Strategic Procurement Lead

Job Description

Are you our new Strategic Procurement Lead in Chennai?

Maersk Training is seeking a Strategic Procurement Lead who will play a critical role in strengthening our global cost structure, vendor ecosystem, and commercial competitiveness.

This is not a transactional sourcing role. It is a high-impact, globally connected position responsible for driving sustainable savings, strengthening third-party partnerships, and enabling data-led negotiation strategies across regions and product lines.

You will act as a key commercial lever in supporting growth, marketplace expansion, and digital enablement through structured, fact-based procurement leadership.

Strategic Impact of the Role

• Direct influence on global margin improvement through structured savings programs

• Ownership of high-value third-party vendor negotiations across regions globally

• Development of a data-backed procurement framework to support fact-based decisions

• Strengthening vendor ecosystems to support global footprint expansion

• Enabling digital marketplace initiatives through vendor integration and pricing transparency

• Supporting executive leadership with commercial intelligence and actionable insights

Key Responsibilities

1. Global Negotiation Leadership

• Lead complex, high-value negotiations with top third-party vendors across multiple geographies globally

• Develop negotiation strategies grounded in spend analytics, benchmarking, and market intelligence

• Identify decision-makers and influence senior stakeholders to secure optimal commercial outcomes

• Deliver measurable and sustainable cost savings aligned with annual targets across key third party vendors

2. Data-Driven Procurement Excellence

• Build and leverage region-wise and product-wise vendor spend analytics to drive structured negotiations

• Conduct quantitative and qualitative market research to inform sourcing strategies

• Develop fact-based cost models and scenario analyses to support commercial decisions

• Establish procurement dashboards and reporting mechanisms for executive visibility

3. Strategic Vendor Ecosystem Development

• Identify alternative vendor channels to enhance competition and reduce dependency risk

• Build long-term vendor partnerships with clear performance metrics and governance frameworks

• Ensure transparency in pricing, volume commitments, and service delivery standards

• Drive ongoing vendor performance monitoring and optimization

4. Digital & Marketplace Enablement

• Lead procurement deliverables for digital Marketplace initiatives, ensuring availability of course volumes, calendars, and pricing from third-party vendors

• Support API integration discussions and operational implementation with global vendors

• Strengthen data accuracy and availability to enhance digital platform scalability

5. Governance & Compliance

• Ensure adherence to tax, legal, and regulatory requirements across jurisdictions

• Maintain strict compliance with corporate governance policies and procurement standards

• Safeguard contractual robustness through strong understanding of RFQs, RFPs, tenders, and commercial documentation

We Are Looking For

• Master’s degree in Finance, Operations, Procurement, or related discipline

• 12–15 years of experience in international sourcing and vendor management

• Demonstrated success in delivering significant cost savings in a global environment

• Strong analytical capability with deep experience in spend analysis and commercial modelling

• Proven track record in negotiating complex third-party agreements across regions

• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and operate confidently in executive discussions

• Strong understanding of contractual frameworks and tendering processes

• Highly structured, research-driven, and commercially sharp

• Digitally savvy with comfort working across systems and integration initiatives

• Self-driven, resilient, and results-oriented

Maersk is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we embrace different styles of thinking. Maersk is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applicants without regard to race, colour, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy or parental leave, veteran status, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with all legal requirements.