Senior Procurement Specialist

This role supports multiple business partners across International and US business lines and leads the development of cost reduction and value creation strategies that align with Markel's enterprise objectives. The position will partner closely with stakeholders to design, negotiate, and manage technology-driven sourcing solutions while ensuring strong governance over enterprise-wide procurement policies, procedures, and third-party risk controls.

What part will you play? If you're looking for a place where you can make a meaningful difference, you've found it. The work we do at Markel gives people the confidence to move forward and seize opportunities, and you'll find your fit amongst our global community of optimists and problem-solvers. We're always pushing each other to go further because we believe that when we realize our potential, we can help others reach theirs.

Join us and play your part in something special!

The opportunity:

The Global Sr. Procurement Specialist is responsible for providing analytical and strategic sourcing support within the Indirect Services procurement space, with a primary focus on supplier relationship management in the technology space, including SaaS software, professional services, and third-party data through the entire procurement lifecycle from market research to contract execution.

The Sr. Procurement Specialist plays a meaningful role in contract negotiation, supplier performance management, issue resolution, and ongoing optimization of technology spend, delivering both tangible financial benefits and long-term strategic value to Markel.

What you'll be doing:

• Partner with business stakeholders to understand business requirements and deliver sourcing solutions aligned to Indirect Services and technology categories, including SaaS software, professional services, and third-party data.
• Lead and run competitive RFx processes, including development of requirements, pricing models, financial analysis, and risk assessments for technology and services agreements.
• Identify and deliver cost savings and value creation opportunities through spend analysis and close collaboration with business partners and the Global Procurement team.
• Develop and complete negotiation strategies for technology, software, data, and services contracts, ensuring favourable commercial, legal, and risk outcomes.
• Work collaboratively with Directors and Procurement Analysts to establish, maintain, and renew supplier contracts across Indirect Services categories.
• Measure supplier performance using quantitative metrics related to cost, quality, service levels, and contractual compliance.
• Bring together stakeholder feedback and lead supplier performance reviews, including quarterly business reviews for key technology and services suppliers.
• Develop deep category expertise across assigned Indirect Services spend areas, with an emphasis on technology, software, professional services, and data agreements.
• Lead sourcing activities and supplier onboarding, coordinating due diligence, risk, and compliance processes for new and existing vendors.
• Improve return on investment across third-party technology and services spend while delivering against savings targets and financial objectives.

Our must-haves:

• Experience in strategic sourcing, category management, finance operations, and analytics, with focus on Indirect Services procurement, including technology-driven spend categories.
• Strong contracting and negotiation expertise in technology-related agreements, including SaaS software, professional services, and third-party data contracts.
• Knowledge of third-party supplier contractual provisions to meet regulatory requirements.
• Good understanding of the end-to-end Procure-to-Pay (P2P) process, including requisitioning, sourcing, contracting, supplier onboarding, invoicing, and payment workflows, focussing on process optimization and compliance.
• Experience of using procurement technologies, analytics platforms, and AI-enabled solutions to improve sourcing efficiency, enhance decision-making, and drive measurable business outcomes.
• Ability to partner with cross-functional stakeholders, including IT, Legal, Risk, Finance, and business leadership.
• Strong customer-centric attitude with the ability to build and sustain strategic supplier relationships.

Who we are:

Markel Group (NYSE - MKL) a Fortune 500 company with over 60 offices in 20+ countries, is a holding company for insurance, reinsurance, specialist advisory, and investment operations around the world.

We're all about people | We win together | We strive for better | We enjoy the everyday | We think further

What's in it for you?

• A great starting salary plus annual bonus & strong benefits package...
• 25 days paid holiday plus Bank Holidays, with the opportunity to buy/sell extra leave
• Fantastic company pension scheme, private medical and dental cover, life assurance, travel insurance cover, income protection, season ticket loan as well as other great benefits on offer
• There are countless opportunities to learn new skills and develop in your career and we can provide the support needed to do just that!

Are you ready to play your part?

Choose 'Apply Now' to fill out our short application, so that we can find out more about you.

Markel celebrates the value of a diverse workforce that brings experience and expertise from a wide variety of backgrounds and life circumstances. Whatever your background, if you feel you meet the requirements of this role then we want to hear from you. We are also happy to consider candidates who are looking for flexible working patterns.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided with all reasonable accommodations to be able to participate in the job application or interview process and to perform essential job functions if successful. Please contact us via email at [email protected] or call us at 0161 507 5827 to request any accommodations that may be needed. This includes any alternative formats of any documents or information on how to apply offline.

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