Category Manager

Job Description:

Leonardo is a global leader in defence electronics and delivers mission critical systems for situational awareness, electronic warfare and surveillance across land, sea and air. Leonardo’s Electronics Division is an international leader in the development of innovative sensor products deployed across a wide range of airborne platforms for our Aerospace and Defence customers.

We have an excellent opportunity for a Category Manager to join the Category Management Organisation within the Procurement & Commercial Function of the Electronics Division. The successful candidate will report to the UK Senior Category Manager and be responsible for managing Leonardo UK's Technical and supply chain service categories, encompassing test solutions, engineering resource outsourcing and vendor-managed inventory.

• Be responsible for delivering all aspects of the strategy for the category (or categories) under your ownership which will have an impact on a number of different sites across the UK
• Manage a team of procurement professionals who will support you in delivering the relevant category strategy (or strategies)
• Be accountable for the timely execution of contracts within your category across the UK. This includes all aspects of the sourcing phase including vendor shortlisting, competitive tender management, price and contract negotiations
• Promote a culture of engaging with members of various functions and projects to identifying opportunities
• Be accountable for relationships with strategic suppliers who may serve multiple sites including responsibility for regular business reviews
• Support the Head of Direct Category Management by defining, evolving and implementing the relevant category strategy within a dynamic team
• Represent Category Management by owning the relationship with specific LoB’s/sectors across the UK and influencing stakeholders from various functions to ensure the success of the category management strategy
• Work with the procurement capability team to ensure that we have a supply base which can meet the evolving needs of the business
• Influence stakeholders from various functions to ensure the success of the category management strategy
• Oversee the delivery of cost savings using various methods which you can confidently present to senior business leaders
• Oversee complex price analysis by members of the team and benchmarking activities prior to leading negotiations
• Support the Head of Direct Category Management by developing the the Category Management framework
• Ensure compliance with internal governance and customer flowdown requirements, supporting internal and external audits as required
• Ensure that SAP is aligned to reflect the agreements that your team will implement

• Extensive Procurement experience, preferably including category management
• Demonstrable working knowledge and understanding of Contract Terms & Conditions
• Experience in managing a team of professionals in a corporate environment

• A relevant business/ engineering degree and/or working experience in a similar role
• Significant experience in managing complex tenders
• A thorough understanding of business processes and their contribution towards meeting business objectives
• Experience working in a highly regulated business environment
• Proficient level of MS Office based IT skills
• CIPS qualification preferred
• SAP user experience

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed…