Global Marketing, Events, and Travel Sourcing Lead

Who we are:

Cognizant is a Fortune 500 company and is one of the world's leading professional services companies. Our unique industry-based, consultative approach helps clients in most industries and geographies envision, build, and run more innovative and efficient businesses. We are a global firm with offices in over 400 countries and an ever-growing team of 340,000+ employees with an upbeat, proven outstanding sales team with a high-reaching growth trajectory.

The role:

Global Marketing, Events, and Travel Sourcing Lead. Their purpose is to be the primary interface for all Marketing, Event, and Travel related matters for our internal client leads, BU leads and Service Delivery leads. Someone to lead all Global Marketing, Events, and Travel Sourcing needs aligned to company policy. Ensure full alignment to key Marketing leaders including Chief Marketing Officer with seat at the table for all planning and negotiations related to Event Planning, Sponsorships, Advertising, Brand Management, and PR. Additionally, will support all large-scale travel sourcing negotiations with key partners including airlines, hotels, and transportation while working with regional sourcing and travel operations teams for full alignment and strategy. Ensure the best value airline, hotel and transportation services are sourced for the enterprise as well as large scale Meeting and Events. Drive business analysis and insights where efficiencies and improvements can be delivered across the firm's travel base. Key liaison with Travel Sourcing & Operations Senior Director for full alignment on travel category.

What the work is

Areas of responsibility:

1. Set global subcategory procurement strategy

• Liaise with Marketing on spend strategy aligned to business needs with ongoing reviews and opportunity assessment
• Support all large event requirements through competitive bidding and event activation support with accurate governance and compliance
• Drive a best-in-class travel costs including strategic supplier relationships and user-friendly tooling
• Set global travel savings target and agenda, collaborate with regional procurement to ensure delivery of category spend targets
• Provide thought leadership to key functional stakeholders and regional procurement teams with expert category and supply base knowledge
• Aggregate data across regions and ensure collaboration by soliciting input on a regular basis to advise global marketing and travel strategy

2. Source global categories

• Direct and indirect spend for all Global Marketing purchases including sponsorships, events, branding, advertising, and marketing technology
• Direct spend in the global hotel, airline and transportation, run global RFPs, drive sourcing decisions and negotiate contracts
• Optimize supply base, using macro/ market analysis, suppliers and category analysis
• Review prices and be knowledgeable about industry trends to optimize organizational operational expenditure (opex) spend
• Monitor new developments/operating conditions/market capacity and quality issues, and introduce new suppliers as appropriate
• Identify potential contract gaps and liaise with contract management function to ensure such items are added to contracts

3. Provide leadership and oversight

• Lead, advise and develop direct reports: planning, recruitment, performance management, training and development of the global procurement team
• Ensure that local sourcing practices and processes conform to overall procurement policies
• Implement process travel management techniques and share findings across regions and other categories
• Utilize tools and follow processes provided by the Center of Excellence
• Build great talent across the organization that makes procurement a magnet for top performers

4. Manage stakeholder relationships

• Liaise closely with end-users including Executive Leadership team and BU business partners to solicit input on a regular basis and ensure procurement strategy aligns with business needs
• Act as trusted advisor for key stakeholders in determining their requirements to provide early input into the sourcing process
• Promote interaction between end-users and suppliers to ensure supplier development and appreciation of end-user requirements
• Ensure internal customer satisfaction with the global suppliers, the performance of the procurement team and keep end-users informed

What you'll need:

Key capabilities you'll need for the role include:

• Functional procurement/travel experience: 15+ years
• Leadership experience: 10+ years
• Previous experience working in IT services firm is preferred or large scale/complex multinational organization
• B2B Marketing experience a plus
• Strategy-setting: Set the subcategory strategy in alignment with business needs
• Management and support: Manage and support the procurement organization in achieving procurement excellence
• Relationship management: Promote collaboration across procurement stakeholders to encourage the best interest of clients; Combination of strategic business partner + service center approach
• Talent management: Recruitment and retention of high-potential talent
• Training and mentorship: Training, professional development, and mentoring of talent