Category Manager - IT

Key Responsibilities

• Working with the business to source and procure a wide range of required goods and services, with primary focus being IT and Indirect services, ensuring optimal value for money within defined service and quality criteria.
• Ensuring that the internal procurement processes are followed to seek and evaluate competitive tenders and proposals for the supply of goods and service, which will involve negotiating with suppliers on all commercial and contractual matters to achieve optimal levels of value versus risk.
• Identifying opportunities for synergies across the group portfolio and to add improvements to the “bottom line” through cost savings or process change whilst promoting continual improvement in all aspects of the Procurement function.
• Managing supplier relationships, coordinating multiple stakeholder interfaces across the group to ensure a consistent and collaborative approach.
• Identifying and implementing supplier improvement actions and operate 360 feedback processes and seeking to resolve contractual and supplier disputes as and when they occur.
• Understanding and adhering to the company and department standards, policies and procedures.
• Developing and maintaining strong and positive working relationships with internal stakeholders, ensuring that requirements are understood and addressed whilst seeking to promote the Procurement function as a positive enabler and an integral partner to the group.
• Operating and maintaining required systems to support and improve the Procurement function.
• Working closely with the HSEQ teams to ensure that the supply chain is safe and delivers quality goods and services.
• Other procurement and supply chain tasks that are required from time to time.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Experience in IT / Indirect procurement, with the enthusiasm and ability to coach and upskill colleagues in category management principles, ensuring knowledge is effectively transferred across the team.
• Evidence of managing a procurement whole life cycle, ensuring that any value created in the negotiations stages is delivered through contract delivery.
• Working knowledge of key contractual terms.
• Experience of drafting, negotiating and managing a variety of complex contracts and commercial risks

• Ability to work in a dynamic environment, working to tight deadlines.
• Excellent influencing, communication and relationship management skills with effective networking and business partnering skills.
• Ability to project manage initiatives, tracking and ensuring delivery against key milestones.
• Proven analytical skills including ability to gather, interpret complex data and summarise effectively.
• High motivation, self-direction and self-awareness.
• Flexible approach and the ability to deal with high levels of change.
• Demonstratable competence in use of IT/IS skills e.g. MS Office.

• Qualified to degree level, or equivalent, in a relative discipline - desirable.
• Minimum CIPS level 4 achieved, working towards level 6 - desirable.

Further Information