Junior Sourcing Specialist

The Opportunity

Primary Objectives

• Support sourcing and supplier management activities for Knowledge & Research and Marketing & Events under the guidance of line managers.
• Contribute to delivering of savings, value, risk reduction, and service quality; support policy compliance.
• Support Office Operations and HR & Professional Services Managers with sourcing events, renewals, and analytics.
• Build strong working relationships with stakeholders and learn speed-to-contract.
• Participate in the development and execution of category plans as part of your training.

Primary Responsibilities

• Assist with category activities (K&R; M&E): market research, demand management, and category plans under supervision.
• Support the source-to-contract process: help with intake, RFI/RFP/RFQ preparation, basic cost analysis, negotiation support, onboarding, and contract administration.
• Help monitor supplier performance and support due diligence activities (privacy, info sec, ESG) as directed.
• Engage with stakeholders to gather requirements and learn about briefs/SOWs, process, and policy.
• Provide support to Office Ops and HR/PS: assist with low–mid value RFx, spot-buys, renewals, data gathering, PO and contract admin; participate in complex events as a learning opportunity.
• Assist with data/analytics: help with spend analysis, savings tracking, compliance reporting, and dashboards.
• Support governance activities: help ensure competitive sourcing, approvals, contract management, and record-keeping.
• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives: contribute to templates, playbooks, lessons learned, and tool adoption.

Key Performance Indicators

• Savings and cost avoidance vs. baseline/budget.
• Sourcing cycle time (intake to award) and on-time renewals.
• Contract coverage (% of spend under contract) and competitive event ratio.
• Policy compliance and data quality (accuracy/timeliness in tools).
• Supplier performance (SLA attainment, QBR completion, issue resolution time).
• Stakeholder satisfaction.
• ESG/diversity targets and risk assessments completed

Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business, supply chain, economics, marketing, or a related field (or expected completion soon).
• Recent graduate or up to 1 year of experience in procurement, sourcing, or a related field.
• Interest in procurement and willingness to learn; familiarity with subscriptions/data, research, agencies, creative, media, or events is a plus but not required.
• Willingness to learn e-sourcing tools and Excel; basic understanding of contracts is helpful but not required.
• Strong analytical and communication skills; eagerness to develop commercial and negotiation skills.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and work collaboratively in a team environment.
• Interest in legal/compliance topics (privacy, IP, marketing compliance, anti-bribery).
• Willingness to pursue CIPS certification or other relevant training
• Willingness to collaborate and build relationships with stakeholders.
• Eagerness to learn negotiation and communication skills.
• Analytical thinking and problem-solving potential.
• Ability to plan, prioritise, and manage time effectively while learning to work with multiple managers.
• Motivation to take ownership of tasks and follow through.
• Curiosity and willingness to learn quickly.
• Adaptability and teamwork in a collaborative environment.
• Integrity, confidentiality, and attention to detail.
• Resilience and a positive attitude when facing new challenges.

Team

Business Finance

Working Pattern

Full time

Location

London

Contract Type

Permanent Contract

Diversity & Inclusion

We are committed to attracting people from all backgrounds and creating a respectful and inclusive culture where everyone thrives. We see this as essential to our success, including our ability to innovate and achieve sustained high performance. This is a key part of our Values—Human, Bold, and Outstanding.