Senior Manager, Buying Channel & Content Strategy (SAP Ariba Required)

Entity:
Technology

Job Family Group:
Procurement & Supply Chain Management Group

Job Description:

This role provides enterprise level ownership of procurement content across bp's Digital Operating System (DOS) and S/4HANA landscape.

Procurement 'content' is defined as the matter that needs to be translated from our supplier contracts into our buying channels, for example: purchase catalogues, price books, purchase agreements, materials registers, rate cards, services descriptors such as role title of and rates of contractors/contingent workers.

The role is accountable for setting the strategic direction, product vision, and governance for procurement content that underpins buying channel execution, automation, compliance, and value protection.

The role acts as the single retained authority for content outcomes globally, governing delivery through third party and internal execution teams and ensuring content remains effective, scalable, and sustainable in both transformation and business as usual (BAU).

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Product Ownership

• Own the end to end product vision, strategy, and roadmap for procurement content across DOS and S/4HANA.
• Act as the design authority and decision owner for content standards, scope, and priorities across procurement platforms and buying channels.
• Translate enterprise procurement and business objectives into clear content outcomes that drive automation, compliant buying behavior, and value realisation.
• Own prioritization decisions, balancing transformation demand, BAU requirements, risk, and capacity.
• Key success factor is to achieve value outcomes that directly influenced by availability of relevant, accessible and compliant procurement content. Sets direction within a defined enterprise domain; operates with minimal supervision and clear accountability for outcomes.

Global Content Strategy & Standards

• Define and maintain the global content strategy supporting buying channel execution and consistent procurement behavior across regions.
• Establish enterprise standards for content design, structure, taxonomy, and lifecycle governance.
• Ensure alignment between content, sourcing strategies, and commercial intent through close partnership with Category, Procurement Excellence, and Digital teams.
• Anticipate future ERP, DOS, and operating model changes, ensuring the content strategy remains future ready.
• Shapes strategy beyond immediate team or geography; influences direction without relying on hierarchy.

Content Deployment Strategy & Delivery Governance

• Own the global content deployment strategy, aligned to the DOS roadmap and deployment waves.
• Provide strategic oversight and governance of third party delivery partners, setting expectations for scope, quality, outcomes, and performance.
• Ensure delivery integrity across multiple concurrent deployments, managing risk, dependencies, and escalation at enterprise level.
• Hold partners accountable for outcomes rather than activity.
• Leads through governance, influence, and outcome accountability rather than operational control.

BAU Ownership, Governance & Sustainability

• Retain ownership of content in BAU, ensuring ongoing accuracy, compliance, and alignment with evolving business needs.
• Establish decision forums, controls, and governance for content change, enhancement, and defect management.
• Ensure effective transition from deployment into BAU, with clear ownership and performance measures.
• Use data and insight to drive continuous improvement and informed prioritization.
• Balances enterprise stability with ongoing improvement; accountable for sustainability, not just delivery.

Enterprise Stakeholder Leadership

• Act as the single senior point of accountability for content across Procurement, Digital Adoption, DOS leadership, and key business stakeholders.
• Influence senior leaders on decisions that materially affect buying behavior, automation, risk, and value outcomes.
• Represent content strategy and trade offs clearly in governance forums, enabling informed executive decisions.
• Recognized as a credible leader; influences outcomes through expertise, judgement, and presence.

Role Scope & Boundaries

• Accountable for strategy, outcomes, prioritization, and governance of procurement content.
• Does not directly execute large scale content build activities.
• Delivery is executed via third party providers and internal execution teams, with this role retaining accountability for outcomes and assurance.

Essential Experience, Job Requirements & Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Business / Tech - or equivalent relevant professional experience.
• Senior level experience in enterprise procurement, ERP, or digital product ownership environments (e.g. SAP Ariba, S/4HANA).
• Proven capability operating at enterprise scale, setting strategy and governing outcomes across regions.
• Deep understanding of procurement processes, especially the sub-processes for operationalization of supplier contracts on to purchasing systems, category management, and purchasing processes.
• • Demonstrated success managing complex delivery ecosystems through influence and structured governance.
• • Strong judgement, commercial awareness, and stakeholder credibility in matrixed organisations.
• Operates independently within a defined enterprise domain.
• Sets direction and makes decisions with material business impact.
• Leads complexity and ambiguity with confidence and sound judgement.
• Accountable for sustained value delivery, not transactional execution.

About bp

bp is a global energy business with a purpose to reimagine energy for people and our planet. We aim to be a very different kind of energy company by 2030, helping the world reach net zero and improving people's lives. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. Join bp and become part of the team building our future!

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.

Travel Requirement
No travel is expected with this role

Relocation Assistance:
This role is not eligible for relocation

Remote Type:
This position is a hybrid of office/remote working

Skills:
Agility core practices, Agility tools, Business Acumen, Business Requirements Analysis, Category spend profiling, Category Strategy, Cost modelling, Digital Fluency, Negotiating, Negotiation planning and preparation, Product and market intelligence, Sourcing strategy, Supplier Relationship Management, Value creation and management
.

Legal Disclaimer:

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics like race, religion, color, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, veteran status or disability status. Individuals with an accessibility need may request an adjustment/accommodation related to bp's recruiting process (e.g., accessing the job application, completing required assessments, participating in telephone screenings or interviews, etc.). If you would like to request an adjustment/accommodation related to the recruitment process, please contact us.

If you are selected for a position and depending upon your role, your employment may be contingent upon adherence to local policy. This may include pre-placement drug screening, medical review of physical fitness for the role, and background checks.