Indirect Procurement Category Manager

Description

Your new role

Hitachi Rails procurement is responsible for managing all third party supplier arrangements including sourcing and contracting, contract lifecycle management and commercial supplier management to deliver competitive advantage. To support with this we are hiring an experienced Indirect Procurement Category Manager.

As the Indirect Procurement Category Manager you will support the business by proactively understanding business requirements and providing innovative solutions from the supply market throughout the business lifecycle that reduce cost, improve service and quality and protect the business from risk.

This role manages 3rd party service suppliers and capital equipment procurement across the UK and includes the full range of category management from long term strategy development including supplier management to sourcing projects. Working in collaboration with other Hitachi colleagues, one of our aims is to ensure the sustainability and corporate social responsibility is at the forefront of our procurement activities as well as ensuring Hitachi Rail achieve value for money and manage risk.

Who we are

Hitachi Rail is a fully integrated, global provider of rail solutions across rolling stock, signalling, service & maintenance, digital technology and turnkey. With a presence in 38 countries across three continents and over 13,000 employees, our mission is to contribute to society through the continuous development of superior rail transport solutions. We are working to Inspire the Next – and this is your chance to be part of it.

At Hitachi Rail you will find a passionate and collaborative environment. We operate according to our values of Harmony, Sincerity and Pioneering Spirit. As such, we work closely as a team and empower our colleagues to take ownership and become creative in our pursuit of excellence. We take pride in the contribution we make to society and we always act with integrity and fairness towards our customers, suppliers and colleagues.

Why Hitachi Rail?

Here at Hitachi Rail we value the importance of all of our employees, if you would like to join our fantastic organisation you could be entitled to:

• Competitive salary
• Annual Performance bonus paid on discretionary basis.
• 25 days holiday
• Pension scheme with contributions up to 9%
• Private medical insurance
• Personal Accident insurance
• Group Income protection
• Group Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Programme

We also offer additional perks for you to choose from within a flexible plan that will meet your specific needs and lifestyle.

About you…

Essential criteria

• Has the Leadership behaviours & capabilities stated as most critical to this role.
• Previous experience working in a sourcing or buying role preferably in a Railway environment with specific experience in maintenance.
• Be an enthusiastic and quick learner with an aspiration to build a career in Procurement
• A self-starter able to identify and deliver improvements and enhanced value
• Able to work collaboratively with colleagues and independently as required
• Working knowledge of category management, sourcing, contract lifecycle management and supplier relationship management
• Working knowledge and practical experience of using eSourcing systems to run sourcing events
• Highly organised with ability to multi-task, prioritise and manage a high workload effectively and efficiently to produce quality deliverables within required timescales
• Able to work at a fast pace maintain a high attention to detail
• Possesses strong communication skills with the ability to influence at multiple levels
• Demonstrates personal and professional credibility and resilience remaining calm under pressure
• Excellent desktop computing skills and experience including Microsoft office applications

Qualifications

• Graduate calibre with Bachelor’s degree preferably in Business (or other related degree) or CIPS qualified or working towards CIPS qualification

Role responsibilities include…

• Develop category strategy for the managed portfolio
• Continuously monitor and analyze spend with suppliers within  the managed portfolio to identify opportunities to increase spend under contract, achieve savings and mitigate risk
• Review contract lifecycle analysis for suppliers within the managed portfolio  to plan contract expiry and renewal pipeline
• Manage, review and validate purchase requests and engage with requestor as required to confirm purchase needs
• Enforce compliance to use of existing contracted suppliers wherever contracted suppliers are able to meet the purchase need and provide value for money
• Constantly monitor the supply base to ensure purchase needs are met
• Maximise competitive sourcing opportunities wherever possible
• Collaborate with Category Managers in other lines of business to drive alignment
• Pre-qualify suppliers based on ability to meet or provide purchase needs and in accordance with supplier pre-qualification procedure
• Obtain stakeholder input to develop statement of works or requirements containing detailed requirements and supplier expectations
• Negotiate and agree best pricing and terms and conditions with selected suppliers using legal support as required
• Provide stakeholders and suppliers with education and advice of contract/purchase execution tasks with focus on requisitioning, ordering, receipting and payment ensuring role  and responsibilities clear
• Manage contract approval and signature processes in line with delegated authorities and standard operating procedures
• Work with Procurement Data Management team to ensure that supplier, contract and catalogue data is correctly set-up and maintained
• Report savings using established procurement savings methodologies
• Share best practice and experience with procurement colleagues to continuously improve sourcing delivery and consistency
• Create, develop and maintain RFx templates for use with all types of sourcing activity
• Maintain strong understanding and knowledge of legal toolkit for Procurement and any relevant legal and regulatory developments
• Proactively develop, build and maintain productive working relationships with key business partners and suppliers
• Communicates the value of the Procurement function to the business

If you like the sound of the above and feel energised by the idea of joining a great brand at a moment of exciting expansion, please apply now. We look forward to hearing from you!