Lead Analyst Procurement – HR Recruitment and HR Training Categories

Job Description

Job Summary:

The Lead Analyst Procurement supports category strategy and sourcing activities across the allocated categories. The role contributes market insight, commercial analysis, and structured supplier support to ensure services are sourced and managed in a way that delivers measurable value, operational efficiency, and long-term performance – not only for the assigned categories. Applying category management best practices, the role supports spend analysis, supply market intelligence, industry benchmarking of pricing and service delivery models, supplier segmentation, and the development of sourcing strategies that balance cost efficiency with service quality and innovation. Working closely with the internal stakeholders, the role translates operational priorities into sourcing approaches and supplier solutions. Operating within a global procurement framework, the role supports consistent application of category strategy, sourcing governance, and supplier management practices, while leveraging digital procurement tools and data-driven insights to improve spend visibility and process efficiency. ESG and supplier diversity considerations are applied as part of broader sourcing decisions, in line with company policy.

Major Responsibilities:

1. Conduct spend data analysis and generate actionable insights, identifying cost drivers, spending patterns, supplier concentration, and opportunities for savings and improved contract coverage.
2. Support the development and execution of category strategies incorporating spend analysis, supply market intelligence, and industry benchmarking of pricing, supplier practices, and service delivery models to inform sourcing direction and stakeholder recommendations.
3. Analyze market trends, to identify solutions that meet business needs across the categories in scope.
4. Contribute to measurable value creation through sourcing initiatives and supplier engagement that deliver cost savings, improved cash flow, stronger supplier performance, effective risk mitigation, and supplier-led innovation.
5. Identify opportunities to optimize supplier footprint, service delivery models, and commercial structures.
6. Build and maintain effective working relationships with internal stakeholders to understand business requirements and ensure procurement activities support operational priorities.
7. Support competitive sourcing processes including RFI and RFP, supplier negotiations, and contract award in line with company procurement policies and governance requirements.
8. Assist in supplier performance monitoring through clear service expectations, performance reviews, and issue resolution to ensure reliable service delivery.
9. Support contract management and supplier governance to ensure compliance with agreed commercial terms, service levels, and risk requirements, including data privacy considerations and appropriate regard for ESG and supplier diversity.
10. Contribute to process simplification and supply base rationalization to reduce complexity, improve service consistency, and strengthen commercial leverage.
11. Monitor category spend, supplier concentration, and contract coverage, leveraging digital procurement tools and data-driven insights to identify opportunities for cost control, efficiency, and risk mitigation.

Key Performance Indicators:

• Value delivered across the categories in scope including cost savings, cash improvement, service quality, and risk mitigation, benchmarked against industry standards.
• Quality and actionability of spend data analysis, market intelligence, and industry benchmarking delivered to support category strategy and sourcing decisions.
• Delivery of sourcing initiatives and contracts.
• Supplier performance against agreed service levels including quality, reliability, responsiveness, and issue resolution.
• Compliance with Procurement policy, contracting standards, and applicable regulations including data privacy and basic ESG requirements.
• Continuity and reliability of critical services.
• Timely execution of sourcing processes including RFI, RFP, negotiations, and contract implementation.
• Supply base effectiveness including appropriate supplier coverage, service consistency, and managed risk exposure.
• Effective use of digital procurement tools and data-driven insights to improve spend visibility and process efficiency.
• Growing personal capability, engagement, and effectiveness within the Procurement team.

Qualifications

Education and Experience Requirements: 

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Supply Chain, or a related field.
• Working knowledge of data analytics tools such as Excel or Power BI as well as AI tools.
• Working knowledge of procurement platforms such as SAP Ariba is a plus.
• Foundational knowledge or coursework in project management is a plus.

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years in procurement, strategic sourcing, or category management, including exposure to service-based categories, within global or multi-regional organizations.
• Hands-on experience with spend data analysis and procurement analytics, with the ability to interpret data, identify trends, and translate findings into clear, actionable insights for category strategy and stakeholder recommendations.
• Demonstrated experience supporting category strategies and sourcing initiatives that delivered measurable cost savings, cash flow improvement, stronger supplier performance, effective risk mitigation, and supplier-driven solutions.
• Experience conducting market benchmarking, supply market intelligence, and spend analysis to inform sourcing direction and category strategy.
• Commercial acumen and developing negotiation skills, with the ability to support competitive sourcing processes and evaluate commercial proposals, payment structures, and supplier agreements.
• Financial analysis skills including Total Cost of Ownership modeling and basic cash flow concepts applied to supplier agreements.
• Experience supporting supplier management and service contracts in global organizations, including performance tracking and SLA governance.
• Good understanding of procurement systems and digital tools supporting sourcing, contracting, and spend management, including SAP Ariba or equivalent platforms, with the ability to leverage data to drive visibility and process improvement.
• Basic awareness of data privacy requirements and ESG principles.

Additional Information

Our Benefits

• Flexible working environment
• Volunteer time off
• LinkedIn Learning
• Employee-Assistance-Program (EAP)

NIQ may utilize artificial intelligence (AI) tools at various stages of the recruitment process, including résumé screening, candidate assessments, interview scheduling, job matching, communication support, and certain administrative tasks that help streamline workflows. These tools are intended to improve efficiency and support fair and consistent evaluation based on job-related criteria. All use of AI is governed by NIQ’s principles of fairness, transparency, human oversight, and inclusion. Final hiring decisions are made exclusively by humans. NIQ regularly reviews its AI tools to help mitigate bias and ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. If you have questions, require accommodations, or wish to request human review were permitted by law, please contact your local HR representative. For more information, please visit NIQ’s AI Safety Policies and Guiding Principles: https://www.nielseniq.com/global/en/ai-safety-policies.

About NIQ

NIQ is the world’s leading consumer intelligence company, delivering the most complete understanding of consumer buying behavior and revealing new pathways to growth. In 2023, NIQ combined with GfK, bringing together the two industry leaders with unparalleled global reach. With a holistic retail read and the most comprehensive consumer insights—delivered with advanced analytics through state-of-the-art platforms—NIQ delivers the Full View™. NIQ is an Advent International portfolio company with operations in 100+ markets, covering more than 90% of the world’s population.

For more information, visit NIQ.com

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Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At NIQ, we are steadfast in our commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace that mirrors the rich diversity of the communities and markets we serve. We believe that embracing a wide range of perspectives drives innovation and excellence.  All employment decisions at NIQ are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. We invite individuals who share our dedication to inclusivity and equity to join us in making a meaningful impact. To learn more about our ongoing efforts in diversity and inclusion, please visit the https://nielseniq.com/global/en/news-center/diversity-inclusion