Head of Technology Procurement at Christie's in London

Job description

• The Head of Technology Procurement acts as the senior commercial partner to the CIO and Christie's Technology Group (CTG) leadership team, owning commercial strategy, technology supplier ecosystem oversight, investment challenge, value realisation and savings delivery across all technology spend.
• The role helps the CIO and CTG leaders make better technology investment and supplier decisions before commitments are made. It brings commercial judgement, technology market insight and constructive challenge into digital transformation, supplier selection and major technology commitments, while providing clear direction, coaching and escalation support to the Technology & Strategic Sourcing Manager as a flexible sourcing delivery resource across technology and priority business demand.

Responsibilities

• Technology Commercial Leadership & Business Partnering
• Lead senior commercial engagement across all CTG functions.
• Partner directly with the CIO on major technology investment, supplier and commercial decisions.
• Act as senior commercial partner to the CIO, CTG and technology leadership teams.
• Challenge technology demand, investment cases and major commitments before decisions are made.
• Build senior CTG stakeholder confidence through market insight, judgement and practical commercial advice.
• Translate technology priorities into clear commercial options, risks, value opportunities and recommended negotiation positions.
• Define and lead the commercial governance model for material CTG sourcing, renewals, supplier decisions and technology commitments, ensuring clear decision rights, approval routes and executive escalation.
• Embed evidence based commercial decision making across the technology portfolio.
• Technology Commercial Strategy
• Own CTG commercial strategies aligned to enterprise priorities, technology roadmaps and investment plans.
• Shape commercial strategy across software, cloud, infrastructure, cybersecurity, data and managed services.
• Advise on buy, build, partner and renew decisions where commercial structure, supplier dependency or value delivery are material.
• Strengthen technology business cases through commercial insight, market testing and value challenge.
• Set clear value realisation, savings and cost avoidance objectives across major technology spend areas and renewal cycles.
• Lead commercial assessment of major technology programmes, sourcing decisions and supplier proposals.
• Give the CIO a clear forward view of major renewals, supplier risks, cost pressures and value opportunities.
• Ensure commercial implications are visible in CTG planning and governance forums.
• Supplier & Market Leadership
• Define the technology supplier ecosystem framework that helps CTG business owners improve value, resilience, innovation and accountability.
• Support CTG owned relationships with key suppliers and strategic technology partners through commercial insight and escalation support.
• Lead complex negotiations, licensing positions, commercial structures and supplier decisions.
• Use technology market insight to challenge assumptions and improve commercial outcomes.
• Provide frameworks, tools and reporting to support CTG owned governance of strategic supplier relationships.
• Value Creation & Risk Management
• Drive measurable value, savings and cost avoidance from major technology investments, suppliers and commercial decisions.
• Identify and manage commercial, supplier, licensing and delivery risks before they affect outcomes.
• Provide automated governance, reporting and escalation routes that support CTG owned supplier resilience, continuity and accountability.
• Ensure technology commitments align to business objectives, risk appetite and value expectations.
• Provide commercial assurance over major technology commitments before approval, covering affordability, value, risk, supplier dependency and contractual control.
• Improve contract discipline and CTG owned supplier management through common frameworks, training and tools.
• Procurement Capability & Technology Transformation
• Build CTG commercial capability and confidence in technology procurement decisions.
• Embed Procurement as a strategic CTG advisor, not an operational gatekeeper.
• Support implementation of the Procurement Office vision and operating model within CTG.
• Drive adoption of practical commercial disciplines across technology teams.
• Influence technology transformation, operating model evolution and business owned supplier management maturity.
• Provide direction, coaching and escalation support to the Technology & Strategic Sourcing Manager across technology sourcing and priority business demand.
• Operate credibly with the CIO, CTG and executive leaders, bringing clear commercial judgement to technology decisions.
• Challenge technology demand and supplier assumptions constructively, using evidence and market insight.
• Build alignment across CTG, finance, legal, business and strategic supplier stakeholders.
• Inspire confidence through technology market insight, practical advice and sound commercial judgement.
• Lead change in a complex technology environment with diplomacy, pace and accountability.
• Help CTG navigate commercial decisions in a way that respects Christie’s relationship led culture while improving discipline, transparency and accountability.
• Develop the Technology & Strategic Sourcing Manager through clear direction, coaching and constructive escalation support across technology sourcing and priority business projects.

Requirements

• Skills & Experience
• Essential
• Executive level stakeholder management and influencing skills, with experience operating as a commercial partner to a CIO, ExCo or Board level technology leadership team.
• Significant experience leading technology procurement, technology commercial management or strategic sourcing functions within a complex global organisation.
• Proven leadership of large scale technology sourcing, transformation and value creation programmes.
• Strong commercial strategy, investment appraisal and business case development capability.
• Experience influencing senior technology executives, supporting CIO decision making and governing major technology investments.
• Deep understanding of technology supplier ecosystems and business owned supplier governance models.
• Strong negotiation, commercial structuring, licensing and contract management expertise.
• Experience managing technology risk, governance and regulatory requirements.
• Strong knowledge of software, SaaS, cloud, infrastructure, cybersecurity, data and managed services markets.
• Track record of delivering organisational change and embedding new operating models.
• Strong leadership, coaching and team development capability.
• Desirable
• Experience within luxury, art, professional services or highly relationship driven organisations.
• Experience establishing or transforming procurement operating models.
• Exposure to global technology supplier ecosystems and strategic partnerships.
• Professional qualification in Procurement, Commercial Management, Technology or a related discipline.
• Significant and demonstrable experience in senior technology procurement, technology commercial or sourcing leadership roles.
• Experience leading enterprise technology sourcing strategies within complex global organisations.
• Proven success enabling value through CTG owned strategic technology supplier partnerships.
• Experience supporting CIOs, technology leadership teams and enterprise transformation programmes.
• Demonstrated capability in commercial management of large scale software, cloud and digital transformation investments.
• Experience operating as a strategic business partner rather than a transactional procurement leader.

Skills

Required

• Commercial strategy
• Investment appraisal
• Business case development
• Negotiation
• Commercial structuring
• Licensing
• Contract management
• Technology risk management
• Governance
• Regulatory requirements
• Organisational change
• Leadership

Benefits

• What’s great about working for us
• 27 days annual leave + 1 day Birthday leave
• Christie’s Christmas office closure (guaranteed between 25th Dec – 2nd Jan) – in addition to annual leave: almost two weeks to fully switch off and spend time with friends and family
• Additional 1 week’s annual leave within the year of a 5-year anniversary i.e. 5th, 10th, 15th and so on
• Volunteering day: Take an additional day of annual leave to volunteer for a charitable organisation that’s important to you
• Donation matching of up to £500 per annum to help you support the organisations you care about
• Flexible Fitness Fund - £400 per year expense allowance for health and wellness related activity (taxable)
• Access to world-renowned art: with regular exhibitions in our galleries to wander around and exclusive guided tours hosted by specialist colleagues
• Discretionary Bonus (dependent on the business and employee performance payable in March each year)
• Generous retirement plan: We will double match your pension contribution up to 5% of your basic salary (Max 10% contribution from Christie’s)
• Private Health Insurance – no employee contribution needed, subsidised for other family members
• Dental Insurance – (may be extended at personal cost)
• Generous Income Protection Insurance in the event of accident, sickness or injury after 12 months
• Competitive Life Insurance policy from first day
• Employee Assistance Programme – access to personal advice and support services including counselling
• Eyecare vouchers (once a year)
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Christie’s Extras – discounts on over 800 retailers, holiday packages, dinners and weekly shops
• 16 weeks full pay on Maternity Leave
• Four-day week, for eight weeks, at full pay on return from Maternity Leave
• Dependent back-up care: 10 sessions/ days of childcare or eldercare per year
• The Stork Club: Our community of parents who meet regularly over breakfasts, lunch, afternoon tea…
• *Christie’s reserves the right to change company benefits at any time