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Purpose of the position

HBK Holding centrally manages a substantial and growing portfolio of software and IT contracts for the group – from enterprise licensing and SaaS platforms to cloud infrastructure and AI services. Contract management follows a defined lifecycle from evaluation and sourcing through approval, operation and termination, with clear responsibilities and a maintained contract register including deadline and KPI tracking. With rising contract volume and complexity, HBK is now adding dedicated commercial procurement expertise.

The IT Procurement & Contract Manager takes commercial ownership of the group's largest software and IT contracts, leads vendor negotiations, and acts as dedicated contract manager for selected strategic accounts – including the fast-moving AI vendor portfolio. For these contracts, the role goes beyond the commercial dimension: it tracks vendor developments and new product capabilities, assesses their adoption within the organisation, and serves as point of contact for the group entities. The role builds on existing structures and processes and develops them further.

Key Tasks

•    Procurement & negotiation: Lead commercial negotiations, RFPs and renewals for the group's largest software and IT contracts with leading global vendors. Benchmark pricing and terms against market standards, structure competitive tension, and deliver documented savings.

•    Contract management for strategic accounts: Act as contract manager for selected strategic vendor accounts, coordinating the full contract lifecycle from evaluation to termination in close alignment with IT, Legal and Finance. Define and lead the governance for group-wide usage of these contracts – including usage policies, entitlement and license allocation across entities, and compliance with contractual terms.

•    AI & evolving technology contracts: Own the group's contract portfolio with leading AI providers, commercially and operationally. Track vendor developments, new features and changing commercial models (including usage-based pricing and data-processing terms), assess their relevance for the organisation, and prepare recommendations for their adoption across the group. Establish and expand group-level agreements where they create value.

•    AI tool administration & enablement: Take responsibility for the administration of centrally managed AI tools, act as point of contact for questions from the group entities, and enable decentralized administrators and end users, e.g. through guidance, documentation and training formats.

•    Contract portfolio steering: Maintain and further develop the contract register and KPI reporting (renewals, spend, savings) and provide regular transparency to the CIO, CFO and senior stakeholders. Drive renewal planning so that negotiations start early enough to preserve leverage.

•    Advisory for smaller contracts: Act as on-demand procurement advisor to the IT team members managing small and mid-sized contracts; provide negotiation playbooks, benchmark data and review support without taking over operational ownership.

•    Risk & compliance: Identify and mitigate contractual risks including GDPR/data privacy, cybersecurity obligations, SLA structures and exit provisions, in collaboration with Legal and the group's information security function.

•    Group-wide leverage: Support the entities on complex vendor negotiations and identify bundling opportunities where group-wide agreements outperform entity-by-entity deals.

Competencies and experience

  • Degree in Business Administration, Law, IT, or a comparable field.
  • Minimum 5 years of hands-on experience in IT procurement, vendor management or commercial contract negotiation, ideally in a corporate or shared services environment.
  • Proven negotiation track record with enterprise software vendors.
  • Solid understanding of software licensing models (SaaS, enterprise, usage-based), cloud contracts (AWS, Azure, GCP) and IT service agreements. Working knowledge of GDPR and standard contract law.
  • Highly organised, structured and reliable. Manages a portfolio of large contracts and negotiation timelines without dropping threads. Demonstrates measurable impact: documented savings, risk avoidance, improved terms. Thrives in a lean environment where individual ownership matters.
  • Strong negotiation skills and a solid understanding of software licensing, cloud services and IT contracts.
  • Commercial mindset combined with analytical thinking and a structured, results-driven way of working.
  • Interest in AI technologies and their commercial, contractual and licensing implications.
  • Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence and collaborate across international teams.
  • German and English fluency required.

What we offer

  • A newly created key role with significant scope to shape and develop the function.
  • Ownership of strategic software, cloud and AI contracts across an international corporate group.
  • Remote-first working model within Germany, with occasional travel to Stuttgart.
  • Flexible working hours and modern equipment.
  • Close collaboration with international stakeholders across the group.
  • Short decision-making paths and a high level of autonomy.
  • Competitive compensation package and comprehensive employee benefits.

Kontaktperson

Blinera Kajtazi

Bei Holtzbrinck setzen wir uns für Vielfalt und Inklusion ein und erkennen die vielen Vorteile einer diversen Belegschaft mit gleichen Chancen für alle an. Wir streben nach einem inklusiven Arbeitsumfeld, das all unseren Mitarbeitenden die Möglichkeit gibt, sich weiterzuentwickeln. Unsere Suche nach den besten Talenten umfasst und fördert diese Werte und Prinzipien in vollem Umfang.