Category Manager for Products

Procurement Heads Industrial practice has been retained by National Gas to recruit a Category Manager for Products. National Gas are proud of the role they play at the heart of Britain's energy system. Their skilled colleagues bring gas to around 23m homes and over 200,000 businesses, including heavy industries and power stations that keep the lights on, all whilst enabling the transition of our network to hydrogen. To support this transition Procurement is changing. A new operating model is being implemented that will place business partnering, supplier relationships, efficiency & value at the centre of what National Gas do and what they stand for. Procurement will be leading the way pioneering towards UK net zero. The Category Manager for Products role will be responsible for building the category strategy, leading strategic sourcing, and supplier relationship management activities. The products category covers valves and actuators, line pipe, fittings, fabrication and other associated materials.,

• Develop category and sourcing strategies for assigned categories, applying analysis of relevant category data, and internal & external insight
• Manage assigned categories and the delivery of sourcing projects with associated savings and other benefits
• Lead higher value / higher complexity sourcing projects within scope of the assigned categories. This may include identification of potential suppliers, market research, production of tender documentation, management of RFx timelines, supplier evaluation and negotiation
• Continually track the supply market, keeping abreast of developments, trends, risks and opportunities, lead the continual engagement with existing and potential suppliers and ahead of external market factors
• Develop both expertise and corporate intelligence and intellectual property on the assigned (sub)categories, as relevant
• Support organisation-wide procedures for governance, risk and compliance management that manage, mitigate and minimise risks to National Gas
• Acquire, maintain and develop expertise, knowledge and information to support continuous improvement in allocated categories from relevant internal and external sources
• Ensures that work carried out within the Sourcing & Contract Management Hub is aligned to category strategy
• Communicate and manage relationships with external suppliers as part of the centrally co-ordinated supplier relationship management programme
• In conjunction with the Procurement Business Partners, engage with the business and/or service functions to plan and support ongoing commercial activity (including annual value planning), lead supplier relationships and performance management
• The role will oversee the activities of the products expeditor role to ensure that goods and materials are delivered in a timely and efficient manner and that effective reporting is in place for project managers and senior leadership to support programme planning and risk management
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  Experience and an excellent track record as a strategic sourcing or procurement professional including a track record of continuous improvement and delivery of results in a variety of commercial settings
• Good understanding and experience of key practices in procurement / strategic sourcing (e.g. category spend analysis, sourcing processes and supplier management)
• Demonstrates good level of knowledge, specifically in reference to the categories of spend under management and what compliance and regulatory requirements need to be fulfilled in National Gas
• Experience in personally conducting procurement activities, including requirement definition, sourcing planning, supplier management and competitive bidding, in line with the agreed strategy for the relevant categories of spend.
  
  £55-60,000
• 7.5% bonus
• Double-matched pension
• 28 days holiday + bank holidays
• Flexible benefits with salary sacrifice