers
-Knowledge of the tender evaluation process
-Ability to adhere to and implement corporate procurement policies
-Negotiation skills and assertiveness in dealing with external vendors
-Strong ability to collaborate across functions
-Strong customer service orientation
-Organization, thoroughness, eye for detail, time management skills and proactivity
-Strong verbal and written communication skills
-Ethical Conduct

About the Company

At PwC Middle East, we've set out an ambitious purpose and strive to live it everyday: to solve important problems and build trust in society.

We're a community of solvers that come together in unexpected ways to build trust and create sustained outcomes. We solve important problems, support one another as we grow, develop and build fulfilling careers.

PwC provides industry-focused services for public and private clients across Assurance and Audit, Deals, Consulting, Tax and Legal. We draw on our development legacy that brings together the collective experience of over 7,000 people in our region with offices across 12 countries to solve for tomorrow.

We're striving to consistently deliver innovative work that builds trust and delivers sustained outcomes. And we're proud of the strength that comes from all our different backgrounds and experiences and we value everyone's uniqueness. We thrive in uncertainty, operate with integrity and leverage the diverse perspectives of our teams.

If you're looking for a place that fuels your ambition to make a difference, that matches your curiosity with continuous learning opportunities and reimagines ways of working to enable you to lead a more balanced life, then you're a future PwCer.