Category Manager

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Procurement Strategy Development
- Consolidate and analyze category spend data with support from the Category Analyst
- Develop and assess internal (demand & supply) and external (industry & market) category profiles
- Define and prioritize category-specific initiatives & opportunities, including developing a business case & implementation plan and conducting category strategy workshops
- Develop the overall category sourcing strategy and obtain approval from the Head of Source-to-Contract
- Oversee recommendations / pricing assumptions for the procurement budgeting cycle in collaboration with Finance and the relevant Business Unit

Strategic Sourcing Execution
- Develop and finalize category sourcing strategy for execution in alignment with the Head of Source-to-Contract
- Define RFQ evaluation criteria for supplier selection, including commercial, technical (e.g. quality, safety) and other relevant criteria (e.g. social ethical compliance, policies)
- Oversee the development and issuance of RFQ documents to obtain supplier responses and manage clarification with suppliers
- Oversee the evaluation of supplier proposals and supplier qualification with support from the Category Analyst
- Assess and finalize shortlisted suppliers in collaboration with the Tender Committee
- Define negotiation strategies and conduct supplier negotiations in alignment with the Head of Source-to-Contract
- Develop and communicate commercial contract award to suppliers and support contract finalization in conjunction with Legal and Authorized Approvers
- Perform category value tracking and execute improvement actions with support from the Category Analyst
- Identify potential contract improvement opportunities and re-negotiations

Supply & Price Risk Management
- Define category supply & price risk profile in alignment with the Head of Source-to-Contract
- Develop and execute supply & price risk management mitigation strategies (e.g. hedging, forward pricing, business continuity plan)
- Assess and optimize supply & price risk management performance and implement improvement action plans in conjunction with the Head of Source-to-Contract

Spot Buy Purchasing
- Oversee the supplier identification and RFQ process for spot buy purchases
- Lead Category Analyst in analyzing supplier quotations and conducting supplier negotiations
- Validate shortlisted suppliers identified by Category Analyst and manage communications with suppliers

Supplier Relationship Management
- Develop Supplier Relationship Management strategies, consisting of governance models, KPI frameworks & targets in conjunction with the Head of Source-to-Contract
- Define supplier performance measurement templates and ensure collection of relevant supplier performance data with support from the Supplier Management Analyst / Sr. Analyst
- Analyze supplier performance reports and identify gaps in supplier performance with support from the Supplier Management Analyst / Sr. Analyst
- Develop supplier performance improvement plans and drive the execution of improvement initiatives
- Lead supplier review meetings and manage communications with suppliers to drive supplier performance

Managerial Accountabilities
- Ensure high quality and accuracy of work and service by Category Analysts through regular review, checks and approval
- Provide leadership, coaching, counseling, training and guidance to Category Analysts so they can proactively carry out their role to the highest possible standard
- Maintain thorough knowledge of all aspects of category-related matters
- Resolve day-to-day operational issues and escalate to the Head of Source-to-Contract as necessary
- Establish and maintain strong collaborative relationships with key stakeholders, including key suppliers and internal stakeholders
- Establish effective communications with internal stakeholders across the GBS, GAR Procurement function, Business Units and other cross-functional stakeholders

Service Management & Continuous Improvement
- Develop and maintain knowledge-base of categories and share category best practices to ensure transfer of knowledge over time
- Deliver service excellence and maximize customer satisfaction to ensure that service levels and targets are met per agreed metrics
- Execute customer satisfaction improvement plans as required, in conjunction with the Head of Source-to-Contract and Service Management
- Identify opportunities to challenge the business and better manage demand in order to optimize expenditure, such as standardizing requirements or consolidating demand
- Identify opportunities to drive cost savings & cost avoidance and improve supplier performance through category sourcing strategies
- Identify opportunities for continuous process improvement and increasing overall process effectiveness

Audit & Compliance
- Manage and track internal customer compliance and drive the implementation of corrective actions to improve compliance
- Drive consistent imp