Category Manager (Indirect Procurement)

Maxis; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Maxis in Malaysia seeks a procurement professional to oversee end-to-end procurement across indirect categories, driving sourcing strategies, cost optimisation, and value delivery. You will engage stakeholders, conduct market analysis, and manage supplier performance to ensure compliance with policies and regulations.

The role requires strong negotiation, contract management, and analytical skills, with exposure to IT/Network or Commercial Services categories.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing, Business Management, or related field
• Minimum 3 years of relevant experience in procurement or category management
• Experience supporting or managing Network, IT, or Commercial Services categories, including sourcing initiatives
• Strong expertise in supplier management, with proven ability to engage, influence, and communicate effectively with vendors
• Solid experience in contract negotiation, including commercial terms and conditions
• Proficiency in English, both written and verbal

Responsibilities

• Strategy: define and communicate category strategies; support execution of strategic sourcing for assigned categories/sub-categories; deploy plans for smaller spend sub-categories with cross-functional stakeholders
• Tendering, negotiation and contract management: specify requirements for materials/services; identify end users/suppliers for discussions on usability; manage financial analysis and business cases incl. currency fluctuations and payment terms; develop strategic negotiation plan and lead negotiations; use market analysis to inform category strategies and supplier KPIs; build relationships with incumbent and potential suppliers to drive value and innovation
• Performance reporting and compliance: develop measurable category objectives; ensure compliance with procurement processes; coordinate inter-BU governance and supplier reviews; manage escalations and governance as required

Skills

Category management

Strategic sourcing

Negotiation

Contract management

Supplier management

Stakeholder engagement

Analytics

MS Office/ERP

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain or related field

Tools

SAP/Ariba

Job description

Jora Malaysia will close on 9th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey.

Are you ready to get ahead in your career?

We want to empower you to turn your ambitions into achievements.

We thrive in inclusiveness, diversity and embrace close collaborations for you to create impact for yourself and others.

Together, we aim to bring the best of technology to help people, businesses and the nation to be ahead in a changing world.

To realise our vision to become Malaysia’s leading converged solutions company, we are looking for a new talent to innovate and grow with us in a culture that values commitment, performance and possibilities.

Why does this job exist and why is it critical?

This role oversees end-to-end procurement across indirect categories, driving sourcing strategies, cost optimisation, and value delivery. It requires strong expertise in strategic sourcing, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement to align with business needs, alongside effective supplier management to ensure performance, compliance, and adherence to policies and regulations. The role also demands strong analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills to support decision-making and ensure efficient procurement operations.

What You Will Do

1. Strategy definition and communication:

• Support the execution of category management strategies and activities and of strategic sourcing process and approaches for assignedcategories/sub-categories
• For smaller spend sub-categories, plan, deploy and disseminate category strategies and plans and conduct sourcing projects by engaging stakeholders and the required cross-functional resources

2. Tendering, negotiation, and contract management:

• Specify requirements for materials and services in category area
• Identify end users and/or suppliers to have advanced discussions on the usability/ interchangeability of items
• Manage sophisticated financial analysis and business cases taking into consideration currency fluctuations, payment terms, and alternative financial cost scenarios and can deliver financial and commercial business cases in a broad range of categories
• Expert in defining and executing negotiation tactics and skilfully manage difficult and complex strategic negotiations. Perform key analysis and develop a strategic negotiation plan, get outside opinion, and arm myself to be proactive during all negotiations
• Use detailed market analysis to create scenarios regarding potential market development. Use insights from market analysis to support stakeholder innovation, to mitigate risks for Maxis, and to amend category strategies or to deliver additional savings
• Work with the business to define the supplier KPIs, scorecard, vendor management model, data sources and collection methods on supplier performance
• Support the business to manage relationships with incumbent strategic suppliers including driving supplier innovation and developing joint improvement initiatives
• Develop supplier relationships beyond the incumbent to explore options and drive value and innovation for the business

4. Performance reporting and compliance:

• Supports the development of measurable category objectives and targets, and assist to produce regular reports
• Promote compliance to Procurement processes and policies across the business
• Responsible for inter-BU coordination for e.g. supplier review meetings
• Management of BU/Procurement escalations and engagement of formal governance mechanisms where required

What you need to have for this role:

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing, Business Management, or a related field
• Minimum 3 years of relevant experience in procurement or category management
• Experience supporting or managing Network, IT, or Commercial Services categories, including sourcing initiatives
• Strong expertise in supplier management, with proven ability to engage, influence, and communicate effectively with vendors
• Solid experience in contract negotiation, including commercial terms and conditions
• Proficiency in English, both written and verbal

Skills & Knowledge:

• Strong analytical capabilities with the ability to interpret complex data and translate insights into actionable recommendations
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders and work collaboratively
• High level of autonomy with the ability to manage responsibilities independently
• Proven expertise in strategic sourcing and supplier management, including leading negotiations and constructively challenging stakeholders
• Advanced proficiency in MS Office, ERP, and e-procurement systems (e.g., SAP, Ariba)
• Strong contract management expertise, including drafting and reviewing contractual terms and conditions

What’s next?

Maxis values diverse voices & people. We hire and reward our employees based on capability & performance — regardless of ethnicity, gender, age, education, religion, nationality or physical ability.