Vendor Management Lead

Elsevier; City of London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A global leader in information services is seeking an experienced Vendor Manager to optimize external supplier relationships and drive cost savings. This role involves leading the RFP lifecycle, engaging with executive leadership, and managing large supplier portfolios. The ideal candidate has a deep understanding of the IT services landscape and proven results in vendor management and negotiations. Join us to shape progress in science and healthcare and help deliver innovative solutions for the benefit of society.

Benefits

Wellbeing initiatives

Study assistance

Sabbaticals

Qualifications

• Deep understanding of IT services landscape, particularly cloud and managed services.
• Proven ability to manage large-scale supplier portfolios exceeding $100M.
• Extensive experience with vendor strategy and negotiations.

Responsibilities

• Develop vendor management strategy to optimize provider relationships.
• Lead RFP lifecycle from requirements to vendor selection and negotiations.
• Collaborate with Global Procurement & Legal teams on vendor contracts.

Skills

IT services landscape

Cost savings

Vendor rationalization

Stakeholder engagement

Financial governance

Job description

## .You will join a broader team focused on software and service management, taking ownership of Elsevier’s technology services vendor management strategy. Your mission is to ensure third-party providers are selected, governed, and optimised to deliver maximum value, mitigate risk, and support long-term business objectives.This role centres on outsourcing, staff augmentation, and black-box service contracts, requiring strong leadership and strategic thinking to manage complex vendor relationships effectively.Developing vendor location strategy (e.g., onshore/offshore/nearshore balance) to optimise cost, time zones, and talent quality; in synergy with our Technology location strategy and our broader RELX sister companies’ vendor strategy.Collaborating with Global Procurement & Legal to lead the full RFP lifecycle—from requirements and evaluation through to vendor selection and tough negotiations**Requirements:*** Deep understanding of the IT services landscape (cloud, infrastructure, AWS, managed services).* Proven results in driving cost savings, vendor rationalisation, and performance uplift.* Experience managing large-scale external supplier portfolios (>$100M spend).* Excellent stakeholder engagement across technology, procurement, and executive leadership.* Understanding of financial governance, compliance, and risk management in vendor engagements.Extensive experience in IT sourcing, vendor strategy, technology vendor management and transformation—ideally from a top-tier firm.Strong leadership experience running RFPs, vendor selections, and high-stakes contract negotiations.We promote a healthy work/life balance across the organisation. We offer an appealing working prospect for our people. With numerous wellbeing initiatives, shared parental leave, study assistance and sabbaticals, we will help you meet your immediate responsibilities and your long-term goals.A global leader in information and analytics, we help researchers and healthcare professionals advance science and improve health outcomes for the benefit of society. Building on our publishing heritage, we combine quality information and vast data sets with analytics to support visionary science and research, health education and interactive learning, as well as exceptional healthcare and clinical practice. At Elsevier, your work contributes to the world’s grand challenges and a more sustainable future. We harness innovative technologies to support science and healthcare to partner for a better worldElsevier is a global leader in advanced information and decision support for science and healthcare. We believe that by working together with the communities we serve, we can shape human progress to go further, happen faster, and benefit all.We support continuous discovery and uphold the highest standards of content integrity, reliability, and reproducibility so the communities we serve can advance their field of science, healthcare or innovation with confidence. By combining high-quality content with powerful analytics, we transform complexity into clarity and deliver mission-critical insights that help professionals make better decisions when it matters most.We deliver insights that help research institutions, governments, and funders achieve their goals. We help researchers discover and share knowledge, collaborate, and accelerate innovation. We help librarians provide verified, quality information to universities. We help innovators turn knowledge into new products. We help health professionals improve patient care and educators train the next generation of doctors and nurses. Connecting quality content and innovative technologies, we make progress go further and happen faster. And by championing inclusion and sustainability, we ensure progress benefits all.With 9,500 employees, over 2,300 technologists in 5 major tech hubs, and more than 60 locations across the globe, we are committed to supporting the scientific and healthcare communities around the world. We offer a diverse range of opportunities across technology, commercial, business, and early career jobs. If you are looking for a career that inspires progress in science, innovation and health, and allows you to grow every day, find your team at Elsevier.Elsevier is part of RELX Group.Let’s shape progress together. Join us.elsevier.com/about/careers