Manager - Supply Chain Management

Tata Communications; Pune District; On-site; INR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Tata Communications in Pune seeks an experienced Category Buyer to plan and oversee procurement sourcing activities for network, IT and infra services. You will drive negotiations, manage supplier relationships and ensure timely service delivery.

You will collaborate with internal teams on project requirements, develop category strategies, and monitor compliance with procurement policies. Strong Excel/ERP skills and familiarity with SAP are preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or business or equivalent qualification.
• 7–12 years in supply chain or material management with cost-saving sourcing in Services, IT, Networks.
• Proficient in Excel, Word, PowerPoint and ERP systems (SAP).
• Knowledge of supply chain regulations and compliances; CIPS/CPSM preferred.

Responsibilities

• Review procurement volumes by vendor and product class to finalize rate or frame contracts.
• Engage with internal teams to understand project/operational requirements and deals.
• Collaborate with demand/delivery managers to clarify specs and SLAs.
• Manage sourcing, procurement, negotiations, order processing and supplier relationships.
• Ensure supplier compliance with policies and monitor contractual performance.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Negotiation skills

Service procurement

Contract management

MS Excel

MS Word & PowerPoint

ERP / SAP

e-Sourcing platforms

Regulatory knowledge

CIPS / CPSM certification

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or business or equivalent qualification

Tools

SAP

e-Sourcing platforms

Job description

Broad outline of the Role

• The Category Buyer is responsible for assisting the team in planning and overseeing all Procurement sourcing activities Will be responsible for service procurement for Network IT Procurement, Infra Mobility and driving various sourcing initiatives to deliver targeted benefits to the business.Will be responsible for managing end-to-end procurement negotiations, order processing and maintaining the supply of required services.Will be responsible for Vendor contract negotiation in line with customer contract. Will need to engage with internal user teams to understand of new projects / operations requirements and deals.Would need to plan, manage, and maintain strategic vendor relationships and conduct negotiations of major procurement deals.Would need to achieve the required level of category performance objectives (aligned with overall SCM objectives) set by the Category Lead - Services and also ensure that daily operations are at par with practices prevailing in the market.Would need to assess supply and commercial risks and develop mitigation strategies.Will be responsible for adherence to Annual Procurement Plan, achieving objectives of savings and business velocity.

Minimum Qualifications Experience

• Bachelor
• s Degree in engineering or business or equivalent qualification
• 7-12 years of experience in supply chain or material management roles Any Bachelor-s Degree. preferred. Demonstrated history of applying sourcing levers to deliver cost savings to the organization in areas related to Services, IT, Networks, Managed Services, Services Infra Procurement etc. Organizational effectiveness, project and change management Knowledge of supply chain regulation and compliances Strong skills in Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint and in finance (ERP) systems, preferably SAP Experience on working with e-Sourcing platforms Experience in developing category strategies, and executing strategic sourcing exercises. Certifications like CIPS / CPSM

Other Knowledge Skills

• Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills with a proven ability to create and maintain positive working relationships with vendors, suppliers, shippers, and customers.
• Expertise in Service procurement before on-boarding vendor.
• Expertise in contracting management and ensuring risk coverage in contract.

Key Responsibilities

1. Review procurement volumes by vendor and product class or type, thereby, identify areas for Rate Contracts or Frame Contracts, and finalize the same.
2. Engage with internal user teams for understanding requirements of new projects or Operations requirements and deals.
3. Collaborate with key persons including demand and delivery manager to ensure clarity of specifications and SLAs.
4. Managing sourcing and procurement
5. Work with vendors or Planning team
6. to expedite deliveries and support delivery related challenges.
7. Review logistics to make sure they run smoothly.
8. Review supply chain inventory and records
9. Analyze data from delivery processes to find bottlenecks and other issues.
10. Manage procurement negotiations, order processing and maintaining the supply of required services.
11. Ensure vendor compliance to Supply Management Policy and ProceduresSupplier Negotiation- Manage the end to end RFI, RFP/RFQ processes, with support from Operations- Develop evaluation criteria, and evaluate tender responses for Service- Negotiate contracts with suppliers customer (liaise with legal team)- Implement negotiated contracts and monitor contractual compliance- Comply with the Procurement and Supply Chain policies and procedures" Order Processing and Review -Action all incoming orders, ensuring that PO placement is prioritized in relation to urgency of request and delivery times and to ensure adherence to Procurement Service Levels on order turnaround and order accuracy- Monitor on-time delivery against all open Purchase Orders to ensure correct dating and receipting of orders- Build and maintain effective business relationships with internal stakeholders (e.g., users)" Supplier Relationships- Provide input to supplier performance reviews in conjunction with internal stakeholders and the Vendor, compile data and information on performance to support the reviews, attend the review meetings and manage actions relating to day to day performance of suppliers- Review requests for new suppliers and recommend their approval to the Services Lead if the supplier is financially, ethically and commercially sound and there is a valid reason for introducing a new supplier in line with the new supplier approval process- Provide support to the Service Lead - Services in general for on-boarding of new supplier