Overview of the role

The Category Head  leads all strategic aspects within the key Indirect Categories, IT, Logistics, Marketing, Human Capital, across divisions, on a global level and develops proposals for strategic business decisions.

The role builds up and leads a team of Category & Sourcing Managers, through design, implementation and execution of business aligned procurement strategies for , IT, Logistics, Marketing, Human Capital spend categories.

The Category Head is the primary procurement business partner for the Business Units ensuring budget-alignment, strategy and productivity achievement, including design and delivery of margin expansion initiatives across AFG. The purpose of the role is to develop and maintain all organizational structures and necessary internal alignments to ensure an effective procurement process and provide high value external solutions to the business supporting projects.

What you will do

Drive/Implement category strategic goals from overall Procurement strategy / Ecosystem management

• Deriving game-changing strategies by defining clear category objectives, working with analytical data, business stakeholders and market expertise. Aligning strategies to measurable target and clearly conveying them to the organization.
• Executing the AFG Business Strategy, with profound commercial & technical skills as well as solid procurement knowledge.
• Creating Procurement vision based on insights into procurement leading practices and experience in strategy development. Linking Procurement strategy to AFG overall strategy and conveying it clearly to the organization.
• Mapping the value chain, analyzing it and deriving potential scenarios. Includes the understanding and application of total cost of ownership, and should cost modelling.
• Compliance & risk management: supporting reports to determine appropriate compliance level. Monitoring end-to-end compliance (budget, payment, vendor PO, contract invoice, buying channel, etc.) and deriving corrective actions to improve compliance.
• Applying risk management processes including identifying and evaluating risks, and defining and executing a risk mitigation plan.
• Projecting the dynamics and impacts (e.g. mergers and acquisitions). Extracting, cleansing and consolidating information to fact-based insights for further usage e.g. in category strategies.
• Participating in and / or leading financial discussions. Applying financial knowledge to participate actively, e.g. in budgeting process, including tax aspects in sourcing strategies and structuring sophisticated deals with ecosystem partners.
• Support definition and implementation of Procurement tools and processes.
• Managing data analysis and reporting, e.g. analyzing spend, demand, supply markets and competitors. Extracting, cleansing and consolidating information to fact-based insights for further usage e.g. in category strategies.

Demand management 

• Responsible to ensure the right balance between business needs sensible budgetary spending.
• Accountable to work with stakeholders to identify the most cost-effective ways to deliver business objectives. 

Sourcing and supplier relationship management

• Executing the Source-to-Contract process including respective strategies, approaches and methods: preparing and conducting fact-based negotiations. Adapting tactics from a broad portfolio of negotiation strategies to achieve results that support business and Procurement objectives.

Manage relationships with senior stakeholders

• Analyzing specifications for optimization. Linking specification to customer value, challenging specification confidently. Conveying messages clearly and convincing stakeholders.
• Achieving results by proactively building long-term, sustainable and effective relationships, understanding the stakeholder landscape and demonstrating political astuteness across business structures and networks.

People management

• Creating an environment of coaching and on-going capability development, motivating individuals to perform at its best. Setting clear performance goals in collaboration with teams / individuals, monitoring outcome and holding them accountable.

Skills

Required skills to be successful

• Proficient in Excel, PowerPoint, and financial modelling tools
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills
• Successful project execution by providing all external solutions in time / at the required quality / within budget as verified by the business.
• Value Delivery – right-sized spending and projected savings in compliance with a meaningful guideline.
• Successful and measurable execution on efficiency programs
• Measurable and continuous process improvement & compliance assurance.
• Understanding the Procurement KPIs related to market insights, price and demand development as well as procurement's performance.

What equips you for the role

• University/Advanced degree needed.
• Master’s Degree/other advanced degree
• CIPS (or Equivalent) qualified.
• 10+ years of relevant business experience (industry specific experience).
• Preferably 10+ years of experience in Procurement or other related experience within the Automotive, Retail, Real Estate or other AFG group related industry, preferably in category management, supplier management, or related area, with a focus in with a focus in Indirect Categories