Global Utilities Category Manager Location: Poland or Czech Republic (100% home office) Ref.  PL23- R303 – S01

Our Client is a global leader in hybrid working.

The role:

This is a critical and senior role to enable our Client to meet its strategic objectives of sustainably growing their network and improving our profit margin. This position leads the company in the category management of centre utilities for 3,500+ locations globally (estimated spend of £70M) across 120+ countries.

The successful applicant will own the end to end process for supplying our centres with utilities. This includes but is not limited to identifying the right suppliers, securing the best market rates to manage the cost base, whilst meeting the sustainability requirements of the group. She or He will continually review and optimizing our contracts, as well as driving cost reduction initiatives through technology in our centres. She or He will establish clear reporting on centre level consumption, covering both direct and indirect supply routes. Where needed this role is engaged in utilities supplier escalations, ensuring suppliers meet negotiated SLA’s associated with service, delivery or billing issues and in supplier management. This is a key role, accountable for managing relationships with the internal stakeholders, our external partners, and their supplier network to ensure we work collaboratively to improve our commercial performance and deliver against strategic objectives.

Our Client has ambitious plans to reach Net Zero carbon emissions before 2040 and this role will be instrumental in supporting this goal. In particular they are targeting fully renewable electricity by 2030 and are committed to the RE100 guidelines.

Reporting line:  Category Director (UK)

Scope: Global – 120 countries

Team: 0 direct reports

KPI’s: cost reduction, ESG

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement effective category management strategies that drive cost savings and efficiency and create additional value for clients through innovative service and product delivery.
• Ensure costs are recovered through various avenues, such as customer payments, center recharges, rebates, or other creative cost recovery methods.
• Track and report on planned and validate achieved savings targets, as well as consumption data.
• Establish and cultivate robust relationships with key suppliers, fostering mutual benefits, enhancing quality and reliability, and driving innovation in supply chain processes and vendor partnerships.
• Lead the vendor selection process, including the execution of RFPs, RFQs, and other sourcing activities.
• Negotiate contracts to secure optimal terms and conditions, ensuring this process also prioritises value creation for clients and profitable cost recovery for the Category.
• Conduct regular vendor performance measurements and management, emphasising continual improvement and innovation
• Approve large/technical/one-off expenditures.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to understand their needs and align strategies accordingly while maintaining a client-focused approach that drives value and innovation.
• Manage risks within the Category (including compliance with legislation) and develop contingency plans to mitigate them while identifying opportunities to leverage them to drive innovation and add value.
• Stay updated on market trends and conditions that impact the Category, including pricing, supply/demand dynamics, and innovation opportunities, to ensure the Category’s offerings remain competitive, valuable, and aligned with client’s needs and expectations.

Qualifications: 

• University degree
• Minimum 10 years’ experience in the utilities industry in a supply chain management, procurement, or a related field within international environment
• Regional/ global experience
• Ability to  demonstrate experience in category management and overseeing strategic decision-making processes
• Market Awareness: Understands market trends, pricing dynamics, supply/demand dynamics, and innovation opportunities. The Category Owner should have a track record of leveraging this knowledge to ensure the Category's offerings remain competitive and valuable.
• Strategic Planning and Execution: Developing and implementing effective strategies. The Category Owner should have a proven track record of creating strategies that drive cost savings, efficiency, and added value through innovative product and service delivery.
• Commercial Acumen: A strong understanding of commercial strategies to recover costs is crucial. This includes experience with customer payments, centre recharges, rebates, and other innovative cost recovery methods to ensure profitability.
• Supplier Relationship Management: Cultivating robust relationships with key suppliers and fostering innovation in supply chain processes and vendor partnerships.

• Procurement and Contract Negotiation: Demonstrated experience in procurement processes, including executing RFPs, RFQs, and other sourcing activities. The ability to negotiate contracts with suppliers to secure optimal terms and conditions.
• Vendor Performance Management: Proven experience in vendor performance measurement and management. The Category Owner should understand how to drive continual improvement and innovation in supplier performance while enhancing client satisfaction.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborating with various stakeholders to align strategies while maintaining a client-focused approach.
• Risk Management: Managing risks within their respective categories.
• Strong organisation, time and project management skills.
• An independent problem solver, capable of understanding concerns, identifying solutions and executing action plans.
• A self-starter, takes accountability for your work, and the work of your team to ensure objectives are achieved.
• Microsoft Suite Competency: Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
• Desirable: experience working with Building Management Systems
• English at C1 level, Polish or Czech native
• Our Client  is looking for a candidates with can do attitude, entrepreneurial spirit, able to make quick decisions and communicate in a precise way.

Why to apply?: 

A brand new role in a very fast-paced and rapidly growing business. Great opportunity for an experienced utilities procurement expert to develop the global category strategy and to have a real impact on obtaining net zero targets.

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If you wish to apply, than send us your CV in English to: agnieszkapiatkowska@e-bigfish.com

Please introduce in your CV the following clause:

"I hereby agree to the processing of personal data included in my application for the needs necessary to carry out the recruitment process carried out by Big Fish Polska Sp. z o.o in accordance with art. 6 par. 1 lit. a Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation). I also consent to processing of my personal data for the purposes of any future recruitment processes.