Global Category Manager, Network Operations Support

**Company**:
The Vodafone Procurement Company (VPC) in Luxembourg is part of the Vodafone Group and drives our aspiration to connect for a better future. We purchase products and services from across the globe to help run our business at its very best. We support our people to deliver on our strategy and be a brand loved by our customers, communities, co-partners, and colleagues. We give and take ownership to make the most of our many talents and we are always learning to grow ourselves and our business. **We get it done, together.**

**What you’ll do**:
As Category Manager for Network Operations Support Services, you will be mainly responsible for the successful implementation of the Logistics and Spare Parts Management category strategy and for the successful management & delivery of relevant Logistics, Spare Parts Management projects in various OpCo’s & Partner Markets. You will manage the negotiation of relevant projects and contract renewals/amendments and establish yourself as a recognized VPC domain expert interacting with local teams & stakeholders. In this role you will deliver the optimal cost of ownership, savings, and VPC order intake targets whilst securing the delivery of projects following strategy and delivering innovative commercial models, contributing to the category supplier roadmap, and ensuring that longer-term sourcing recommendations are considered during category development.

**You will**:
**Impact on the Business**
- Manage the delivery of global category strategy, Order Intake, and saving targets and manage global relationships with key category suppliers
- Input to reporting against targets as defined by overall SCM goals and objectives. Manage cost modeling of various scenarios and aggregation of demand to leverage Vodafone’s global scale and scope.
- Responsible for ensuring the budget holder's requirements are defined and reflected in the Category Strategy.

**Budget holders, Suppliers, and Third Parties**
- Manage RFQ, Negotiation, and conclusion of contracts with suppliers over major deals working with Legal and internal stakeholders to ensure business requirements are met
- Be accountable for managing relationships with and monitoring the performance of key suppliers and identify and evaluate potential future global suppliers. Create and maintain a supplier database for the category.

**Leadership and Teamwork**
- Cooperate with the local market function and Shared Service Centres.
- Develop a strong customer-focus approach extending it to the whole team.

**Innovation and Change**
- Responsible for developing and delivering the evolution of innovative commercial models.
- Able to work & produce innovative solutions for third-party customers.
- Contributes to best practice and provides input into SCM best practice forum.
- Investigate and drive performance improvements on specific opportunities identified within the category with the support of SPM as required
- Work with suppliers to identify innovation opportunities for the benefit of the category and Vodafone

**Communication**
- Has a clear stakeholder engagement approach supported when necessary, with a clear communication plan
- Ensure project team(s) are provided with a clear definition of roles and responsibilities.
- Effective influencing of internal stakeholders and external suppliers

**Who you are**:

- ** Procurement Experience**:Solid procurement experience. Experience working within procurement either at the global or local level, technical knowledge of networks & services, and the ability to recommend/drive category transformation. Knowledge of Logistics would be an asset.
- ** Negotiation Skills**: Strong commercial and negotiation skills concerning multi-year agreements.
- ** Results-oriented**:Track record of delivering against challenging targets.
- ** Virtual Environment**:Track record of successful teamwork with virtual teams in cross-cultural environments. Management and teamwork, key focus on the collaboration of virtual teams
- ** Communication Skills**:Well-developed written and verbal communication and executive presentation skills. Effective engagement with key stakeholders and ability to communicate and present at the senior management level
- ** Reasoning Skills**: Proven data analysis capabilities
- ** Customer-focused**: Customer obsessed, innovative, and embody behaviors of Speed, Simplicity, and Trust.
- ** Education & Experience**: A higher degree (technical background would be valuable) or proven experience in the field.

**Not a perfect fit?**:
**What's in it for you**:
We want you to feel happy and fulfilled at work, without compromising the other things in life that matter to you. There are lots of ways we support this, including:

- Discretionary Yearly Bonus
- 28 Days of Annual Leave (with the option to buy 5 days and the opportunity to carry over 5 days per year)
- 1 Additional Day
- 11 Public Holidays
- 5 Charity Days per Year
- Flexible Working Schedule
- 20 Days to Work fr