Procurement/Vendor Management

• *Open to Sector - 12 month contract - 3 days a week in the Manchester office**

This role is responsible for leading the coordination and execution of HR vendor management activities across Europe and the Americas. It ensures consistent, end-to-end oversight of third-party vendors in line with established Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) frameworks, minimising delays, incomplete assessments, and unnecessary risk exposure.

Acting as a central point of contact, the role connects HR, risk functions, procurement, and external vendors, while also supporting the resolution of legacy issues and alignment with current policy and best practice standards.

The position oversees a portfolio of 60+ HR vendors and plays a key role in a major Operational Controls Programme.

Key Responsibilities

Vendor Governance

• Support the development and implementation of governance frameworks across the full vendor lifecycle (onboarding, due diligence, performance monitoring, renewals, and exit management)
• Maintain standardised documentation, controls, and processes to ensure audit readiness
• Manage vendor scorecards, including SLA/KPI tracking and performance escalation

Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM)

• Lead and coordinate TPRM activities, including risk assessments, due diligence, and ongoing monitoring
• Collaborate with risk domain stakeholders (e.g. information security, privacy, compliance, legal, business continuity) to ensure timely completion of assessments
• Identify and escalate emerging risks, compliance gaps, and policy issues
• Drive remediation plans with vendors and internal stakeholders to resolve risk findings within agreed timelines

Stakeholder & Vendor Management

• Act as the primary liaison between HR, procurement, risk teams, finance, and external vendors
• Partner with HR stakeholders to ensure vendor services meet business and operational requirements
• Facilitate structured communications, issue resolution, and vendor review meetings

Process Optimisation

• Identify inefficiencies and bottlenecks in existing vendor management processes
• Implement improved workflows, documentation standards, and operational controls
• Drive initiatives to reduce risk acceptance, improve compliance, and accelerate assessment timelines

Data, Reporting & Audit

• Maintain accurate vendor inventories, risk classifications, contract data, and review schedules
• Produce regular reporting on vendor performance, contract milestones, and remediation progress
• Ensure ongoing audit readiness through high-quality documentation and controls

Experience & Skills

• Experience working within third-party risk management or vendor governance frameworks
• Hands-on experience with risk management platforms (e.g. Archer, ServiceNow, OneTrust or similar)
• Strong stakeholder management skills with experience working across global and cross-functional teams
• Excellent communication skills, including engagement with external vendors
• High attention to detail, with a focus on process accuracy and documentation quality
• Strong analytical capability, with advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint