Lead – Third-party Risk Management (tprm)

Job Title: Lead- Procurement Excellence

Location: Vadodara/ Bangalore/ Chennai/ Hyderabad/ Pune

Shift: Split shift (11am 8pm or 2pm 11pm IST)

About the Role

We are seeking a highly skilled Lead- Procurement Excellence to drive the governance, risk management, and sustainability strategy across Ascendion’s global vendor ecosystem. This role will be responsible for building, enhancing, and managing a comprehensive vendor risk framework, ensuring that operational, financial, privacy, and compliance risks are effectively mitigated throughout the supplier lifecycle. The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong expertise in vendor governance, risk assessment, stakeholder engagement, and audit management across diverse spend categories.

Key Responsibilities

Vendor Governance & Risk Framework

· Build, implement, and mature a robust vendor governance and risk management framework from scratch, ensuring alignment with industry standards.

· Serve as the Vendor Risk Officer, advising leadership on strategic decisions with a balanced view of business needs and risk exposure.

· Continuously monitor, evolve, and strengthen the risk framework using historical data, market research, and emerging risk insights.

Supply Chain Sustainability & Category Expertise

· Establish sustainability standards across the supply chain, ensuring ethical, compliant, and resilient vendor practices.

· Work across various spend categories including Technology, Infrastructure, Logistics, Marketing, HR, and Professional Services.

Risk Mitigation for Critical Services

· Lead risk assessments for high-impact engagements such as outsourced payroll, ensuring inclusion of right-to-audit clauses, downtime safeguards, business continuity requirements, and strong data protection controls.

· Conduct in-depth evaluations of vendor financial stability, operational capabilities, and compliance posture.

Lifecycle Governance & Continuous Improvement

· Oversee end-to-end supplier lifecycle governance, from onboarding and due diligence to performance monitoring and offboarding.

· Use research-driven insights to continuously enhance risk mitigation measures and refine governance strategies.

Change Management & Communication

· Drive change management for new vendor governance programs through effective communication, workshops, and stakeholder alignment.

· Represent the function in leadership discussions, positioning vendor governance as a strategic enabler.

Senior Stakeholder Management

· Partner closely with senior leaders across business units to present insights, influence decisions, and guide the evolution of the governance program.

· Provide leadership with detailed risk assessments, recommendations, and program roadmaps for future improvements.

Audit & Compliance

· Lead and coordinate all external and internal audits including client, statutory, SOC, SOX, ISO, and privacy audits.

· Apply ISO 31000 principles to strengthen risk practices, leveraging certification and training to maintain compliance excellence.

Required Skills & Experience

· 12+ years of experience in vendor management, vendor governance, supply chain risk, or procurement governance roles.

· Proven expertise in establishing and maturing risk frameworks in a global multi-vendor environment.

· Strong understanding of regulatory, operational, privacy, and financial risks related to third-party vendors.

· Experience handling audits such as SOC, SOX, ISO, privacy, and statutory audits.

· Strong communication, analytical, and stakeholder management capabilities.

· Ability to manage programs independently and influence senior leadership.

· ISO 31000 training/certification is highly desirable.

Preferred Qualifications

· Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Risk Management, or related field.

· Experience working in technology or global professional services environments.

· Expertise in vendor governance tools, risk assessment platforms, or compliance system