Senior Category Manager

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Reporting to the Head of Procurement, the Senior Category Manager is a highly visible role responsible for developing and driving procurement strategies for specific categories and other areas of spend where business support is needed.

This role will join a developing procurement function, and as an experienced team member, the individual will support strategic decision-making and coach team members across the function.

The role of Senior Category Manager

1. Business Partnering: Act as a business partner to various departments based on specific categories, understanding their strategies, and providing creative challenge and thought leadership to influence business decisions.
2. Procurement Strategy: Anticipate challenges, equip departments with sourcing strategies, and ensure clarity on risks, routes to market, resource commitments, market dynamics, and delivery plans.
3. Category Planning: Develop and maintain current category plans aligned with business objectives, identifying procurement opportunities.
4. Data and Insight: Use technology, relationships, and data to inform investment decisions, stimulate innovative thinking, and encourage creative conversations.
5. Procurement Initiatives: Lead complex procurement initiatives using best practices like e-Procurement, e-auctions, and strategic sourcing.
6. Negotiations: Lead high-value, complex negotiations, working with stakeholders, Finance, and Legal to manage risks and protect interests.
7. Supplier Relationship Management: Lead SRM activities to ensure strategic supplier management in all purchase decisions.

Experience required for the Senior Category Manager

• Extensive procurement experience across various categories, with essential telecommunications or technology background.
• Deep understanding of procurement fundamentals: contract law, category management, negotiation, market dynamics, and strategic sourcing.
• Ability to translate business needs into legal and commercial requirements and produce high-quality work products like contracts and financial analyses.
• Leadership experience in developing complex strategies and managing end-to-end procurement projects.
• Excellent leadership, coaching, and communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex challenges.
• Strategically minded, creative, and capable of translating vision into actionable plans.

This role is suitable for candidates with prior procurement, purchasing, or category management experience in a telecommunications environment.