Category Manager – Packaging – Southern Home Counties – Up to £40k pa depending on experience

Role

Based on‑site, this role will assume responsibility for all label procurement activity on behalf of the client, comprising approximately £10 million of spend in an area of strategic focus and growth. The Label & Laminate Category Lead will focus on delivering procurement objectives for 2014 and beyond, including, but not limited to:

• Developing and implementing a category specific strategy for packaging procurement for external clients to exceed client contract commercials;
• Ensuring our internal customers achieve European Strategic Sourcing contribution targets;
• Building a best‑in‑class packaging supply‑chain in the label and laminates categories;
• Developing and presenting category strategy in line with client business opportunities.

Key responsibilities

• Build packaging category specific best‑in‑class, cost‑competitive supply chain within client scope
• Meet / exceed specific packaging category budgets
• Deliver commercial solutions to enable internal customers to exceed client contract commercials
• Exceed procurement contribution targets through outstanding procurement process and drive for results
• Track and measure all savings delivered and contribution generated on a weekly basis
• Deploy best‑practice procurement techniques to ensure our client has a best‑in‑class, cost‑effective supply chain
• Drive efficiency improvements in managing supplier relationships, including best practice contract management and finance management
• Effectively resolve contract and payment issues/disputes and pro‑actively identify and eliminate future issues
• Pro‑actively monitor supplier performance to ensure internal customers are receiving best service in accordance with contract SLAs and KPIs
• Maintain industry and subject matter expertise on relevant packaging category sourcing
• Report on packaging category trends and best practices driving best‑in‑class purchasing practices
• Ensure full compliance with purchasing policies, procedures and standards, ethical practices, and adherence to relevant laws and regulations with category
• Work with all other departments and the wider group to maximise best practice and service delivery to internal and external clients
• Develop close working relationships with account teams
• Support Account Director and senior management in new business presentations and client engagement
• Project professionalism and expertise to current and prospective clients, reinforcing clients’ trust
• Develop a strategy for categories in this area to support account teams and other internal customers in exceeding client expectations
• Work strategically and tactically with Account Director and senior management with a view to supporting business initiatives and encouraging cross‑selling of categories in this area
• Track and measure all savings delivered and contribution generated on a weekly basis and communicate to internal customers
• Monitor performances of agreements after implementation, against defined criteria, and pro‑actively take action to ensure all parties to such agreements meet or exceed performance expectations

Person Specification

• Outstanding experience in the packaging/print sector
• Proven track record of managing a packaging portfolio
• Significant experience of category/print management or procurement, with a proven track record of value creation by either cost reduction or achieving contribution targets
• Previous experience of procuring relevant category of goods and services highly advantageous
• CIPS qualification preferred
• Proven track record of supporting internal and external customers
• Strong ability to communicate effectively with customers: listening, influencing & presenting
• Significant experience of making presentations to clients in support of business development
• Significant experience of procurement best practice and procurement techniques
• Experienced in the successful use of e‑procurement tools
• Proven track record in data management – strong Excel skills
• Strong negotiating skills (both commercial and legal)
• Experienced at managing change
• Outstanding team player

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