Associate Director - Procurement & Operations

About the Team

The Procurement Team serves as a strategic business partner driving value creation across the organization through intelligent sourcing, vendor management, and cost optimization initiatives. Our team is responsible for managing the entire procurement lifecycle - from strategic category management and supplier selection to contract negotiation and ongoing vendor relationship management. We focus on delivering measurable cost savings, ensuring compliance with procurement policies and regulatory requirements, and implementing innovative digital solutions to enhance operational efficiency. The team plays a critical role in risk mitigation through comprehensive vendor risk management programs and maintains strong governance frameworks to support business continuity. As a forward-thinking function, we continuously drive process improvements, automation initiatives, and best practice implementations to create competitive advantages for the organization.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Associate Director - Procurement &Operations to join our organization in Gurgaon and lead strategic procurement initiatives across Marketing, Commercial, and Consulting categories. This senior leadership position plays a critical role in driving cost optimization, managing vendor relationships, and ensuring procurement excellence across the organization. The role directly impacts our P&L through innovative cost savings initiatives and strategic sourcing decisions. You'll be responsible for implementing best-in-class procurement practices, driving digital transformation in procurement operations, and establishing robust vendor risk management frameworks. This position offers significant visibility across the organization and the opportunity to shape procurement strategy in a dynamic, growth-oriented

Responsibilities:

• Lead end-to-end procurement operations for Marketing, Commercial, and Consulting categories
• Drive cost optimization initiatives and deliver measurable savings targets that directly contribute to P&L
• Apply advanced procurement strategies, tactics, and negotiation methodologies to maximize value
• Negotiate and close complex commercial terms, conditions, and watertight contracts/agreements
• Establish and manage contracting frameworks for PayU CPT
• Lead comprehensive vendor risk management programs to ensure business continuity
• Build and maintain strategic supplier relationships
• Ensure strict adherence to procurement policies, processes, and best practices
• Maintain compliance with all regulatory requirements and audit standards
• Drive process simplification and quality improvements across business units
• Implement automation tools and digital solutions to enhance procurement efficiency
• Conduct timely reviews and provide comprehensive reporting to business stakeholders
• Champion the adoption of best practices and innovative procurement technologies

Requirements:

• 10+ years of procurement experience with strong negotiation and operations management background
• 5+ years of hands-on experience managing core categories (Marketing, Commercial, Consulting, Admin, HR)
• 5+ years of experience in large corporates or listed companies
• 5+ years of team leadership experience managing 4-6 direct reports
• Proven track record in contract negotiations and legal agreement closures
• Undergraduate degree: Engineering from a reputed university OR Science degree in core sciences
• MBA from a reputed business school
• Proficiency in enterprise systems: SAP/Oracle
• Advanced skills in analytics tools: Power BI/Tableau, Data Analytics
• Expert-level MS Office 365 capabilities
• Experience with procurement automation tools and digital technologies
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking capabilities
• Leadership and team development abilities

What we offer?

• A positive, get-things-done workplace
• A dynamic, constantly evolving space (change is par for the course – important you are comfortable with this)
• An inclusive environment that ensures we listen to a diverse range of voices when making decisions.
• Ability to learn cutting edge concepts and innovation in an agile start-up environment with a global scale
• Access to 5000+ training courses accessible anytime/anywhere to support your growth and development (Corporate with top learning partners like Harvard, Coursera, Udacity)

About us:

At PayU, we are a global fintech investor and our vision is to build a world without financial borders where everyone can prosper. We give people in high growth markets the financial services and products they need to thrive. Our expertise in 18+ high-growth markets enables us to extend the reach of financial services. This drives everything we do, from investing in technology entrepreneurs to offering credit to underserved individuals, to helping merchants buy, sell, and operate online. Being part of Prosus, one of the largest technology investors in the world, gives us the presence and expertise to make a real impact. Find out more at www.payu.com

Our Commitment to Building A Diverse and Inclusive Workforce

As a global and multi-cultural organization with varied ethnicities thriving across locations, we realize that our responsibility towards fulfilling the D&I commitment is huge. Therefore, we continuously strive to create a diverse, inclusive, and safe environment, for all our people, communities, and customers. Our leaders are committed to create an inclusive work culture which enables transparency, flexibility, and unbiased attention to every PayUneer so they can succeed, irrespective of gender, color, or personal faith. An environment where every person feels they belong, that they are listened to, and where they are empowered to speak up. At PayU we have zero tolerance towards any form of prejudice whether a specific race, ethnicity, or of persons with disabilities, or the LGBTQ communities.