Senior Category Manager

QA; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days Annual Leave

Holiday Buying scheme

Private Medical Insurance

Pension Scheme

Cycle to Work scheme

Early Friday Finish

Job summary

QA in Leeds is seeking a Senior Category Manager to lead strategic procurement across indirect and training spend, managing a large supplier portfolio in a hybrid Leeds setup. You will drive cost savings, improve compliance, and partner with sales and internal stakeholders to optimise terms and conditions.

The role offers scope for leadership and future progression within QA's procurement function. You will monitor supplier performance, develop procurement policies, and act as the procurement

Qualifications

• Proven experience overseeing end-to-end supply chain operations.
• Experience in identifying cost-saving opportunities across categories.
• Strong data analytics using Excel/PowerBI.

Responsibilities

• Manage supplier relationships across multiple category areas.
• Negotiate contracts, pricing agreements and SLAs.
• Implement and manage contracts with suppliers.
• Identify and mitigate supplier risks.
• Support procurement strategy, reporting and stakeholder collaboration.

Skills

Supply Chain

Strategic Sourcing

Vendor Management

Data Analytics

Contract Negotiation

Cost Analysis

Market Insights

Excel/PowerBI

Job description

About The Role

Job Title: Senior Category Manager - Grade: L5

Reports to: Head of Procurement

Location and Working Pattern: Leeds (Hybrid)

Department: Procurement

About the role

Summary: You will play an essential part in the Procurement team as we embark on a key change in our Procurement journey. Historically the team has operated with a transactional focus although recently has shifted focus and delivered some tactical improvements with supplier consolidations, a defined tiered Preferred Supplier List and delivery of cost savings.

In order to move the function to the next level we need to move away from a process heavy focus to deliver strategic category management across the £100m+ spend we have on external training as well as indirect costs associated with running the business.

As a Senior Category Manager for QA, you should be a commercial expert comfortable across multiple categories, with experience in leading sourcing, negotiating, and contracting exercises.

You should be experienced at managing a large portfolio of spend across multiple suppliers, have the commercial acumen to identify opportunities and optimise them with the ability to negotiate robust pricing and terms that benefit QA and our customers, managing risks and identifying opportunities for margin enhancement and efficiencies in what we do.

You will be expected to both initiate and contribute to strategic initiatives that drive greater compliance and allow for greater self-serve and quicker, slicker processes within our procurement offering. You will also drive and support projects to improve Procurement awareness within the wider QA business.

Alongside the other Senior Category Manager(s), you will be expected to support the Head of Procurement, including potential future management of direct reports, increasing the scope of procurement activity within QA. Offering industry expertise to other senior stakeholders within the business, acting as the voice of procurement internally and drive the Procurement strategy within the organisation. You will also be a point of escalation for members of the procurement function and be expected to use your experience to resolve supplier issues as they occur.

Role Responsibilities:

• Manages supplier relationships across multiple category areas with particular focuson indirects
• Negotiates contracts and pricing agreements with suppliers, SLAs and trading terms
• Implements and manages contracts
• Identifies, reviews and manages supplier risks
• Provides strategic support and advice to customers/sales and other internal stakeholders
• Drives efficiencies, savings and cost avoidance with suppliers
• Provides analysis for reporting (supplier, customer & internal)
• Supports management of junior colleagues
• Drives continuous operational improvements and savings
• Point of contact with Sales to drive margin enhancement, revenue and support bid activity
• Provides internal data, market insights and attends trade shows
• Develop evolving Procurement strategies and policies
• Supports internal procurement processes and ways of working
• Track and report on Team SLAs, outcomes, and financial progression
• Responsible for supply chain compliance with regulations, audits and customers contracts
• Contribute to any necessary presentations and reports
• Approve POs within delegated authority limits as agreed by QA
• Owner of Procurement systems, data owner
• Leads on customer initiatives and projects to support rationalisation activities that drive greater benefits for QA and Customer

Your Experience/Skills

• Supply Chain Management: Proven experience in overseeing end-to-end supply chain operations, including planning, sourcing, procurement, ( some logistics and inventory management )
• Strategic Sourcing and Procurement: Experience in identifying cost-saving opportunities while maintaining quality standards, across direct and indirect category areas
• Category & Data Analytics: Strong ability to analyse procurement and supply chain data to identify trends, gaps and areas of improvement. Excellent Excel, Powerpoint and PowerBI (or equivalent) skills are a must.
• Price and Cost Analysis: Expertise in conducting cost-benefit analyses to evaluate procurement decisions and supplier proposals to drive margin enhancements
• Consumer and Market Insights: Experience in market research, competitive analysis and identifying emerging trends and potential gaps
• Vendor Relationship Management: Proven ability to foster collaboration and partnerships with vendors to drive innovation and improve supply chain performance
• Contract Negotiation and Management: Strong track record of negotiating contracts to ensure favourable terms, conditions and compliance

About Us

At QA, we believe the future belongs to organisations that are able to learn, master and apply new skills at pace and scale. As the largest tech training company in the UK aand the fastest growing in the US, we partner with 96% of the FTSE and most of the Fortune 500. We have served over 4,00a0 customers and 1+ million learners in the last 3 years.

Our Mission:

We teach the critical AI, technology, digital and Human skills needed to transform and succeed in a changing world. We do this through tailored learning programmes that connect learning across an organisation, create continuity for learners, and feature collaborative, cohort-based modalities to apply skills at pace and at scale. Our unique end-to-end learning solutions draw from deep expertise across Apprenticeships, Instructor-led training, Self-paced Learning and Blended Learning.

You can find out more about us at https://www.qa.com/about/careers/

Wellbeing & Benefits

Your wellbeing matters to us. That’s why we offer benefits designed to help you recharge and thrive, including:

• 27 days Annual Leave (4 days used for the festive closure) plus Bank Holidays

• Holiday Buying scheme
• Medicash plan, Wellhub, Cycle to Work scheme
• Private Medical Insurance at corporate rates
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Employee Discounts Benefit Hub
• 3 Development days
• 2 Charity days per year
• Pension Scheme
• Early Friday Finish at 4pm

Our people

We are an equal opportunity employer, focused on promoting a welcoming and inclusive environment. We embrace diversity, welcome applications from all candidates and aim to support the career growth of everyone. This means no matter what your gender, age, ethnicity, beliefs, or sexual orientation, or if you are disabled or a carer, we welcome you and the different perspectives you bring to our diverse family. We’re proud of the progress we’ve achieved over the last few years to build an inclusive culture and celebrate our diversity.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we guarantee that all applicants with a disability who meet the role criteria will progress to the next stage of the process. Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments.

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