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Helsing is a defence AI company on a mission to protect democracies through technological leadership in AI. This role is the first dedicated Procurement Manager for Professional Services, External Workforce, and Marketing—building Helsing's sourcing playbook from scratch.
You will own end-to-end commercial strategy across Professional Services, Legal, Events, Marketing, and Contingent Workforce categories. Your responsibilities include:
• Define and execute category strategies with full commercial ownership
• Lead and independently close high-stakes negotiations in the high six- to seven-figure range (consulting MSAs, executive search agreements, exhibition contracts)
• Build commercial frameworks: rate-card architectures, clean MSA/SOW structures, capped contingency fee models (no-cure-no-pay), and performance KPIs
• Ensure strict compliance with German labor regulations (AÜG), including maximum leasing periods, Equal Pay requirements, and clear demarcation between Werkverträgen (SOWs) and temp labor/freelancing
• Model spend cubes and category baselines independently from raw AP/creditor data exports
• Partner at eye-level with senior stakeholders across Marketing, People/Talent, Legal, and Finance—challenging and collaborating while protecting commercial interests
You will thrive in a greenfield environment, bringing radical visibility across global hubs and centralizing how Helsing engages external talent, negotiates terms, and manages workforce compliance. Procurement is positioned as a catalyst, not red tape—empowering the team to move fast and deliver impact.
REQUIREMENTS:
• 3+ years of experience in strategic procurement or sourcing, with focus on Professional Services, HR, Marketing/Agencies, or Contingent Workforce
• Proven track record of high-stakes negotiations in the high six- to seven-figure range (consulting MSAs, executive search terms, exhibition contracts)
• Strong expertise in commercial deal structuring: rate card architectures, MSA/SOW frameworks, capped no-cure-no-pay fee models
• Solid practical understanding of German labor leasing framework (AÜG), including maximum assignment durations, Equal Pay, and strict demarcation between Werkverträgen and labor leasing
• Comfortable with hands-on data modeling; ability to build clean spend cubes from raw AP/creditor exports in Excel
• Strong stakeholder management skills; confidence to push back on Marketing, HR, and Legal on commercial terms while fostering trusted partnerships
• Proven delivery in greenfield environments without established procurement playbooks or dedicated operational support
• Business fluent in both German and English
• Willing and eligible to undergo national security vetting (German Ü2/Ü3 or equivalent)
NICE TO HAVE:
• Experience designing, implementing, or operating VMS/MSP frameworks for contingent workforce management
• Background in strategic sourcing within Defence, Aerospace, or other highly regulated sectors
• Hands-on experience in legal sourcing, panel setups, and external counsel fee structures
• Familiarity with SAP S/4HANA and modern P2P systems (ZIP, Omnea, Lio, Pivot)
• Prior experience driving software rationalization and consolidation across HR-Tech or MarTech license portfolios
