Technical Procurement Category Specialist

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced Technical Procurement Category Specialist to join our dedicated Procurement Department here at MSC Cruises in our UK Technical Head Office. As the Procurement Category Specialist your be reporting directedly to the Procurement Category Manager (Technical) and will be responsible for supporting and executing source-to-contract Procurement strategies for technical goods and services, ensuring the best possible commercial solutions with a focus on quality, on time delivery, cost and sustainability. You will also be responsible for the procurement of technical goods and services for the existing fleet operations as well as our new build cruise ships and their dry dock requirements. The position is also supported by the buying (P2P) team in our Sorrento office as well as subject matter experts across our Technical departments. As the Technical Procurement Category Specialist you will be responsible for:

• Executing the procurement process for technical goods and services for new vessel development as well as existing fleet operational enhancements
• Manage and drive the strategic and tactical sourcing activity, including supporting further implementation of the e-procurement initiative through utilising the MSC Procurement E-Platform (PEP) for RFQ activity
• Focused improvement of supply chains including preferential delivery terms and strategic stock positioning as required
• Support the development of sub-category plans across Technical, identifying short-, medium- and long-term Procurement strategies
• Report procurement project activity, ensuring clear visibility of status and milestones
• Analysing spend data through dashboard reporting
• Supplier and supply chain development, through SRM initiatives, ensuring best practice solutions on an ongoing basis
• Liaising with the regional Procurement teams in Miami and Shanghai, to ensure alignment in procurement strategy and delivery
• Negotiating with external providers to obtain the most cost-effective agreement for products and services on time and to the agreed specification
• Supporting market research and supplier evaluation to identify best suited products and suppliers in terms of value, delivery schedules and quality
• Ensure that the import and export of all products is in line with customs regulations and local laws and procedures
• Report on current and future category spend patterns as well as monitoring the market and benchmarking costs.
• From time to time, the Procurement Category Specialist may be required to work on additional procurement projects and tasks that may fall outside of this scope
This role may also require some overseas travel depending on project requirements so all applicants must have the existing right to live and work in the UK.