Category Manager

Sea Sourcing is the marine procurement joint venture company of Anglo-Eastern and Seaspan, two of the world's leading ship management/ownership companies, with more than 800 vessels between them.

The Category Manager role has a global scope where the successful candidate will lead one or more procurement categories for Sea Sourcing’s growing fleet of vessels. He/She will independently conduct Strategic Sourcing and Contracting activities, manage key vendors in support of the long-term category strategies, apply procurement policy in cooperation with stakeholders, monitor contract compliance and utilization, and perform regular reporting to senior leaders throughout the organization.

Job Responsibilities

• Strategic Perspective: Owns one or more procurement categories; develops and executes long-term category strategies in support of the department and company strategies. Accounts for market situation, market development and internal customer requirements. Prioritizes projects and operational support objectively based on understanding of relative urgency and impact.
• Supplier Management: Monitors contract performance while developing and driving structured supplier relationships. Develops reporting methods and tools to track and benchmark purchase, savings and identify additional areas of opportunity. Establishes and manages favourable vendor relationships to ensure competitive pricing and effective service levels; addresses performance issues related to the vendors and acts as the main point of contact for general/performance-related communications with the vendors.
• Sourcing: Independently leads complex sourcing or cost optimization projects through the strategic sourcing and project management processes. This includes demand mapping, creation of complex sourcing events, creation of advanced total cost analyses, negotiations and contracting. He/She interprets data, collaborates with internal stakeholders, leads negotiations with vendors, makes fact-based recommendations, and ensures thorough implementation of new contracts for use by Purchasers of the Sea Sourcing partners.
• Maintenance & Development of Systems: Adheres to required workflows, maintains internal tools for contract and vendor management, purchasing support etc. Develops and/or improves reporting tools and dashboards related to spend management, vendor performance, contract compliance or other matters, in the pursuit of greater efficiency and scalability.
• Supply Management: Collaborates with Supply Chain and Operations to establish cohesive supply planning and distribution strategies globally. Proactively identifies areas of supply risk (demand, supply, environmental and business continuity) and works with stakeholders to develop and implement risk management strategies.
• Teamwork: Performs well in a complex organization where agility is required to serve all stakeholders in line with their requirements and expectations. Ensures procurement of goods and services match the quality required by the respective Sea Sourcing partners’ operations and technical functions. Stays generally aware of major developments in other categories and involves himself/herself in the work of colleagues by offering support, guidance, and constructive feedback when relevant. Proactively shares best practices.
• Internal Compliance: Is familiar with the Health, Safety, Environmental Protection and Quality Policies and understands the responsibilities and requirements included in Sea Sourcing partners’ policies including their ESG programs. They understand their duty to report any environmental noncompliance via the Sea Sourcing partners open reporting system as per relevant guidelines.

Job Requirements

• Minimum five years’ experience in a Procurement function, with preference for Category Management and/or Strategic Sourcing roles.
• Experience in the maritime industry is a plus, with preference for experience with a vessel-owner or vessel-operator.
• Diploma / Degree in Business, Economics, Finance, Logistics, or related field.
• Strong relationship building and business acumen. Must be able to establish credibility with business stakeholders and influence where needed.
• Maturity to take ownership of assigned categories and projects, and the energy and confidence to drive an agenda of continuous development.
• Ability to understand market dynamics within the procurement category and create own network for success; demonstrate entrepreneurial spirit.
• Ability to deal effectively with ambiguity and resolve multi-party conflicts.
• Fluent English with excellent verbal and written communication skills, including proficient presentation skills.
• Self-starter who can work under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
• Proven analytical and problem-solving skills are required as well as excellent attention to accuracy and detail.
• International travel may be required on short notice.
• Must have mobility to attend vessels, suppliers, Sea Sourcing partners’ office locations and service providers.
• Availability via a mobile device outside of office hours.