Category Manager - IT Procurement

At Niagara, we’re looking for Team Members who want to be part of achieving our mission to provide our customers the highest quality most affordable bottled water.

Consider applying here, if you want to:   

• Work in an entrepreneurial and dynamic environment with a chance to make an impact.   
• Develop lasting relationships with great people.   
• Have the opportunity to build a satisfying career.

We offer competitive compensation and benefits packages for our Team Members.

Category Manager - IT Procurement

The Category Manager is responsible to lead category and operational management of their designated spend categories. In addition this role will also identify opportunities to reduce ‘Total Cost of Ownership’, provide supply continuity, and deliver on quality and service expectations and work with Procurement Director / Procurement Manager to lay down procurement category strategy for their categories.

Essential Functions

• Develop a comprehensive understanding of all category influencers and become the business- wide category subject matter expert from both a technical and commercial perspective.
• Assist in development of procurement strategies and plans for the category together with stakeholders that would reduce our Total Cost of Ownership and improve availability, quality, service and innovation.
• Anticipate, negotiate, and execute commercial opportunities on time within the assigned categories under the supervision of the Procurement Manager/Director.
• Develop, implement, and manage vendor performance metrics, documents, and reporting as part of a Supplier Relationship Management plan within specified category.
• Maintain a positive and professional relationship with all key suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Continuously optimize category through spend reduction and/or value enhancement.
• Conduct market and risk analysis to drive category strategies.
• Negotiate commercial agreements with suppliers. Manage the central repository for contracts, including activity planning and the timely execution of contracts.
• Own vendor qualification process within category by collaborating and developing positive relationships with internal/external stakeholders.
• Obtain data from varied sources to identify and support fact-driven opportunities. Ensure analysis is accurate, comprehensive, and robust.
• Own RFx processes from creation to completion to generate multiple viable bids.
• Collaborate across departments during SOW development and respective vendor auditing/vetting.  Attend off-site vendor tours/audits as needed.
• Collaborate with Accounts Payable and Project Management to ensure project budgets are met and invoices are paid on time.
• Please note this job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive list of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without prior notice.

Qualifications

• Minimum Qualifications:
  • 6 Years  – Experience in Procurement or other related field
  • 6 Years  – Experience in Position
  • 4 Years  – Experience Supervising Employees/ Process

                *experience may include a combination of work experience and education

• Preferred Qualifications:
  • 10+ Years– Experience in Procurement or other related field
  • 10+ Years – Experience working in Position          
  • 6 Years – Experience Supervising Employees/ Process

*experience may include a combination of work experience and education

Competencies

• Creative Thinking: able to think creatively, generating new ideas and approaches to situations.

• Strategic Thinking: able to grasp the big picture and think long-term.
• Recognition of Opportunity: recognizes new opportunities and acts to take advantage of them.
• Quantitative Analysis: skillful in using quantitative analysis to understand business issues. 
• Assertiveness: able to defend a point of view and to confront others appropriately when necessary; unafraid to take controversial positions and challenge the conventional wisdom or status quo.
• Comfort with Risk: takes risks when appropriate, isn’t afraid to innovate and experiment.
• Organizational Priority: able to make decisions that are in the best interest of the organization, even though they cause individual people distress.
• Decisiveness: able to make decisions even in ambiguous situations and without full information.
• Self-Motivation/Time Management: able to determine and prioritize tasks with minimal direction
• Negotiation Skill: skilled in negotiating tactics, effective in utilizing analysis and creative solutions to extract the greatest value for the company. 
• Software Skill: Advanced working knowledge in Microsoft Office (especially in Excel)
• Merit-orientation: judges ideas and people on merit alone, without bias or favoritism.
• Influence: can influence and persuade other people, even without direct authority.
• Political Skill: knows how to get things done within the political framework of an organization.
• Leadership: comfortable taking a leadership role.
• Oral Communication: a skillful public speaker, good at presenting ideas and plans in a persuasive manner.
• Written Communication: a good writer; expresses ideas and positions clearly.
• Cross Cultural: Able to interact effectively with people of different cultures and backgrounds.

This position embodies the values of Niagara’s LIFE competency model, focusing on the following key drivers of success:

• Lead Like an Owner
  • Manages a safe working environment, accurately documents safety related training, and effectively communicates safety incidents
  • Provides strategic input and oversight to departmental projects
  • Makes data driven decisions and develops sustainable solutions
  • Skilled in reducing costs and managing timelines while prioritizing long run impact over short term wins
  • Makes decisions by putting overall company success first before department/individual success
  • Leads/facilitates discussions to get positive outcomes for the customer
  • Makes strategic decisions which prioritize the needs of the customer over departmental/individual goals
• InnovACT
  • Continuously evaluates existing programs and processes, and develops new initiatives to increase efficiency and reduce waste
  • Creates, monitors, and responds to departmental performance metrics to drive continuous improvement
  • Communicates a clear vision, organizes resources effectively, and adjusts the strategy as needed when managing change
• Find a Way
  • Demonstrates ability to think analytically and synthesize complex information
  • Effectively delegates technical tasks to subordinates
  • Works effectively with departments, vendors, and customers to achieve organizational success
  • Identifies opportunities for collaboration in strategic ways
• Empowered to be Great
  • Makes hiring decisions primarily based on culture fit and attitude, and secondarily based on technical expertise
  • Engages in long term talent planning
  • Provides opportunities for the development of all direct reports
  • Understands, identifies, and addresses conflict within own team and between teams

Education

• Minimum Required: 
  • Bachelor's Degree in (Business Administration, Management, Mechanical/Industrial Engineering) or other related field

• Preferred: 
  • Master's Degree in (Business Administration)  or other related field

Certification/License:

• Required:            N/A
• Preferred:           N/A

Foreign Language

• Required:            None Required
• Preferred:           None Required

Typical Compensation Range

Pay Rate Type: Salary

$117,858.39 - $167,948.22 / Yearly

Bonus Target: 10% Annual

Benefits

https://careers.niagarawater.com/us/en/benefits

* *Los Angeles County applicants only** Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the California Fair Chance Act, and any other applicable local and state laws.

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Employment agencies that have fee agreements with Niagara Bottling, LLC and have been engaged on a search shall submit résumé to the designated Niagara Bottling, LLC recruiter or, upon authorization, submit résumé into this career site to be eligible for placement fees.