Strategic Category Manager for Human Resources

5 days ago


London, Greater London, United Kingdom DS Smith Full time

Are you an experienced procurement professional looking to drive value and cost reduction across HR Services? We have an exciting opportunity for a Strategic Category Manager to join our Indirects Category Team at DS Smith.

About the Role

We are seeking a highly skilled Global Procurement Specialist to lead our HR Services category, developing and implementing innovative strategies to deliver a competitively advantaged supply base. With a strong understanding of market dynamics and cost drivers, you will partner with stakeholders to ensure the function sources quality products and supplier services while maintaining and building strong relationships with strategic suppliers.

The successful candidate will create value by building and implementing category strategies that deliver short, medium, and long-term initiatives. You will leverage external best practices, utilise tools like Porters Five Forces and Kraljic, and develop deep understanding of supplier capabilities, industry, and roadmaps for key products and/or services.

As a Strategic Category Manager, you will be responsible for delivering supplier strategies that actively anticipate and reduce supplier risk, ensuring appropriate Supplier contracting strategies are in place, and embedding relevant supplier KPIs into project contracts. You will also work with Shared Services, Regional Procurement teams, and business stakeholders to communicate preferred supplier arrangements.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Develop and implement 1-3 year category strategies, supported by execution roadmaps
  • Leverage external best practices to mature the HR Services category
  • Utilise tools like Porters Five Forces and Kraljic to gain a strong understanding of market dynamics and cost drivers
  • Partner with stakeholders to ensure the function sources quality products and supplier services
  • Delve into supplier capabilities, industry, and roadmaps for key products and/or services

About You

  • A strong knowledge and demonstrated experience of procurement roles in HR Services
  • Experience of leading transformational change in procurement and in a matrix environment
  • Ability to deliver to agreed savings and value targets
  • CIPS or EU equivalent desirable
  • Microsoft-Office suite
  • Negotiator capable of delivering great outcomes when leading high value and complex deals

Salary Estimate: £80,000 - £100,000 per annum, depending on experience

About Us

DS Smith is a leading provider of sustainable packaging solutions, paper products, and recycling services in over 30 countries. We're committed to investing in our future across strategic growth enablers within Innovation, Sustainability, and Digital & Data.



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