Category Manager

At National Grid, every day we deliver safe and secure energy to homes, communities, and businesses. We are there when people need us the most. We connect people to the energy they need for the lives they live. The pace of change in society and our industry is accelerating, and our expertise and track record puts us in an unparalleled position to shape the sustainable future of our industry.

To be successful we must anticipate the needs of our customers, reducing the cost of energy delivery today and pioneering the flexible energy systems of tomorrow. This requires us to deliver on our promises and always look for new opportunities to grow, both ourselves and our business.

We are currently looking for highly motivated individuals who want to join a dynamic and fast-paced organization. If you are someone who's looking to bring innovation, contribute ideas and play a part in our growing procurement organization we want to hear from you!

The Category Manager is responsible for leading and supporting National Grid's procurement strategy development and driving & managing supply chain strategies that optimize cost and ensure quality & reliability of supply for our business units. They are key members of our Procurement leadership group within the New York/New England Procurement organization and deliver innovative & strategic thinking supported by detailed analytics, data science, market research, and subject matter expertise, in order to help our procurement teams and stakeholders make effective decisions to achieve their desired business outcomes.

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.

The New York/New England Procurement organization at National Grid is structured into four teams:

New England Electric Capital Programs
New York Electric Capital Programs
US Electric Categories
US Gas Categories & Capital Programs

The New York/New England Procurement organization is seeking Category Manager candidates for roles within 3 of those teams (New York Electric Capital Programs, US Electric Categories, US Gas Categories & Capital Programs). Applying for this job allows you to be considered for any of the Category Manager roles within those teams.

The following competencies are core to the Category Manager role:

Leadership
* Leading a team of Buyers (Category Leads, Senior Buyers, Buyers & Associate Buyers), developing talent and a performance management culture that drives value through employee engagement which successfully meets or exceeds all strategic objectives for the area.
* Support the Procurement Business Partner(s) to engage with the Business Unit, and where appropriate directly support the strategic relationship with them to ensure their procurement and supply chain needs are delivered in line with business requirements.

Category Management
* Category Management & Strategic Sourcing Subject Matter Expert and a desire and ability to coach and lead Procurement staff and stakeholders
* Support the development and delivery of a comprehensive suite of category strategies for the Business Unit providing market capability and capacity intelligence, ensuring that maximum value is realized from the significant procurement spend, while securing supply, managing supply chain risks, and achieving sustainability objectives.
* 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
* Guide and support development of category strategies representing requirements of our business plans and commitments made to regulators and customers
* Oversee strategic and complex sourcing activities utilizing various market approach tools; RFI, RFP, e-sourcing, reverse auction, consortiums, etc.
* Solicit and utilize varied and complex data sets to identify new opportunities to drive benefits through contract E2E lifecycle
* Evaluate and apply the concept of total cost of ownership (TCO) and supplier / contract switching costs to support decision making options
* Manage the forecast and delivery of category benefit targets in support of team and Procurement commitments and goals

Supplier Relationship Management
* Identify critical suppliers and create appropriate engagement plans to ensure our Supply Chain risk profile and inputs to continuous improvement are proactively managed
* Demonstrate a collaborative approach with supply base and develop integrated plans to drive appropriate value for business and customer requirements
* Build appropriate supplier performance measurements (KPIs) into contractual frameworks
* Hold suppliers to account for performance delivery using KPI data and strategic business reviews

Market and Supplier Development
* Understand criteria for alternative country sourcing, where appropriate, and associated risks and how its' supply chain can contribute to our business needs
* Contribute to business case development to support alternate country sourcing initiatives, where appropriate

Commercial Negotiation
* Understanding of Company and contract conditions; short and long-term Company desired position
* Understanding inputs to suppliers and supply chain positions, desired outcomes, and leverage points
* Expert in establishing structured negotiation plans and supports staff in development of market position and company needs; integrates most and least acceptable outcome positions
* Ability to craft and negotiate terms and performance criteria with legal and stakeholder input

Procurement Process Management and Improvement
* Identify innovative Procurement solutions that provide benefits and process efficiencies for the organization.
* 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

Systems and Analytics
* Demonstrate ability in working with multiple ERP systems: SAP, Ariba, etc.
* Understand how to analyze large data sets and extract information to implement strategic decision making

Qualifications

* Preferred seven years'+ experience in strategic sourcing, contract negotiations, supply chain management or vendor management
* Track record of driving strategic changes through category intelligence.
* Applicable expertise across a range of strategic sourcing activities.
* Ability to communicate dynamically as a manager of people and to senior leaders within National Grid and supplier organizations.
* Experience in managing high performing teams.
* Good understanding of broader business objectives and the implications of strategic planning and actions within the category.
* Expert influencing and negotiation skills to drive optimum value through the award of commercially sound contracts.
* Relationship management experience, driving commercial value and performance through contracts.

#LI-NK1 #LI-PROCUREMENT

At National Grid, we work a hybrid work schedule which generally means that some days you will work in the office and some days you will work remotely. This can vary and is at your manager's discretion. Applicants for these positions can be located in any of our service territories (New York and Massachusetts) or any state that borders New York and Massachusetts, and you must reside within a reasonable driving distance to your respective office