Job Description
Job Purpose / Summary
The Category Manager’s primary responsibility is to develop and execute global and regional strategies for indirect spend categories for a single, dedicated WNS-Denali client account. He or she is also responsible for developing a strategic sourcing pipeline, building and launching of RFIs/RFPs, planning and executing negotiation strategies, contracting, and managing supplier relationships. A successful Category Manager will drive year over year savings while ensuring quality and service level requirements are met.
This role frequently interacts with senior members of the client’s organization, so he or she must have excellent communication skills and be comfortable leading and participating in discussions across levels and cultures.
In addition to category management responsibilities, the Category Manager may have people management responsibilities for up to 8 team members of various levels ranging from analyst to senior associate across strategic sourcing, sourcing execution, contracting, and procurement operations. He or she is also responsible for creating a positive work environment and fostering cross-functional and cross-regional collaboration.
Key Responsibilities / Job Duties
Developing and executing category strategies with a focus on developing a supply base to meet the changing requirements of the assigned category, analyzing market trends and business environment, and long term commercial strategic directionLeading supplier negotiations within a framework of a strategic contractual relationshipManaging overall supplier relationships including supplier performance, capability development, contracting, risk mitigation, cost savings, and quality improvementsIdentifying cost savings through negotiations, event driven activities, and alternate sourcing strategies to achieve assigned cost reduction goals.Managing the team’s objective setting, performance, career growth, training, and competency developmentActing as the escalation point for the category team, communicating and resolving operational issues, and escalating to the Regional Delivery Lead as necessaryQualifications
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Deep understanding of category management methods and approaches and an ability to apply various concepts to category-level activities at the clientExpertise in one or more indirect spend categories (e.g. MRO, Capital, Professional Services, HR, IT, Marketing, Logistics, etc.), including understanding external market dynamics, top suppliers, market trends and highlights, and procurement strategiesAbility to determine the appropriate procurement strategy for assigned categories and business requirementsExcellent written and verbal communication and presentation skillsExcellent problem-solving skills and the ability to provide custom solutions to address the client’s challengesAbility to manage and prioritize multiple projects and initiatives simultaneouslyStrong leadership skills, including ability to motivate and manage peopleProficiency using Microsoft Office tools such as Excel, Word and PowerPointAbility to think about categories at a holistic, strategic level – is capable of developing a category plan to comprehensively think about short-, medium- and long-term needs of the categoryCan build collaborative and proactive relationships with business stakeholdersHas broad S2C/S2P procurement knowledge and understands how to think about all procurement levers to positively impact a categoryGood analytical skills; can draw insights from dataHas a deeper understanding of targeted procurement categories, and can draw from experiences and market intelligence to apply insights to the categories under considerationUnderstands how to build a business case, and/or work in alignment with stakeholders to truly understand their requirements and convert it to procurement intervention prioritiesRequired Education and Experience
Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent work experience is requiredMBA or master’s degree in supply chain, operations, or business preferredMinimum of 8 years of related work experience within category management, sourcing, or procurement consulting
