Senior Category Manager, Services

Role Summary

The Senior Category Manager position is responsible for developing and implementing the regional supply base strategies for divisions in North America, ensuring that the strategy is specific, fact-based, comprehensive, consistent, well-communicated and delivers superior financial returns and a competitive advantage to the business. In addition, the Sr. Category Manager ensures that the strategy developed is dynamic and responsive to the market, customer, supplier, and company needs. This individual has primary responsibility for the supplier relationship and drives supplier selection, development, and overall supplier management. The Senior Category Manager works with the Corporate Functional Teams and Group Purchasing Leads to ensure a shared vision and alignment with overall business objectives.

This role will be involved, to varying degrees, with all aspects of the strategic sourcing process, including project planning, specifications development, supply market research and supplier engagement, evaluation, selection, and new supplier implementation. Leads strategic sourcing activities for assigned sub-categories of spend, capturing savings through purchasing volume, leveraging, and negotiating price, working capital, and TCO contracts with suppliers in support of company goals and objectives. 

The ideal candidate must be comfortable working independently and/or in a team environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Develops procurement and sourcing strategies for Magna divisions in Canada, US and Mexico in terms of quality, delivery, service, and total cost for certain Services categories; Services categories will include professional services, such as HR services, Marketing, Communication, Finance, Engineering, Travel services as well as Facilities, Maintenance and Technical Services. 
• Gathers, reviews and analyze business and industry data including details on spend and other key metrics to evaluate options and opportunities for the business
• Provides fact-based understanding of bottom-line benefit of all decisions and opportunities
• Develops expertise in assigned spend categories
• Develops cost and scenario analysis, cost breakdowns and benchmark, including evaluation of cost drivers to support negotiation strategies to reach best cost and optimal terms, while at the same time assessing and mitigating risks. 
• Leads cross-functional teams in design and execution of category sourcing strategies
• Initiates/leads/participates in annual cost reduction and other value improvement projects.
• Coordinates all supplier issues with applicable functional organizations.
• Performs financial analysis and business case justification for project opportunities to present to senior leadership.
• Establishes bid standards and prepares procurement documents to solicit bids and contracts for the purchase and procurement of services, conducts and manages the process for the evaluations of proposals, offers and bids.
• Leads, manages, and negotiates contracts and supply agreements in support of overall goals and objectives.
• Leads internal reviews of contracts with required functional areas such as Legal, Finance, etc.
• Establishes and manages key supplier performance goals and objectives; communicates periodic results to plan and manage top-level continuous improvement; develops keen awareness of industry performance benchmarks.
• Keeps abreast of professional developments and manufacturing techniques.
• Coordinates with divisions and new products buying functions to integrate common suppliers/technology.
• Maintains continuous in-depth knowledge of industry trends, market conditions, and developing techniques.
• Will initiate, recommend, or provide solutions through designated channels.
• Ensures compliance of internal controls as it relates to company policies and procedures
• Performs other related duties as assigned.
   

Key Qualifications/Requirements

Knowledge and Education

• MBA preferred, Bachelor’s Degree required, preferably in Purchasing, Supply Chain, Finance, Business, or Engineering.
• Business finance training is desired.
• Highly Capable in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and ability to support and lead data analytics
• Excellent communication, project management, and relationship building skills
• Strong organizational and presentation skills

Work Experience

• Minimum 5 years management experience in automotive, related manufacturing industry or a large multi-plant enterprise.
• 7+ years purchasing experience, including procurement expertise in indirect commodities and purchase and procurement of services.
• Proven success in achieving cost improvements through effective negotiations 
• Demonstrates ability to work effectively with different teams in different environments.
• Skills and Competencies
• Works on extremely complex problems where analysis of situations or data requires an evaluation of intangible variables.
• Analytical thinking and problem solving
• Ability to pull, analyze data to deliver logical conclusions and present data-driven opportunities and solutions using analytic tools and technologies
• Ability to develop and execute strategies
• Resourcefulness and ability to devise creative solutions to problems
• Understand industry and market trends, supplier base, and supplier economics for category
• Exercises independent judgment in developing methods, techniques, and evaluation criteria for obtaining results.
• Ability to effectively communicate and influence key stakeholders to support proposed strategies, process improvements and operational decisions
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple simultaneous projects with minimal direction
• Strong negotiations, persuasive, and effective decision-making skills. 
• Strong understanding of contract language  
• Proficient verbal and written communication skills and financial acumen to deliver results in a fast-paced environment 
• Competence in writing reports and making presentations to highlight the effect of cost analysis and changes proposed.
• High proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerBi, PowerPoint and Word.
• Hands on experience with spend analytics and IT software. 
• Experience with RFx strategy development and use of e-Sourcing tools.
• Interprets and complies with Company policies, procedures, and regulations.
   

Work Environment

• Normal amount of sitting or standing, average mobility to move around an office environment, able to conduct normal amount of work at a computer, may require travel. 

Additional Information

Accommodations for disabilities in relation to the job selection process are available upon request. 

Special Requirements:

• Candidates will be required to complete a Criminal Records Check and, if deemed necessary, a Credit Check as part of the candidate selection process. 

Awareness. Unity. Empowerment.

At Magna, we believe that a diverse workforce is critical to our success. That’s why we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We hire on the basis of experience and qualifications, and in consideration of job requirements, regardless of, in particular, color, ancestry, religion, gender, origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability or gender identity. Magna takes the privacy of your personal information seriously. We discourage you from sending applications via email to comply with GDPR requirements and your local Data Privacy Law.