Category Manager

LINKTRIX Consultants, Asia Pacific; Selangor; On-site; MYR 300,000 - 540,000; Full time

Job summary

LINKTRIX Consultants, Asia Pacific is seeking a Senior Manager, Global Category Management – Engineering, Construction and Civil to lead the category across regions including Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Europe and South Africa.

You will own end-to-end procurement, develop global strategies, drive TCO improvements, manage supplier relationships and ensure governance while mitigating supply risks. 8–10 years in technical category management is preferred.

Qualifications

• 8–10 years of progressive civil construction experience with procurement responsibilities.
• Strong expertise in procurement processes, category management, sourcing and stakeholder management.
• Excellent influencing, communication and presentation skills for stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Develop global category strategies and sourcing frameworks to achieve negotiated savings and optimize TCO.
• Align global objectives with regional business requirements across Malaysia, Indonesia, PNG, Thailand, Europe and SA.
• Monitor macroeconomic trends to keep category strategies competitive.
• Lead end-to-end category planning and centralized portfolio execution.
• Manage budgets and drive cost-reduction targets and PPV objectives.
• Oversee procurement lifecycle and contract governance.
• Mitigate supply chain risks and develop BCPs for continuity.
• Engage stakeholders across functions and regions for contract coverage.

Skills

Category management

Procurement

Strategic sourcing

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

RFP process

Supply chain risk

ESG criteria

BCP development

Supplier performance

Education

Civil Engineering

Construction Management

Quantity Surveying

Supply Chain Management

CCM/CCPM certification

Tools

SAP

Oracle

Ariba

Microsoft Excel

PowerPoint

Microsoft Word

Job description

Reporting Manager: Head of Category Management

Job Overview

The Senior Manager, Global Category Management – Engineering, Construction and Civil, will strategically lead the Engineering, Construction and Civil category, overseeing an annualized spend exceeding MYR 400 million.

The role is responsible for the end-to-end procurement and contract lifecycle, including supplier pre-qualification, RFPs, evaluations, contract deviation management and post-award governance.

The successful candidate will establish and execute global category management strategies aligned with corporate governance and policies, drive sustainable Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) improvements and cost savings, strengthen supplier relationships, enhance stakeholder engagement, and develop robust Business Continuity Plans (BCPs) to safeguard supply continuity.

Working closely with business units across Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Europe and South Africa, the role ensures alignment between local sourcing execution and global category strategies while proactively mitigating cost, inflation and supply chain risks.

Key Responsibilities

• Global Strategy Development: Lead the formulation and implementation of global category strategies and sourcing frameworks to achieve negotiated savings, optimize TCO, and maintain product quality and service delivery.
• Regional and Global Alignment: Develop and execute procurement strategies that align global objectives with regional business requirements.
• Market Trend Management: Monitor and evaluate macroeconomic and market trends to ensure category strategies remain competitive and relevant.
• Category Strategy Execution and Management: Lead end-to-end global category planning and oversee execution models for centralized and centrally managed portfolios.
• Financial Accountability: Manage category budgets and drive initiatives to achieve cost-reduction targets, Purchase Price Variance (PPV) objectives and financial benchmarks.
• Lifecycle Governance: Oversee the complete procurement and contract management lifecycle, ensuring compliance with global category strategies.
• Market Intelligence and Forecasting: Analyze market intelligence and forecast price movements to mitigate volatility and maintain supply continuity.
• Performance Metrics Optimization: Drive operational excellence and achieve departmental Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with cross-functional and regional teams to align category strategies and contract coverage plans.
• Spend Analysis and Leakage Mitigation: Analyze tail spend, eliminate value leakage and establish repeatable sourcing frameworks for recurring purchases.
• Joint Business Planning: Lead strategic Joint Business Planning (JBP) initiatives with key suppliers and relevant business units to maximize mutual value.
• Productivity and Efficiency Improvements: Develop and implement annual productivity improvement roadmaps across assigned spend portfolios.
• Executive Escalation: Act as the escalation point for local procurement teams in resolving critical supplier issues and complex vendor challenges.
• Strategic Partnerships: Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to drive innovation and value creation.
• Supply Chain Risk Mitigation: Develop and maintain category-level risk registers and BCPs to address macroeconomic disruptions, geopolitical risks and single-source dependencies.
• Sustainable Sourcing: Integrate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria into supplier selection and product lifecycle management, supporting sustainability and ethical sourcing objectives.
• Supplier Performance Management: Monitor supplier scorecards and performance metrics, including On-Time In-Full (OTIF), quality defects and service levels.
• Team Development: Mentor and coach local and regional buyers, cross-functional project teams and junior procurement personnel.
• Ad Hoc Projects: Undertake additional projects and responsibilities as assigned by management to support evolving business needs.

Requirements

• Education and Professional Qualifications
• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Quantity Surveying or Supply Chain Management.
• Certified Construction Manager (CCM) or Certified Construction Project Manager (CCPM) certification is an added advantage.
• Proficiency in procurement systems such as SAP, Oracle or Ariba, as well as Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, PowerPoint and Word.

Professional Experience

• 8–10 years of progressive experience combining technical civil construction execution with commercial or procurement responsibilities.
• Strong expertise in procurement processes, category management, strategic sourcing and stakeholder management.
• Excellent influencing, communication and presentation skills, with the ability to engage stakeholders and communicate strategic recommendations effectively.