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Procurement Category Advisor - TRM & Acquisition

bp

Sunbury-on-Thames

Hybrid

GBP 60,000 - 80,000

Full time

Yesterday

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Job summary

A leading energy company is seeking an Advisor to provide category leadership for key sub-categories of spend. This role requires driving end-to-end spend management analysis and fostering stakeholder collaboration. The ideal candidate will have strong commercial acumen and experience in procurement, ensuring strategies are executed effectively. This position offers a hybrid work model and numerous benefits, promoting a culture of inclusivity and innovation.

Benefits

Life and health insurance

Medical care package

Flexible working options

Paid parental leave policy

Retirement benefits

Qualifications

Understanding of category management principles.
Knowledge in relevant procurement categories.
Experience in leading initiatives internationally.

Responsibilities

Provide category leadership for key sub-categories of spend.
Drive end-to-end spend management analysis.
Ensure alignment with business objectives in procurement.

Skills

Analytical Thinking

Building sustainability

Business Acumen

Category Strategy

Supplier Relationship Management

Education

Degree educated or equivalent work experience

Job Description

Our purpose is to deliver energy to the world, today and tomorrow. For over 100 years, bp has focused on discovering, developing, and producing oil and gas in the nations where we operate. We are one of the few companies globally that can provide governments and customers with an integrated energy offering. Delivering our strategy sustainably is fundamental to achieving our ambition to be a net zero company by 2050 or sooner!

Role Synopsis

The Advisor provides category leadership for key sub-categories of spend in support of the global Total Resource Management (TRM) strategy. As a representative of TRM they will act as primary point of contact for one of bp's entity groups, driving end-to-end spend management analysis and opportunity identification to deliver Talent cost optimization. They do this through collaborating across and beyond procurement, including with regional, business, and FBT resources. They will know their entity intimately and support the wider procurement business in the development of innovative approaches which deliver business objectives which will ensure long‑term, efficient end to end category execution. They work with business, regional and FBT resources for optimal, compliant, and competitive procurement outcomes, collaborating across and beyond procurement. Problem solvers with good commercial acumen, they create solutions to category challenges, they cultivate senior partner relationships and work with businesses to understand their evolving needs alongside developing deep insights into supply markets, including disruptors and technological advances. They bring value through orchestrating development of transformational strategies in support of bp's strategy, collaborating cross‑functionally to realise identified value and working with delivery teams to ensure that their global strategies are implemented locally.

Key Accountabilities

Data

Full accountability for TRM activities in your delegated bp entity
Primary ownership of the TRM data in your entity and ensuring that it is up to date - (e.g. replacing assumed data with actuals, addressing unclassified spend)
Developing a deep understanding of non‑employee numbers and spend in your entity (e.g. who is doing what, where and for who)
Frequently checking the data sent by TRM Project Management Office (PMO) and ensuring it is accurate and in line with business understanding
Ongoing checking and ownership of reporting on anomalies (e.g. if numbers have in/decreased dramatically, what is the driver behind this)
Understanding the story behind the data (e.g. key managed service contracts, non‑billable resources)
Monitoring interventions and running them to conclusion (e.g. including planned leavers and tracking these with Vendor Management Office (VMO) team)
Creation and maintenance of a vendor dictionary to enable us to consistently report and offer guidance to the business e.g including confirming de‑scoped activity and details of the main suppliers, contracts and services that are being delivered in your entity

Stakeholder

Ensuring all impacted collaborators are aware of what is being sent to their business and that there are no disconnects in the reporting line. This includes close alignment with entity SPAs/Cost Champions and ensuring that all progress is communicated through them, prior to being reported up to cSuite level
Deep understanding of conflicting programmes and initiatives and ensuring that you help bring this understanding together for the entity
Develop plans and activities for non‑employee populations which the entity does not yet have agreed next steps and associated timelines
Working with your business to understand and model out what their population will look like as the year progresses. Strategic workforce planning and forecasting reductions and additions for projects
Helping VMO to understand the context of the information that is being requested by your entity and the benefits that this will bring
Ownership of ongoing reporting into cSuite, including EVP dashboard each month. This should include tracking of natural attrition rates as well as TRM‑led reductions and savings
Sharing the vision for TRM through storytelling (e.g. 3 year roadmap, answering questions about the cost levers, ensuring that SPAs familiar with the workstreams)

Transformation and Change Management

Leverage digital solutions to drive innovation, enhancing efficiency, effectiveness and value creation
Partner with internal subject area teams to drive category excellence
Use influencing, storytelling and communication to encourage adoption

Team integration

Builds category knowledge across the wider procurement organisation to ensure strategy execution
Develops their technical capabilities in order to deliver category operational excellence
Embraces accelerator skills; curiosity in external markets, innovation and technological disruption, digital fluency, data‑driven insights, and strong collaboration with both suppliers and key players.
Embraces an environment of psychological safety as a foundation for collaborative learning, ideation and innovation

Supplier & Stakeholder Management

Leads and influences through complexity and ambiguity, handling virtual relationships with stakeholders in multi‑discipline, multi‑cultural environments
Unites diverse collaborators, ensuring both advantageous supply avenues and collaborative solutions to business challenges
Builds collaborator relationships, bringing market insights and championing supplier value whilst taking time to understand business needs. Becomes a trusted advisor and critical partner to stakeholders
Prepares documentation and relevant partner communication to enable key decision forums
Prioritise innovation in supplier relationships and unite diverse partners, ensuring both advantageous supply avenues and collaborative solutions to business challenges.

Innovative Strategies & Commercial Models

Forges pioneering strategies and innovative commercial models, both in procurement methods and in category strategies. Look beyond traditional pricing structures to derive value.

Market Insight & Forward‑Thinking

Remain attuned to market dynamics, balancing the harmonisation of legacy needs with proactive transformational strategies.

Essential Education

Degree educated or equivalent work experience - something related to contingent labour preferred
Post graduate qualification related to procurement desirable

Essential Experience and Job Requirements

Functional knowledge

Knowledge of category management principles and experience in undertaking procurement processes and developing category strategies.

An understanding of how to ensure strategies flow through to execution in the businesses / assets

Business expertise

An ability to quickly develop an understanding of the supported businesses / regions / assets and its objectives
Knowledge of procurement within a complex multinational business
Knowledge in relevant procurement categories with an understanding of the market's dynamics and its influence on procurement strategies

Leadership

Experience in leading initiatives internationally, recognising cultural nuances, analysing data‑driven trends & insights, and employing agile/flexible approaches
An advocate for our code, they incorporate the Operating Management System (OMS) and our safety leadership principles into strategies and everyday work

Problem solving

Embraces industry challenges and technological disruption, pioneers innovative solutions whilst handling risk
Foster strong supplier relationships, bringing multiple parties together to collaboratively solve complex business problems
Translates business requirements into a strategic category plan
Uses critical thinking to make informed strategic decision

Interpersonal skills

Partner networking and influencing skills to ensure consensus and adoption
Regular interaction with external suppliers and representing bp externally
Effective change management
Persevering through organisational complexity and resistance to change

Innovative Approach & Contracting

Skilled in establishing progressive partnership agreements while maintaining a forward‑thinking approach. Recognised for embracing industry challenges, pioneering innovative solutions, and fostering transformative supplier collaborations.

Digital Strategy & Transformation

Expertise in transitioning processes to digital solutions (e.g. marketplace and AI), delivering tangible benefits, while adeptly converting partner vision into strategic business initiatives that emphasise cost savings, sustainability, and revenue generation.

Global Project Leadership

Demonstrated expertise in guiding projects across international landscapes, recognising cultural nuances, analysing data‑driven trends & insights, and employing an Agile approach.

Desirable criteria

Proficiency in running strategic supplier relationships in vast multinational corporate settings. Consultancy, advisory or project experience, especially in significant/complex change programmes for large organisations. Familiarity with innovative technologies and AI, in particular automation of activities traditionally performed by people.

Additional Information

A company culture where we respect our diverse and unified teams, where we are proud of our achievements and where fun and the attitude of giving back to our environment are highly valued
Possibility to join our social communities and networks
Learning opportunities and other development opportunities to craft your career path
Life and health insurance, medical care package
And many other benefits.

Why join us?

At bp, we support our people to grow in a diverse and exciting environment. We believe that our team is strengthened by diversity. There are many aspects of our employees' lives that are meaningful, so we offer benefits to enable your work to fit with your life. These benefits can include flexible working options, a generous paid parental leave policy, excellent retirement benefits, among others!

Legal Disclaimer

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, socioeconomic status, neurodiversity/neurocognitive functioning, veteran status or disability status. Individuals with an accessibility need may request an adjustment/accommodation related to bp's recruiting process (e.g., accessing the job application, completing required assessments, participating in telephone screenings or interviews, etc.). If you would like to request an adjustment/accommodation related to the recruitment process, please contact us.

If you are selected for a position and depending on your role, your employment may be contingent upon adherence to local policy. This may include pre‑placement drug screening, medical review of physical fitness for the role, and background checks.

Travel Requirement

No travel is expected with this role

Relocation Assistance

This role is not eligible for relocation

Remote Type

This position is a hybrid of office/remote working

Skills