Assistant Category Manager

Al Ghurair; Dubai; On-site; AED 180,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading procurement company in Dubai is seeking an experienced Assistant Category Manager to lead category-specific procurement activities. This role involves strategic sourcing, vendor performance monitoring, and collaboration with internal teams. The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and a minimum of 10 years of extensive experience in procurement and category management. This position offers opportunity for professional growth within a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in procurement and category management, preferably in a corporate environment.
• Min 10 years of experience in a relevant field with a strong understanding of strategic sourcing.

Responsibilities

• Lead procurement activities for critical categories.
• Conduct vendor performance monitoring and negotiations.
• Align procurement strategies with company objectives.

Skills

Vendor performance monitoring

Market research

Cost optimization

Negotiation

Project coordination

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

Job description

Job Description

The Assistant Category Manager (ACM) is responsible for leading critical category-specific procurement activities, including strategic sourcing, vendor performance monitoring and spend analysis. ACM ensures timely and efficient purchasing by collaborating with internal teams and aligning procurement actions with project requirements. He also involves identifying potential suppliers through market research, monitoring industry trends, and driving cost optimization and process improvements across the procurement cycle.

Strategic Responsibilities

• Align procurement strategies with company objectives and long‑term goals
• Plan and establish strategic long‑term purchase agreements (LTPA) for targeted items yearly.
• Facilitate strategic discussions with key suppliers and stakeholders to address performance metrics.
• Conduct market research to identify potential suppliers and emerging trends within the industry.
• Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements across procurement processes.
• Review spend analysis and savings reports data in Dashboard to evaluate procurement effectiveness.
• Review and track ICV data in Procure Lens, ensuring valid ICV certificates from major vendors.

Operational Responsibilities

• For Critical procurement items in relevant category
• Collect a minimum of three competitive quotations from potential suppliers
• Prepare Preliminary Cost Comparison (CC) sheets for RF items to evaluate pricing.
• Coordinate with the project team and design department for thorough technical evaluations.
• Negotiate with suppliers to ensure adherence to technical specifications and commercial terms.
• Coordinate with suppliers for technical submittals for Operation/client approval.
• Collect approved signed contracts, issuing one copy to the supplier and C&C Department for record-keeping.

People Management

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders, including Business Units, Contracts & Commercial (C&C) Department, and Design teams, to finalize contract versions and ensure smooth execution.
• Liaise with the PSSC team to facilitate E‑Auction processes, vendor onboarding, performance feedback, and internal stakeholder reviews.
• Support the Category Manager in conducting annual vendor performance reviews and implementing corrective actions.

Product / Process Improvement

• Monitor the Procure Lens Dashboard to track Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and ensure procurement activities meet agreed timelines.
• Maintain accurate records of contract logs, orders, and procurement activities to support transparency and compliance.
• Coordinate the collection of valid In‑Country Value (ICV) certificates from vendors and ensure records are updated for vendors with expired certificates.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in Procurement, Contract and Category