Category Buyer

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At Sage, we recognize that the world of work has rapidly shifted over the last few years, particularly how we work. That is why we have committed to working in a hybrid way going forward. Human connection is an essential ingredient of the 4 principles that make up our Flexible Human Work hybrid framework and we want to be transparent in what that looks like when you join our Sage family. On one hand, our offices will continue to play an important role in our future and serve as a place for spontaneous conversations, connection, collaboration as well as focused time. On the other hand, we have learned to reimagine where and when we work and to unlock that flexibility and innovation for our colleagues offering them the opportunity to work flex across their home, Sage offices or customer sites.
- We are recruiting for a Category Buyer to join the Sage Group Procurement team. This team is accountable for strategic sourcing advice for spend across IT & Product, Marketing and Corporate & Customer. Our purpose is to create value across a sustainable supply chain and our ambition is to be trusted and valued business partners.

The Global Category Buyer will deliver an outstanding procurement service to our business stakeholders. This involves supporting the delivery of category strategies by taking ownership of specific procurement projects, from initiating stakeholder and supplier contact to seeing projects through to contract signature. Your knowledge and experience of the end-to-end strategic sourcing process will be vital to achieving this, as you will be accountable for demonstrating the value that is being delivered by suppliers to Sage.
To be successful in this role you’ll need to be an effective communicator, analytical, curious and commercially aware. You will also ensure that savings targets are met, risks are understood and managed, and supplier performance meets or exceeds business needs.
Sage Group plc has pledged to achieve net zero emissions by 2040, and to halve its carbon emissions by 2030, as part of the Group’s ambitious new Sustainability and Society strategy. Through this strategy Sage aims to tackle societal and economic inequality, supporting a new generation of diverse and sustainable businesses as well as playing its part in the race to net zero carbon. The Global Category Buyer will support the embedding of Sage’s Sustainable Supply Chain Strategy as part of Sage’s overall net zero ambitions.
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**Key Responsibilities**
- Contribute to the development of category strategies by assessing and understanding internal requirements and supply markets to identify potential suppliers that can meet long term business needs.
- Complete opportunity assessments to identify incremental value add to the category strategies and sourcing activities.
- Supporting the deployment of the agreed sourcing approach, including developing and leading RFPs within assigned sub-categories.
- Complete supplier bid evaluations and analysis. Complete effective supplier evaluation and selection processes.
- Work with the Sage legal team to negotiate commercially robust contracts which protect Sage’s interests and create value.
- Implement appropriate supplier performance and relationship management to ensure improved and sustained supplier performance.
- Ensure contracts are awarded in accordance with all relevant procedures and policies including Procurement Lifecycle Policy, Delegation of Authority, Delegation of Signing Authority.
- Support the inclusion if relevant sustainability measures into category strategies.

Skills, Know-how and Experience
This is an exciting opportunity for someone to further their career in a fast paced and varied role. We’re looking for someone with experience working in a similar role, able to demonstrate knowledge of the end-to-end procurement process and a track record of delivering value to the business. You’ll be able to demonstrate the following:

- Good team player and also able to act autonomously once directed.
- Strong communication and influencing skills.
- Good knowledge and understanding across IT sub-categories.
- Ability to compute complex data and information effectively and present the outputs clearly.
- Commercially aware.
- Ability to operate effectively in a global organisation.
- Strong planning and organisational skills.
- Sound understanding of project management principles and capacity to manage project milestones, timelines, resources, and costs.
- Sound logical, analytical, and quantitative skills.
- You’ll ideally be Degree qualified or hold MCIPS qualification, but relevant practical experience is most important.

This role is based from our Head Office in Newca