Global Category Leader, IT Software

Salary: £53,000 - 93,000 per year

Requirements:

• Significant experience in software procurement, technology sourcing, commercial management, or related leadership roles.
• Demonstrated success developing and executing category strategies that deliver measurable business value.
• Experience leading complex software negotiations and supplier relationships at a regional or global level.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence senior leaders and operate effectively in matrix environments.
• Experience leading and developing teams, with a track record of building capability and improving performance.
• Knowledge of AI-enabled software, data governance, responsible AI principles, and evolving software commercial models.
• An understanding of AI, emerging digital technologies, and their impact on procurement, sourcing, and supplier management.
• Experience developing governance, risk management, or compliance approaches for technology-enabled suppliers and third-party services.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders on digital transformation, AI adoption, and responsible AI practices.
• Experience working collaboratively with IT, Legal, Cyber Security, Privacy, and Compliance functions.
• Deep understanding of enterprise software, SaaS, licensing models, software asset optimisation, and supplier ecosystems.
• Experience supporting digital transformation, technology modernisation, or AI-related initiatives.
• Experience within a complex, global, and highly regulated environment.
• People leadership and development experience.

Responsibilities:

• Define and execute our global software category strategy, aligned to business priorities, digital transformation objectives, and the RISE strategy.
• Build and manage a multi-year value pipeline across cost optimisation, software rationalisation, demand management, risk reduction, and innovation.
• Use market intelligence, supplier insights, and benchmarking to shape strategic decisions and identify new opportunities.
• Act as our AI Champion for AI-enabled software and emerging technologies, providing leadership, guidance, and governance support to category teams.
• Serve as a trusted commercial advisor to IT, Digital, Data & Analytics, Cybersecurity, Finance, Legal, and business stakeholders.
• Influence software investment decisions through insight, structured challenge, and commercial expertise.
• Ensure Procurement is engaged early in planning and technology decision-making processes.
• Identify and execute initiatives for cross-category IT-related optimisation and consolidation.
• Lead complex negotiations with strategic software suppliers and oversee major commercial agreements.
• Drive effective supplier relationship management to improve performance, innovation, risk management, and business outcomes.
• Establish commercial approaches that balance flexibility, scalability, value delivery, and enterprise risk.
• Help shape our approach to procuring and managing AI-enabled software and emerging technologies.
• Ensure appropriate governance around software licensing, data rights, AI-related contractual considerations, cybersecurity, and compliance requirements.
• Promote data-driven decision-making and adoption of AI-enabled procurement tools and ways of working.
• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing software procurement team.
• Build capability in category management, stakeholder engagement, negotiation, commercial strategy, and AI-enabled procurement.
• Foster a culture of accountability, curiosity, continuous improvement, and collaboration.
• Drive AI capability development across the wider procurement organisation through coaching, training, knowledge sharing, and practical application of AI-enabled procurement techniques.
• Support category teams in assessing the impact of AI on supplier markets, commercial models, contracting approaches, governance requirements, and risk considerations.
• Champion digital, data, and AI fluency across the procurement organisation, fostering communities of practice and promoting the sharing of emerging market insights, lessons learned, and best practices.

Technologies:

• AI
• Support
• Matrix
• Security
• Embedded

More:

We are Smith+Nephew, and we design and manufacture technology that takes the limits off living. This is a Global Indirect Procurement role within our Global Indirect Procurement organisation, based in the UK - Watford or POL - Wroclaw, on a full-time basis. We offer a hybrid working model for most professional roles, along with generous annual bonus and pension schemes, Save As You Earn share options, flexible vacation and time off, paid holidays and paid volunteering hours, private health and dental plans, healthcare cash plans, income protection, life assurance, hands-on team customised mentorship, and a range of discounts and employee schemes. We are committed to inclusion and belonging, and we describe ourselves as more than just a company - we are a community that supports and empowers our employees and patients every day.

last updated 36 week of 2026