Market Category Lead HR & Professional Services

Location: UK/Europe (any)

This role is responsible for providing regional category management leadership for the category of HR and Professional Services (Finance, Legal and Marketing). This person collaborates closely with Global, Regional and Market Unit (MU) colleagues to meet the objectives of Procurement and its stakeholders. Some expectations of the role include supporting the creation of category strategy and plans that align with internal stakeholder goals, reflect current marketplace conditions, and support Procurement initiatives. This role will also support the negotiations of agreements with key strategic suppliers while driving innovation with these partners.

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

• Lead the EMEA HR & Professional Services category strategy in alignment with Global Category Leads.
• Identify opportunities through market analysis, spend insights, and contract reviews.
• Drive Procurement value, innovation, compliance, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support regional target setting, planning, and execution of category programs.
• Engage key stakeholders and ensure alignment between business objectives and category strategies.

Strategy & Sourcing Execution

• Lead regional sourcing initiatives and support global category activities.
• Ensure negotiations and supplier engagements align with global strategies.
• Promote adoption of preferred contracts and buying channels.
• Coordinate resources and oversee implementation of category initiatives across the region.

Stakeholder & Supplier Management

• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders and strategic suppliers.
• Act as a trusted business partner across functions and subcategories.
• Manage supplier performance, stakeholder feedback, and category-related escalations.
• Maintain a robust pipeline of sourcing opportunities and value creation initiatives.

Category Delivery

• Drive supplier optimization, performance management, and fact-based negotiations.
• Support sourcing projects and ensure delivery of business outcomes.
• Leverage market intelligence to strengthen Procurement’s value proposition.

#LI-EU

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Strong expertise in category management, sourcing, procurement, and project management.
• Proven experience developing and executing category strategies.
• Deep understanding of HR and Professional Services categories and commercial models.
• Demonstrable working experience in similar or adequate roles in a Procurement environment, with international project and people management elements
• Demonstrable experience working with senior executives to implement and manage initiatives in a highly complex matrix organization
• Fluent in written and spoken English.
• Strong negotiation, analytics, stakeholder management, and supplier management skills.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and work across a complex global organization.
• Innovative, action-oriented, and results-driven mindset.
• Strong communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
• Comfortable managing multiple priorities in a multicultural environment.

Education

• A bachelor’s degree with emphasis on the areas of business, economics, Procurement, or comparable professional experience

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world’s leading businesses, governments and other organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance citizen services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are a talent- and innovation-led company with approximately 791,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Technology is at the core of change today, and we are one of the world’s leaders in helping drive that change, with strong ecosystem relationships. We combine our strength in technology and leadership in cloud, data and AI with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise and global delivery capability. Our broad range of services, solutions and assets across Strategy & Consulting, Technology, Operations, Industry X and Song, together with our culture of shared success and commitment to creating 360° value, enable us to help our clients reinvent and build trusted, lasting relationships. We measure our success by the 360° value we create for our clients, each other, our shareholders, partners and communities.

Visit us at www.accenture.com 

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement     

We believe that no one should be discriminated against because of their differences. All employment decisions shall be made without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, citizenship status or any other basis as protected by applicable law. Our rich diversity makes us more innovative, more competitive, and more creative, which helps us better serve our clients and our communities.