Senior Category Manager

First Military Recruitment; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

First Military Recruitment is seeking a Senior Category Manager to lead Category Management, Strategic Sourcing, Contract Management and Supplier Relationship Management within assigned spend areas. You will drive cost-effective category solutions, ensure supplier performance and manage commercial risk to support business requirements.

The role requires strong stakeholder engagement, RFx execution, contract negotiations and effective supplier segmentation, with hybrid working in Reading.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering category strategies and cost savings within assigned sub-groups of categories.
• Proven ability to drive RFx processes, supplier evaluation, negotiations and contract handover.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement Category Strategies for assigned sub-group of categories.
• Execute strategic sourcing activities including RFx, supplier evaluation and contract negotiations.
• Manage contracts and provide commercial assurance within the team.
• Lead Supplier Relationship Management including risk identification and mitigation.
• Conduct Business Reviews in line with Supplier Relationship Management framework.
• Collaborate with Process and Performance teams to interface with Service Centre.

Skills

Category Management

Strategic Sourcing

Contract Management

Supplier Relationship Management

Stakeholder Engagement

RFx Process

Cost Reduction

Job description

Location: Reading/Hybrid – Max 3 x day on site per week

Overview:

The role as Senior Category Manager is to drive, implement and execute Category Management, Strategic Sourcing, Contract Management and Supplier Relationship Management within an assigned sub-group of categories. With the ultimate objective of leveraging and securing the client’s supplier base to support its current and future business requirements, whilst mitigating risks. Provide Commercial and Contract Performance support to the business to allow management of project and commercial risk

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement Category Strategies for assigned sub-group of categories, balancing short and long-term objectives to meet business strategy and efficiencies (savings) in alignment with business stakeholders.
• Support and execute complex strategic sourcing activities in line with approved category strategies and preferred suppliers list, including the execution of the RFx process, supplier evaluation and selection, contract negotiation, business award and contract handover to the business, in compliance with the business requirements as well as the business policies and directives, including Code of Conduct and Code of Business Ethics.
• Responsible for contractual and commercial management and effective contract administration to the relevant team providing commercial assurance to deliver commercial value.
• Support and execute Supplier Relationship Management for key and critical suppliers within the sub-group of categories, including supplier segmentation, contract management, supplier risks identification and mitigation and suppliers performance. Identify and develop supplier value including planning and participating to external management review meetings with segmented suppliers
• Management Business Reviews and Executive Business Reviews) in accordance with client’s Supplier Relationship Management framework and the agreed supplier strategy.
• Support and provide input to the Process and Performance team as appropriate. Support the development and interface with the Service Centre.

Experience and Key Skills:

• Consistently demonstrating positive behaviours in line with the company's environmental, sustainability, safety, health, security, quality and ethics standards.
• Category Management Drive and implement Category Strategy to deliver cost effective category solutions and business models.
• Supplier base management and supplier classification (Preferred Supplier List – PSL), securing competition in the supplier base.
• Implement ways of working according to the Category Management Framework including the delivery of Category targets and KPI’s for assigned group of spend categories. Business Intelligence, benchmark and market insight to support category development.
• The Senior Category Manager, with the sub-category Team, are responsible for securing and tracking cost reduction, contract management and continuity of Supply Chain. Strategic Sourcing Prepare & execute the RFx process in collaboration with stakeholders including supplier evaluation and selection, supplier negotiations (costs and contract).
• Contribute to the long-term business ensuring competitive initial cost and total cost development in the product and service life cycle and maintenance of the specific supplier contract for products and services.
• Contract Management Prepare and execute a Contract which is appropriate to the scope, value and risk outlined in the sourcing strategy, ensuring all relevant stakeholders have contributed and approved as appropriate. Administer the Contract in accordance with all of the terms and conditions ensuring contract compliance.
• Ensure appropriate management of commercial risks, forecast spend and change impacts with key stakeholders. Supplier Relationship Management Suppliers segmented and managed (quality, performance, risk) in accordance with the Supplier Relationship Management Framework. on the supplier), make corrective action plans for the identified risks.
• Supplier Strategies for key suppliers within assigned group of spend categories.