Category Manager - Hard Services

Job Reference: /EE/30-01/1058/9

Job Title: Category Manager - Hard Services

Location: Ipswich

Salary: Competitive

Hours per week: Monday to Friday - 37.5 hours per week

Business Overview

Atalian Servest and OCS have merged to create a new organisation, the OCS Group UK & Ireland. We are a leading facilities management company providing a range of both standalone and integrated services including cleaning, catering, security, technical services, energy management and compliance, front of house, landscaping, logistics, waste management and pest control services. The company has a turnover of £1.5bn and operates across the UK and Ireland with 50,000 colleagues delivering innovative award-winning services to the private and public sectors and supporting the local communities in which it operates.

Role Overview

We are currently recruiting for a Category Manager - Hard Services to join our passionate and driven team

Reporting to the Head of Hard FM Procurement, the Category Manager role has primary responsibility for Hire & Equipment, and sub-contracted labour Categories. The Category Manager will fully own the Category strategies and supply chain, developing and owning the relationships. In addition to category ownership, you will support a regional director on accounts to reduce the supply chain cost basis for those priority high value client accounts. They will attend periodic client facing calls, create and manage client report outputs, capture savings, cost variances & track cost avoidance, have full ownership of the supplier relationship for that project. They will work closely with the wider Category Management team and key operational stakeholders. The Category Manager will be expected to support the teams with inputs on data and ideas to help create and execute a project plan that to maximise value.

Key Responsibilities:

Functional

• Create and execute a category management plan for Hard Services to reduce total cost, improve quality of supply and mitigate risk within the supply chain
• Regular supplier engagement and management; building strategic, value adding relationships and driving performance through data driven management and relationship building
• Managing and running end-to-end sourcing activities and supporting the Head of Procurement in high risk/value opportunities
• Identifying, evaluating, negotiating and contracting with new suppliers
• Regular benchmarking of current inputs, services and suppliers to ensure our supply chain is delivering maximum value and innovation
• Lead initiatives including rationalisation to increase spend compliance and concentration with preferred suppliers, delivering improved efficiencies and driving category maturity
• Support the development of a preferred supply chain and fixed cost agreements
• Build a plan to exit tail end suppliers and drive spend through strategic sources
• Own strategic supplier relationships holding regular business reviews whilst developing performance data to report back to the business
• Take ownership of suppliers and sub-contractors to support operations
• Support regional directors with customer relations to enhance our service offering
• Able to demonstrate technical procurement knowledge in managing a core category set of Hire & Equipmet, Sub-contracted labour across facilities management service contracts

General

• Avoid conflict of interests between personal interests and the interests of the UK & Ireland group.
• Exercise independent judgment, reasonable care, skill and diligence when carrying out their duties.
• Act in good faith and promote the long-term success of each company within the UK & Ireland group for the benefit of all members and wider stakeholders.
• Adhere to and promote the UK & Ireland group’s policies on equality & diversity, information security, health and safety and data protection in the performance of their duties and the management of the departmental functions reporting into them.
• Support and promote the UK & Ireland group’s sustainability plans and policies, including the Carbon Management Plan, and carry out duties in a resource effective way, recognizing the shared responsibility of minimizing negative environmental impacts wherever possible.

About You:

• Applicants must have the right to work in the UK

Necessary

• Previous Hard FM experience.
• Project procurement experience.
• Tendering experience.
• Used to working with and negotiating Rebate agreements.
• Category experience or worked with Category Manager teams & strategy prior.
• Results driven with a flair for negotiation.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Data focused with a proven track record for generating ideas for cost reduction.
• Demonstrable knowledge of owning supplier management and performance measurement.
• A strong team player with the ability to work in a cross-functional team.
• Ability to build sustainable and productive relationships with suppliers.
• Uses data and market research to make recommendations for improvement.

Core Expectations

• Experienced procurement professional with project procurement & mobilisation experience.
• Able to manipulate and analyse data to report back and support the needs of the wider category management team.

• Procurement, Vendor / Supplier Management or similar Commercial Role
• Fast paced, customer service-based organisations, ideally in the FM sector
• Excellent communication skills and influencing skills
• Personal resilience and self-belief
• Accuracy and precision in budgeting and reporting
• Self-Starter with the ability to work with minimal direction and supervision
• High operating standards and levels of expectation
• Forensic eye for detail
• Problem solving and ownership of issues
• Team player, with an interest in providing active feedback in order to develop the team (for the greater good)