Job Description
Important High Level Summary Notes
Please read the below high-level overview carefully, and if this position is of interest please contact me directly for a chat - my details are below:
This role is not suitable for candidates whose experience is limited to service delivery, infrastructure operations, or team management without commercial ownership.
You must be able to demonstrate:
* Direct accountability for Tier 1 MSP/vendor performance (eg Cognizant, Accenture, TCS, Infosys, Wipro)
* Experience challenging suppliers commercially and contractually, not just managing relationships
* Ownership or visibility of large-scale IT spend (£50m+ minimum, ideally £100m+)
* A track record of driving cost optimisation, financial transparency, and performance improvement
If your experience does not include the above, this role will not be a match
The Role:
Hays is a FTSE 250 recruitment leader with a global footprint, combining decades of expertise with a bold technology strategy focused on modernisation, digitalisation and innovation to power progress through people and market-leading technology. With deep specialism across STEM and digital domains, we leverage data-driven insight and a worldwide tech talent network to help organisations secure the skills they need today and for the future. Backed by significant investment in its technology transformation and strategic partnerships, Hays is shaping the future of recruitment and supporting businesses as they build tomorrow's workforce.
This role exists to bring control, visibility, and accountability to a large, globally distributed technology estate where a Tier 1 managed services partner (Cognizant) plays a central role in delivery.
You will sit above service delivery, owning how it is governed, measured, and optimised. Your mission is to drive performance, challenge suppliers, and optimise cost across a £100m+ technology spend.
This is a high-leverage leadership role focused on control, governance, and commercial performance.
What You'll Own:
Vendor Performance & Governance:
Own the strategic relationship with Cognizant and other Tier 1 partners. Define and enforce robust SLA/KPI frameworks, drive accountability, and lead performance improvement.
Commercial Oversight & Cost Optimisation:
Bring visibility to a complex cost base. Identify inefficiencies, reduce leakage, and drive ongoing optimisation across infrastructure, cloud, telecoms, and licencing.
Service Performance Framework:
Establish global standards for service measurement, reporting, and continuous improvement. Build executive-level dashboards and performance insights.
Demand & Capacity Planning:
Align service provision with business demand. Ensure the right capacity, at the right cost, at the right time.
Leadership:
Lead and develop a small, high-impact team responsible for governance, reporting, and vendor management.
What We're Looking For:
You will bring experience from complex, enterprise-scale environments where Tier 1 MSPs (eg Cognizant, Accenture, TCS, Infosys, Wipro) are Embedded across multiple service towers.
Key experience includes:
* Ownership of vendor performance at scale
* Proven ability to challenge suppliers commercially and operationally
* Exposure to large technology spend (£50m+ ideally £100m+)
* Strong understanding of service governance frameworks (SLAs, KPIs, OLAs)
* Demonstrated success in cost optimisation/FinOps/financial visibility
* Experience operating above delivery, influencing rather than executing
Why this role:
* Real impact: Immediate opportunity to shape and optimise a significant global technology estate
* Senior exposure: Regular interaction with executive stakeholders
* Complexity: A genuinely challenging environment where strong leadership will drive measurable outcomes
* Autonomy: Scope to define and implement best-in-class governance models
Package:
* Competitive base salary + bonus + benefits, aligned to the seniority and scope of the role
Contact:
Lorenz Pasch at Hays Recruitment
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