Associate, Procurement

About the Company

Founded in 2014, Circles is a global technology company reimagining the telco industry with its innovative SaaS platform. The company empowers telco operators worldwide to effortlessly launch innovative digital brands or refresh existing ones, accelerating their transformation into techcos. Circles partners with leading telco operators across multiple countries and continents, including KDDI Corporation, Etisalat Group (e&), AT&T, and Telkomsel, creating blueprints for future telco and digital experiences enjoyed by millions of consumers globally.

Besides its SaaS business, Circles operates three other distinct businesses:

• Circles.Life: A wholly-owned digital lifestyle telco brand based in Singapore, powered by Circles’ SaaS platform. It is the digital market leader in Singapore and has won numerous awards for marketing, customer service, and innovative product offerings beyond connectivity.
• Circles Aspire: A global provider of Communications Platform-as-a-Service (CPaaS) solutions. Its cloud-based Experience Cloud platform enables enterprises, service providers, and developers to deliver and scale mobile, messaging, IoT, and connectivity services worldwide.
• Jetpac: Specializing in travel tech solutions, Jetpac provides seamless eSIM roaming for over 200 destinations and innovative travel lifestyle products, redefining connectivity for digital travelers. Jetpac was awarded Travel eSIM of the Year.

Circles is backed by renowned global investors, including Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia), Warburg Pincus, Founders Fund, and EDBI (the investment arm of the Singapore Economic Development Board).

About the Role

We are seeking a driven and detail-oriented Procurement Associate with experience in Technology Spend Management. This role will manage the lifecycle of vendor relationships, negotiate and administer IT-related contracts, handle category management, and optimize technology-related spend across the organization. The ideal candidate will have strong analytical, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement skills, with a thorough understanding of IT procurement, SaaS contracts, procure-to-pay (P2P), and vendor performance management.

Reports to: Head of Procurement
Employment Type: Full-time

Responsibilities

• Vendor Management
  • Establish and maintain strategic relationships with technology vendors and service providers.
  • Develop and implement vendor performance and risk management frameworks.
  • Monitor vendor compliance with contract terms, SLAs, and KPIs.
  • Facilitate regular vendor reviews and business reviews.
• Contract Lifecycle Management
  • Lead contract negotiations and renewals, evaluating and ensuring favorable terms and risk mitigation.
  • Draft, review, and manage contracts for software, hardware, cloud services, contractor/consulting, and telecom.
  • Coordinate with legal, compliance, and finance teams to ensure contract alignment with organizational policies.
  • Maintain a centralized repository of vendor agreements and contract data.
• Technology Spend Optimization
  • Analyze IT spending patterns to identify cost-saving opportunities.
  • Support budgeting and forecasting for IT spend categories.
  • Work with internal stakeholders (IT, Finance, Legal, etc.) to align purchasing strategies with business goals.
  • Track software license usage to prevent overages and ensure compliance.
• Governance and Risk Management
  • Ensure procurement practices adhere to regulatory, legal, and internal policy requirements.
  • Conduct due diligence and risk assessments for new and existing vendors.
  • Support audit requests and data analysis related to vendor and contract management.

Requirements

• Education and Experience
  • Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Information Technology, Supply Chain, or a related field.
  • Minimum 3 years of experience in procurement and/or contract management, preferably in IT or technology services.
  • Strong understanding of SaaS, IaaS, PaaS licensing models, cloud services, and IT infrastructure.
• Skills and Competencies
  • Proven negotiation and contracting skills.
  • Deep knowledge of technology procurement processes and tools.
  • Ability to interpret complex contract terms and conditions.
  • Experience with vendor management tools (e.g., SAP Ariba, Coupa, ServiceNow, or similar).
  • Strong analytical skills and proficiency in Excel or other spend analytics tools.
  • Excellent interpersonal, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
  • Solid experience and knowledge about procure-to-pay (P2P) process and financial governance.
  • Solid grasp of (at least one) ERP system and governance process.
  • Team player who is able to work independently and is a problem solver.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional certifications (e.g., CPM, CPSM, ITIL, or equivalent).
• Experience in global vendor management or working in a multinational environment.
• Familiarity with data privacy, cybersecurity, and third-party risk standards.