Procurement Manager

About 9fin 9fin is the AI platform powering global debt markets — the world’s largest asset class at over $145 trillion. Debt markets are vast, global, and mission-critical, yet still run on fragmented data, PDFs, and manual workflows. 9fin replaces this broken infrastructure with a single platform that centralises proprietary credit data, deep analysis, and high-value workflows across global markets. Today, 9fin powers teams at 300+ blue-chip institutions worldwide, including global banks, asset managers, private equity firms, law firms, and advisors. The business is scaling at exceptional speed, with rapid expansion in the US and best-in-class retention driven by deep workflow adoption. We’re at a defining inflection point. With proven product-market fit and strong, global market pull, 9fin is accelerating toward becoming the category-defining platform for debt markets worldwide. THE OPPORTUNITY 9fin is scaling fast, and the way we buy needs to scale with us. Today, procurement is handled ad hoc across Finance, Legal, and IT. Requests route differently every time, subscriptions duplicate across teams, contracts auto-renew without review, and there is no central view of who we buy from, what we pay, or when contracts come up. The cost is real: missed negotiation leverage, overlapping tools, and senior time spent on work that should sit with a dedicated owner. The Procurement Manager is a new, standalone role within Operations at 9fin, based in London and reporting to the General Counsel. The role exists to do three things: * Build scalable process. Design 9fin's procurement policy, intake, RFP, and renewals process from first principles, with the tooling to support it as we grow. * Own the function. Take end-to-end ownership of the vendor lifecycle, the vendor register, the renewals calendar, and commercial negotiation across vendor categories. * Partner across the business. Be the single point of contact for Finance, Legal, and IT/InfoSec on inbound procurement, and the partner team managers come to when they want to bring in a new tool. This is a build role. You will not inherit a team, a playbook, or a tooling stack. You will design them. We are looking for someone with 5 to 8 years of procurement experience at a technology or fintech business of comparable scale, who is excited to take ownership of a function rather than administer one. WHAT YOU'LL WORK ON BUILD SCALABLE PROCESS * Design 9fin's procurement policy, intake process, and approval workflow from first principles, with scale in mind from day one * Stand up a single front door for procurement requests, replacing the current ad hoc routing across Finance, Legal, and IT teams * Define and document the RFP process: how we source, how we evaluate alternatives, and how we record the rationale * Evaluate and recommend procurement tooling (for example, Cledara) during your first 90 days, with a view to automating renewals tracking and intake * Set the cadence and content of procurement reporting to the business OWN THE FUNCTION * Own the full vendor lifecycle end to end: sourcing, evaluation, contracting, onboarding, renewals, offboarding * Own the central vendor register and spend dashboard as the single source of truth for who we buy from and what we pay * Own the renewals calendar and drive renewal conversations early, with the relevant team manager, well ahead of auto-renewal dates * Lead commercial negotiations across vendor categories, from SaaS tooling to specialist services, and own the commercial outcome * Identify and resolve duplicate subscriptions and overlapping tools across the business PARTNER ACROSS THE BUSINESS * Act as the single point of contact for Finance, Legal, and IT/InfoSec on inbound procurement activity, sequencing approvals so each function is engaged at the right point * Partner with Finance to manage and maximise the value of every pound spent, not just allocate it. Own savings, cost avoidance, and value capture as commercial outcomes the business can measure * Integrate procurement into Finance's budgeting processes and planning cycles, so vendor decisions are made with the full picture of the planning horizon rather than in isolation * Work with Finance to design and operate clear authorisation levels and approval flows, so the right decisions sit with the right people and the process scales as the business grows * Partner with Legal on contract review and risk-tiered routing of vendor agreements * Partner with IT/InfoSec on security and data protection assessments for new and renewing vendors * Work with team managers across the business to surface needs, challenge requests against existing tooling, and route projects to the right approvers at the right time. ABOUT YOU We are looking for someone who identifies with the following traits, even if you don't have all of them. * Owner, not administrator: You treat the function as yours. You set the standard, drive the outcome, and do not wait to be told what is next. You are comfortable being accountable for results, not just activity. * High energy, high intensity: You bring pace and personal drive to the work. You move fast, push hard on the things that matter, and have the stamina to build a function while running it at the same time. * Builder mindset: You have designed a procurement function or materially expanded one, not just maintained a mature one. You are comfortable with a blank page and motivated by the chance to build something that lasts. * Commercial negotiator: You have led vendor negotiations on material spend, not just administered contracts someone else negotiated. You know when to push and when to accept, and you own the commercial outcome. * Structured and scalable thinker: You design process with the next stage of growth in mind, not just the current state. You can stand up a vendor register, a spend dashboard, an intake workflow, and an RFP process without being told the steps. * Strong cross-functional partner: The role sits at the intersection of Finance, Legal, IT/InfoSec, and every team that buys something. You build trust quickly across functions and sequence the right people at the right time, without becoming a bottleneck yourself. * Willingness to challenge the status quo: You see how things could be done better, and you are not afraid to speak up. You push back constructively, evidence in hand. * Bias to action: You move quickly from problem to solution. You would rather ship a working process and refine it than spend a quarter perfecting a policy. * Finance literate: You are comfortable working inside a Finance team's planning cycle, reading budgets, and talking commercial impact in the terms Finance uses (not just procurement terms). A NOTE FROM THE HIRING MANAGER "I am hiring for energy and ownership above all else. This is a build role with real scope, real autonomy, and real commercial impact, and I want someone who treats it that way from day one. If you are excited by a blank page and you move quickly from problem to solution, we should talk.." — Brian Dearing, VP, General Counsel Benefits We’re a scaling start up, and we enjoy sharing our success, when the company succeeds, we always reinvest that in our people. We also offer huge amounts of responsibility, an abundance of opportunity for growth and a platform to truly excel. Financial & Insurance * Competitive Salary (our salary bands are benchmarked at the top end of the market) * Equity * Pension (your minimum contributions are 4% with 9fin matching up to 7%) * Private Medical Insurance * Paid sick leave with Income Protection for long periods of illness * Group Life Assurance * Season Ticket Loan & Cycle to Work schemes Time off * 25 holiday days per year * Local public holidays (with the ability to exchange them for alternative days) * Hybrid working model, to allow you the flexibility to decide how, where and when you do your best work * Work abroad for up to 3 months a year * 1 month paid sabbatical after 5 years of service * Enhanced parental leave & flexible working arrangements available   Training & Culture * Professional learning and development budget * AI experimentation budget of £800 (UK) per employee to trial AI tools * Quarterly team socials * Summer and Winter company social events 9fin is an equal opportunities employer At 9fin we are dedicated to building and promoting a fair and inclusive workplace where everyone can reach their full potential and truly belong. We recognize that building diverse teams enables a more creative and productive environment. If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t perfectly align with the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might just be who we’re looking for — either for this role, or perhaps another.

About us The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading news organisations, globally recognised for its authority, integrity and accuracy, with a mission to deliver quality information and services worldwide. At the FT, curiosity thrives and ambitious thinking is rewarded. Here, you’re given the chance to reach millions, create work that matters and deliver impartial journalism in a polarised world. In our warm, collaborative culture, you’ll connect with a diverse community of experts who support your growth, career aspirations and wellbeing. Your future at the FT will be filled with opportunities that challenge and inspire you. With no fixed path, you’ll discover new skills and forge a career that can take you anywhere. Build a newsworthy career at the FT. Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion  We believe in the power of unique perspectives and want all voices in our organisation to be heard, respected and valued. A supportive workplace is one where employees feel they can be themselves and operate to their full potential. We are committed to removing barriers for everyone, with a focus on addressing those faced by underrepresented groups.  THE TEAM The Procurement function has a group-wide remit and forms part of the Global Finance team. It is responsible for delivering a transparent and effective procurement approach across the FT Group, ensuring integrity and fairness in supplier selection, robust commercial negotiations, and strong governance and supplier management practices. The implementation of the Procure-to-Pay (P2P) lifecycle has created significant opportunities for Procurement to drive greater visibility of spend, improved data quality and more informed decision-making across the business. This role will contribute to the next phase of Procurement’s evolution by helping leverage the FT Group’s collective buying power through coordinated sourcing strategies, preferred supplier frameworks and more effective group-wide commercial negotiations. Based in London, the Procurement Manager will play a key role in delivering procurement activity across priority business areas including the Commercial Client Group (CCG), Product & Technology (P&T), and Reader Revenue Group (RRG). This role has a strong focus on marketing and professional services procurement, requiring experience sourcing and managing agencies and consultancy providers across areas such as creative, media, social media and digital marketing. Experience supporting procurement activity for events-related spend, including venues, hotels, AV and production services, would also be advantageous. The successful candidate will combine strong sourcing and commercial capability with excellent stakeholder engagement skills, partnering with senior stakeholders across the business to deliver commercially robust and strategically aligned procurement outcomes. We are looking for someone who is commercially curious, forward-thinking and comfortable using technology and AI-enabled tools to improve procurement efficiency, market analysis, sourcing activity and contract management processes. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES * Lead end-to-end procurement activity across assigned categories and business areas, including sourcing strategy development, RFP execution, supplier evaluation and commercial negotiations * Partner with stakeholders across Reader Revenue Group (RRG), Commercial Client Group (CCG) and Product & Technology (P&T) to support a diverse range of procurement requirements * Build trusted relationships with stakeholders up to Director level, influencing decision-making and driving commercially effective outcomes * Develop and execute sourcing strategies that optimise total cost of ownership and deliver sustainable value * Challenge and shape business requirements to ensure alignment with group priorities and procurement best practice * Manage contract lifecycle activity including renewals, renegotiations and risk mitigation initiatives * Apply supplier management frameworks and support governance and supplier performance activities * Collaborate with Finance teams to identify, track and validate savings and value delivery opportunities * Use Coupa to manage sourcing and contracting processes while supporting stakeholders and suppliers in its effective use * Conduct market research and supplier analysis to inform sourcing decisions and negotiation strategies * Support continuous improvement initiatives across procurement processes, governance and reporting REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE * Proven procurement experience across marketing, professional services and/or indirect spend categories * Strong experience sourcing and managing marketing agencies, consultancy providers or related suppliers * Demonstrated ability to manage complex sourcing activities and commercial negotiations * Excellent stakeholder management and business partnering skills, with experience engaging senior stakeholders * Strong analytical and commercial acumen, with the ability to interpret spend data and market insights to support decision-making * Experience handling contract negotiations, supplier management and procurement governance processes * Comfortable working across multiple business areas and managing competing priorities * Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to translate complex information into clear recommendations * Experience using procurement systems and sourcing tools such as Coupa or similar platforms * Interest in procurement innovation and emerging technologies, including AI-enabled tools and digital procurement practices DESIRABLE * Experience supporting procurement activity across events-related categories including venues, hotels, AV and production services * Exposure to technology, SaaS or data supplier procurement * Experience working within a matrixed or global organisation * Familiarity with procurement transformation, P2P processes or procurement analytics initiatives What’s in it for you? Our benefits Our benefits vary by location but we are committed to providing best-in-class perks across all our offices. These include generous annual leave, medical cover, inclusive parental leave packages, subsidised gym memberships and opportunities to give back to the community. Full details of our benefits are available here. We currently operate a hybrid model which requires staff to work onsite 50% of the time, subject to role requirements & regular review. While flexible working requests will be considered, not all patterns are suitable for all roles. We believe this balanced approach supports flexibility and protects our culture, making collaboration and communication easier, building stronger relationships and team cohesion, and supporting peer learning.  We reserve discretion on reasonable notice to change this approach either generally or for specific individuals or teams. Accessibility We are a disability confident employer and Valuable 500 signatory. Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments/personalisation as part of the application process or to enable you to attend an interview. If you would like to discuss your requirements or have any questions, email talent@ft.com and a member of our team will be happy to help. Further information At the FT, we embrace innovation and the use of technology and appreciate that individuals may leverage AI tools as part of their job application process. Whilst we are happy for you to use AI to assist with your application, it is essential that all information provided is authentic and accurately represents your skills, experience, and qualifications. Candidates should be aware that the use of AI throughout the application process may be monitored to ensure a fair and transparent hiring process for all. Please beware of fraudulent job postings and offers claiming to be from the Financial Times. All legitimate opportunities will direct you to apply through the official Financial Times careers site, and the FT will never ask for financial information, payments, or referrals to third parties during the hiring process. If you have any concerns about the legitimacy of a job posting or suspect any scam activity, please contact talent@ft.com.  Interested in the FT but don’t see the right role yet? Join our Talent Community to receive exclusive updates, featured jobs, and insights into working at the FT.   #LI-KF1