Sr Executive - Supply Chain Management

Tata Communications; Mumbai; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Tata Communications Limited is seeking a Category Buyer for Services to support timely procurement across assigned categories. You will help forecast demand, analyze vendor landscapes, and develop category strategies while negotiating key sourcing projects.

Responsibilities include coordinating with business functions, driving procurement processes, and ensuring compliance with internal and external guidelines. Minimum 3–4 years of procurement experience and a relevant degree are expected.

Qualifications

• 3-4 yrs. experience in procurement or sourcing
• Bachelor's degree in engineering or business or equivalent
• Experience with SAP, Ariba or Aerchain
• Strong vendor management and negotiation skills
• Proficient in MS Office and email tools

Responsibilities

• Strateg y development and planning for services sourcing
• Cross-functional collaboration with Business, SCM and Operations
• Supplier management and contract execution with SRM discipline
• Lead end-to-end sourcing processes including RFP/RFQ
• Drive catalog-based ordering and cost reduction initiatives

Skills

Reporting and analytics

MS Office

Email management

Bids and RFPs

Stakeholder management

Material management

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or business

Tools

SAP

Ariba

Aerchain

Job description

About The Company

Tata Communications Redefines Connectivity with Innovation and IntelligenceDriving the next level of intelligence powered by Cloud, Mobility, Internet of Things, Collaboration, Security, Media services and Network services, we at Tata Communications are envisaging a New World of Communications

Broad outline of the Role

• The Category Buyer - Services is responsible for supporting the business needs by ensuring timely procurement of requests related to assigned categories in Services.


• He /She ensures that the category performance is in alignment with the guidelines and targets set under SCM objectives.


• He /She adheres to the policy guidelines and organizational processes defined for procurement.


• The Category Buyer performs sourcing for sub-categories under the Services category, amounting to ~$7 - $10 Mn spend.


• He/ She assists demand forecasting and annual sourcing plan creation, aligned with the business requirements.


• He /She analyses the supply market and industry trends and assists the Category Lead in developing category strategies.


• He /She executes sourcing and negotiation strategies basis category strategy for all the major sourcing projects.


• He /She is an effective negotiator who can come up with creative negotiation strategies. He /She monitors contractual compliance and coordinates contract amendments (if any).


• He/ She creates catalog for direct purchase and promotes catalog based ordering amongst all business functions.


• He /She collaborates with the vendors for optimizing technical specifications of products/ services.


• He /She is responsible for effective supplier relationship management and leads collaborative discussions for value creation with the supplier.


• He /She maintains a good working relationships with all business functions, SCM Operations, SCM Enablers and SCM Logistics to ensure cross-functional collaboration.


• He /She is accountable for compliance to the guidelines and rules, both internal and external (tax laws, legal/ regulatory laws), and accountable for any artefacts/ processes needed for the same.


• He /She ensures that the category performance is in alignment with the guidelines and targets set under SCM objectives.


• He /She adheres to the policy guidelines and organizational processes defined for procurement.

Key Category in which experience is required for the Role

• Sr Executive – Fiber O&M (A2UG, Relocation and Rectification), MAN / NLD site repair & maintenance, ISP vehicle hiring


• Manage sourcing and vendor management for below projects:


• Operations & Maintenance (O&M) projects, including A2UG (Aerial to underground), Relocation and Rectification


• POP sites (MAN / NLD) repair and maintenance


• Managing AMC renewal of all infra assets installed at our POP site


• Managing the End of Life cycle Infra asset replacement (which primarily includes Battery Bank, SMPS, Cooling Equipment etc) at our POP


• ISP vehicle management and contracting


• Operational excellence initiatives such as touchless PO implementation, Catalogue & OLA preparation

Minimum Qualifications & Experience

• 3-4 yrs. experience


• Bachelors Degree in engineering or business or equivalent qualification

Other Knowledge & Skills

• Reporting and analytics


• ERP tools such as SAP, Ariba, Aerchain


• Proficient in E-mail management, MS-Outlook, MS-Office an MS-Powerpoint


• Running basic and mid size bids, RFPs and Reverse Auctions


• Experience of working with a wide range of stakeholders


• Material management knowledge

Key Responsibilities

• Strategy development and planning:

Cross Functional Collaboration:

• Support the Category lead in development of Annual Sourcing Plan for sub-categories under Services (incl. internal and external demand)


• Support Category Lead in developing both, category and sourcing strategies, by forecasting demand, analyzing industry trends, understanding vendor landscape, etc.


• Develop negotiation strategies for all the key sourcing projects under the guidance of Category Lead


• Examine supplier's industry position and cost-structure, identify trends in supply market, develop cost-tear downs for key sourcing requests


• Optimize sourcing and ordering schedule by assessing demand drivers


• Minimize the potential risks to reduce supply chain uncertainties and shocks (through laid-out risk mitigation strategies)

General Management:

• Coordinate with business, sales and other stakeholders for effective demand planning and monitor the actual requirements against plan


• Interact with business teams to identify and optimize technical/ functional specifications under the guidance of Category Lead


• Facilitate ongoing collaboration between the Business teams, Operations team, Enablers team and Logistics team


• Support implementation of Aerchain, SAP S/4 HANA and any other procurement tools

Supplier Management:

• Manage and direct day-to-day activities of stakeholders, to ensure timely procurement as per business requirements


• Solicit ideas and foster an environment for personnel development of the team

Strategy Execution:

• Monitor supplier performance against the targets defined as per SRM and provide necessary support (wherever required)


• Collaborate with suppliers regularly and drive tangible additional value from relationship through joint cost reduction initiatives


• Interact frequently with the suppliers to identify issues and potential areas for improvement


• Provide support for vendor registration and qualification process (if required), completing all necessary checks and verifications as outlined under the SCM Policy

Operational Improvement:

• Execute sourcing strategies for all the sourcing requirements; inputs (if any) to act as a feedback in the overall sourcing/ category strategy


• Lead end-to-end sourcing process (including RFP/RFQ process) for all sourcing initiatives defined as per sourcing plan


• Develop evaluation criteria, and evaluate tender responses, with guidance from Category Lead


• Lead the implementation of negotiated contracts and monitor contractual compliance of executed contracts


• Drive catalog creation (where possible) for direct purchase by increasing standardization of products/ services within the category


• Interact with users for demand forecasting and increasing awareness regarding catalog based ordering


• Adopt best practices for strategic sourcing and discern specific nuances of the contract that provide an edge in negotiations (e.g. TCO vs purchasing price)


• Prioritize placement of PO in cases of urgent requests with guidance from Category Lead


• Monitor on-time delivery against all open POs to ensure timely receipt of orders


• Support Query Resolution team in resolution of queries associated with invoiced amounts, delivery, etc. wherever required


• Ensure that day to day activities comply with standards and performance measures set in the approved SCM policy and procedures


• Implement continuous improvement initiatives designed to improve operations, decrease turnaround times and streamline work processes for procurement


• Champion use of standard sourcing tools and methodologies including execution of advanced sourcing events