Manager, Category Management

About us

National Grid lies at the heart of a transforming energy system, spanning the US and the UK. Our businesses supply gas and electricity, safely, reliably and efficiently to millions of customers and communities. But we also drive change through engineering innovation and by incubating new ideas with the power to revolutionize our industry.

 
As the world changes to embrace cleaner energy and businesses shift to operate in a more responsible way, we are leading that charge. We are focused on finding ways to decarbonize the energy system; from investing in renewable energy generation in the US, to building interconnectors to allow the UK to share clean energy with our neighbors in Europe.

 
At National Grid, we don’t just ask our people to deliver to the highest standards. We also support them to be the best they can be. We welcome and encourage applicants with diverse experiences and backgrounds. National Grid’s ambition is to drive, develop and operate our business in a way that results in a more inclusive culture. We are committed to building a workforce which represents the communities we serve and a working environment in which each individual feels respected, fairly treated, valued and able to reach their full potential.
 

National Grid is about to begin an ambitious capital projects and construction program designed to build the infrastructure to enable our renewable electric future. Projects include upgrades to transmission lines, substations and distribution network infrastructure that will support renewable energy and reliability initiatives and other programs.

Within National Grid’s US Procurement team, we are looking to expand our capacity and enhance our capabilities to contract for the materials and services required by this $30B program.
We are currently looking for highly motivated individuals with critical thinking skills who want to join a dynamic and fast paced organization going through a major transformation. If you are someone who’s looking to bring innovation, contribute ideas and play a part in renewing the global procurement organization we want to hear from you!

We are looking for people with skills & experience in the following areas:
•    Engineering & construction program management
•    Analytics & forecasting
•    Communication and change management
•    Strategic category management
•    Process optimization
•    Complex contract drafting and negotiation

We are looking for leaders and persuaders, for people comfortable with ambiguity, for people with the ability to analyze data and extract insights. STEM backgrounds & utility experience are a plus.

We will be hiring across a broad range of experience levels. National Grid has a hybrid working model.

Job Purpose

Category Managers at National Grid have end to end responsibility for multiple spend categories, leading teams of between 4 and 12 buyers and sourcing specialists to procure and source materials and services.

The Category Manager is responsible for leading and supporting National Grid’s category strategy and sourcing activities within the US Procurement organization. 

They are key members of our management teams, and deliver innovative thinking supported by detailed analytics, data science, market research, and subject matter expertise, to help our category teams and stakeholders make effective sourcing decisions.
 
The role will lead a highly motivated, innovative, and value-focused team, developing talent and a performance management culture that drives value through employee engagement which successfully meets or exceeds all established strategic objectives.
 

US Procurement at National Grid is structured into five category teams: Electric, Gas, Corporate Indirects, Construction & Transformation. US Procurement is currently staffing for Category Manager Roles within the Electric, Gas, Construction, and Transformation teams.
 

Key Accountabilities

The following competencies are core to the Category Manager role:

Category Management

•    Category Strategies - Engage with Stakeholders and staff to establish clear business needs and regulatory requirements; apply forward thinking skills to set near and long term E2E category strategies and a roadmap to continuous improvements and benefits
•    Advanced Category Strategies - Guide and support development of category strategies representing requirements of our business plans and commitments made to regulators and customers 
•    Subject Matter Expert - Category Management & Strategic Sourcing Subject Matter Expert and a desire and ability to coach and lead Procurement staff and stakeholders 
•    Total Cost of Ownership - Evaluate and apply the concept of total cost of ownership (TCO) and supplier / contract switching costs to support decision making options 
•    Analytics - Solicit and utilize varied and complex data sets to identify new opportunities to drive benefits through contracts E2E lifecycle 
•    Manage the forecast and delivery of category savings targets in support of team and Procurement commitments and goals

Procurement

•    Innovative Solutions – · Identify solutions that provide cashable savings and process efficiencies for the organization
•    Sourcing - Oversee strategic and complex sourcing activities utilizing various market approach tools; RFX, e-sourcing, reverse auction or consortiums 
•    Process Management and Improvement - Track record of driving value in areas of value engineering, usage of lean techniques to identify and eliminate waste and identify income opportunities in the extended supply chain 
•    Savings Tracking - Manage the forecast and delivery of category savings targets in support of team and Procurement commitments and goals 

Strategic Sourcing Process

•    Market Research - Conducts industry analysis and evaluates supplier performance

Commercial Negotiation

•    Create Contracts - Understanding of Company and contract conditions, short and long-term Company desired position. 
•    Negotiation Strategies - Expert in establishing structured negotiation plans and supports staff in development of market position and company needs; integrates most and least acceptable outcome positions 
•    Strategy Support - Provide support to team members in development of negotiation strategies
•    Understanding Counterparty - Understands inputs to suppliers and supply chain positions, desired outcomes, and leverage points 
•    KPI Development - Ability to craft and negotiate terms and performance criteria with legal and stakeholder input 

Supplier Relationship Management

•    Foundation Criteria - Identifies critical suppliers and creates appropriate engagement plans to ensure our Supply Chain risk profile and inputs to continuous improvement are proactively managed 
•    Demonstrates a collaborative approach with supply base and develops integrated plans to drive appropriate value for business and customer requirements
•    Drive Value - Holds suppliers to account for performance delivery using KPI data and strategic business reviews 

System & Analytics

•    ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning Demonstrates ability in working with multiple ERP systems: SAP, Ariba, Tableau 
•    Large Data Sets - Understands how to analyze large data sets and extract information to implement strategic decision making 

Market and Supplier Development

•    Understanding of criteria for alternative country sourcing, associated risks and how its’ supply chain can contribute to our business needs 
•    Contribute to business case development to support alternate country sourcing initiatives People
•    Leadership - Lead and manage category teams
•    Recruiting - Collaborating with Talent Management and senior leadership team, lead all recruiting efforts for category team
•    Training - Collaborating with L&D and senior leadership team, manage training and upskilling process for category team; create development plans for junior staff and provide mentorship
 

Qualifications

•    Bachelor’s degree (B.A or B.S) required; in supply chain, finance or business management, or STEM preferred. MBA, MS a plus.
•    Experience in strategic sourcing, contract negotiations and vendor management a plus, as is a strong working knowledge of ERP systems.
•    Successful completion of professional negotiation coursework preferred
•    An equivalent combination of education and extensive subject matter expertise along with procurement process experience may be accepted as a satisfactory substitute for the specific education requirements listed above.
•    The candidate must have strong interpersonal skills, specifically in communications across a multi-national and matrixed organization. Additionally, the candidate should be proficient in planning, project management, stakeholder engagement, and business analysis.
 

More Information

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