Global Category Manager

 

Global Category Manager (22604)

 

The EPO's Principal Directorate Procurement and Vendor Management plays an instrumental role in the day-to-day functioning of the organisation, influencing long-term financial sustainability by ensuring value-for-money spending on services and products. Effective procurement operations are critical to ensure compliance with relevant policies and regulatory requirements in view of the EPO's role as a leading European public service institution.

In Procurement and Vendor Management, we partner with our internal and external stakeholders via business-focused teams around three global categories: information and communication technology, facility management / real estate, professional services. We work in close partnership with colleagues across the organisation, combining expertise and continuous improvement to deliver high-quality outcomes.

In addition to supporting the strategic direction of the EPO, we also play a key role in a major transformation programme known as Finance 360 that aims to strengthen our role as a business partner for the entire organisation by optimising existing processes, technology and organisational matters. In that context, we are responsible for delivering a range of projects in the area of source-to-pay to support the overall goal of increasing effectiveness, efficiency and transparency.

You will help to deepen our team's category-management approach and to strengthen and further develop how we approach procurement. Your profound market knowledge and background will enhance our critical skills. Your sound contract-management skills and procurement-process knowledge will help us to provide the EPO with better value in the acquisition of goods and services.

In this role, you will contribute to delivering efficient, transparent and high-quality procurement solutions that support the EPO’s mission.

With us you will:

• work together with the business unit(s) in your assigned global category (facility management / real estate) to develop and implement a procurement plan aligned with the category management strategy
• help the business unit(s) to define their functional requirements
• advise on, execute and follow up on complex procurement dossiers focused on your assigned categories, in addition to providing support in other categories as needed
• negotiate the most advantageous commercial agreements for the EPO
• develop cost models to identify improvement opportunities with associated risk analysis
• assess and evaluate suppliers by implementing performance reviews to ensure contract
  compliance, and adopt a professional approach to supplier relationship management
• manage interaction with internal stakeholders in a timely and proactive manner
• deliver high-quality reports and documents on award decisions and compliance requirements
• manage KPIs, monitor the efficiency of procurement service levels and promote the use of standard e-procurement tools and processes
• act as a change agent for Procurement and Vendor Management's roadmap, and represent Procurement and Vendor Management at meetings with EPO governing bodies
• ensure and actively promote cross-team communication among purchasing and vendor management teams
• coach colleagues in your assigned global category and share subject-matter experience with them
• support Procurement and Vendor Management in process optimisation

Apply if you have:

• several years' experience as a global category manager / lead buyer or similar role
• knowledge of category management for facility management / real estate and the ability to use this knowledge in day-to-day business to optimise the performance of the category
• an understanding of supplier performance management (facility management / real estate market with respect to procurement activities and architectural considerations)
• an understanding of supplier management with respect to IT and/or professional services (or any other categories) would be an asset
• an understanding of the business requirements in the facility management / real estate category
• knowledge of compliance regulations in Munich, Berlin or The Hague and an understanding of processes and documents linked to tender procedures; the ability to execute