Senior Category Manager

NextGenEnergyJobs; Canada; On-site; CAD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

NextGenEnergyJobs is seeking a Senior Category Manager to drive strategic sourcing across multiple categories in a Canadian context. You will develop RFIs/RFPs, lead cross-functional teams, and optimize supplier performance to reduce total cost of ownership.

Ideal candidates have a decade of procurement experience, strong analytics, and excellent negotiation and communication skills to align stakeholders and deliver measurable savings.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field required; MBA preferred.
• 10+ years procurement experience.
• Strong data analytics capabilities.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills.

Responsibilities

• Execute strategic sourcing strategies and develop RFIs/RFPs.
• Negotiate with suppliers and manage supplier relationships.
• Lead cross-functional category teams and drive cost reductions.
• Monitor spend, track performance, and ensure delivery and compliance.
• Travel up to 10% for business needs.

Skills

Data analytics

Negotiation

Sourcing strategy

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Communication skills

Google Sheets

PowerPoint

Spend analysis

Category management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

MBA preferred

Tools

Google Sheets

Office Suite

Microsoft PowerPoint

Job description

The Senior Category Manager executes effective procurement strategies, from initial identification of procurement needs for goods and services.

Key Responsibilities

• Execute strategic sourcing strategies, best practices, and initiatives that support aggressive improvements in supplier quality, total cost effectiveness, enhanced service levels, improved coordination, delivery, pricing, lead-times, payment, risk compliance and other areas as identified.
• Executes assigned category sourcing strategies including development and execution of RFI’s and RFP’s
• Documents bid events through correspondence to suppliers utilizing advanced sourcing tools (e.g. reverse auctions)Develops selection criteria and drives the selection of suppliers in collaboration with cross-functional teams
• Conducts supplier negotiations and ongoing supplier management
• Actively seeks ways to streamline business processes
• Researches and provides information on industry category trends and best practices
• Provide procurement input to maximize procurement leverage, optimize project design and minimize project duration and cost.
• Develop negotiation strategies, gain alignment from stakeholders, lead cross-functional, category-based negotiation teams, and implement appropriate supplier risk analysis
• Directly negotiate with suppliers that require a detailed strategic plan and have a direct correlation with companies’ operational needs and goals.
• Deep dive current spend information/data to identify sourcing projects for individual subcategories, and develop an overall cost reduction plan
• Demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of business requirements and category ownership by creating and defending category strategies and decisions with sound analytics. Leads analytic tasks and synthesizes results
• Monitor supplier performance to ensure that delivery dates and technical and contractual requirements are met
• Participate in strategic meetings with suppliers and business leaders to ensure execution of defined strategies
• Manages day-to-day on-going category supplier relations and seeks out growth or revision opportunities within the supply base
• Act as the internal point of contact for supplier management and complaint resolution
• Conduct regular supplier meetings and implement improvement strategies with suppliers. Creates, nurtures, and enhances supplier relationships
• Aggressively manages category performance by adhering to internal Savings goals and reviewing financial models for commodity type items
• Ensure spend portfolio for recurring managed spend is balanced through coordinated sourcing waves and leveraged with project sourcing activities
• Drive consolidation of spend and seek out synergies across Business Units where applicable, by forming and leading cross-functional strategic sourcing teams to develop and implement category/commodity strategies and to drive cost from individual spend sub-categories
• Develops total cost of ownership models for each assigned commodity; measuring and communicating performance of each supplier and commodity and driving continual improvement efforts
• Champions weekly assigned category review meetings with cross-functional teams to manage category performance.
• Self-motivated and directed within an individual contributor role.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment while prioritizing and managing multiple stakeholders, responsibilities, and delivering multiple first-of-their-kind programs.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Industrial or Operations Engineering, Supply Chain Management, or a related field required; Master’s degree in Business Administration or Supply Chain Management preferred
• Minimum of 10+ years of procurement experience required
• At least 3 years of experience in data analytics of spend preferred
• Highly effective oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to perform deep dive analytics and disseminate in a discernible fashion.
• Highly effective at supplier negotiation and sourcing strategy development.
• Advanced experience collaborating with internal and external resources.
• Advanced Experience in managing projects and/or cross functional teams.
• Advanced level skill in google sheets and office suite of products.
• Advanced level skill in PowerPoint for crisp presentations.
• Willing to travel up to 10% of the time for business purposes (within state and out of state).