Category Lead

Closing Date:

This vacancy may close at any time, if this role is of interest to you we recommend you apply as soon as possible.

The Opportunity

Leonardo is a global leader in defence electronics and delivers mission critical systems for situational awareness, electronic warfare and surveillance across land, sea and air. Leonardo’s Electronics Division is an international leader in the development of innovative sensor products deployed across a wide range of airborne platforms for our Aerospace and Defence customers.
We have an excellent opportunity for a Category Manager to join the Category Management Organisation within the Procurement & Commercial Function of the Electronics Division. The successful candidate will report to the UK Category Procurement Manager.
WHAT YOU’LL GET Flexible working: We offer our employees the time and flexibility they need to enjoy a balanced life through flexible hours and part time options Custom working: The role may be a mixture of home based and onsite Flexible benefits: Our company-funded approach to flexible benefits allows employees to make choices appropriate for them. Each employee has access to a wide choice of lifestyle, health and wellbeing options best suited to their individual lifestyle goals. Network groups : To demonstrate our ongoing commitment to diversity & inclusion we have network groups foro Carers (employees who care for someone who is either older, disabled or seriously ill)o Enable (supporting people with disabilities)o Equalise (development of a gender balanced workforce)o Pride (promoting equality for all LGBTQ+ individuals)o We also work in partnership with AFBE (Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers). Training : Free access to Coursera which provides more than 4,000 online courses Continuous Learning : You will be supported in your ongoing professional development though training and mentoring Investors in People : We are proud recipients of the Investors in People Silver Award Employee Assistance Programme : Providing free and confidential mental health support Annual leave: We offer 25 days holiday, plus 8 bank holidays and 8 flexi days
To find out about all of our Company benefits please visit: https://uk.leonardocompany.com/en/people-careers/life-at-leonardo/company-benefits

What you will do

• Be responsible for developing the strategy for the category (or sub-categories) under your ownership which will have an impact on a number of different sites across the UK
• This may include managing a team of procurement professionals who will support you in delivering the relevant category strategy (or strategies)
• Be accountable for the timely execution of contracts within your category (or sub-categories) across the UK
• This includes all aspects of the sourcing phase including vendor shortlisting, competitive tender management, price and contract negotiations
• Represent your category team across a number of projects to ensure that both production and new product development requirements are satisfied
• Promote a culture of engaging with members of various functions and projects to identifying opportunities
• Be accountable for relationships with strategic suppliers who may serve multiple sites including responsibility for regular business reviews
• Support the UK Category Procurement Manager by defining, evolving and implementing the relevant category strategy within a dynamic team
• Represent Category Management by owning the relationship with specific LoB’s/sectors across the UK
• Work with the procurement capability team to ensure that we have a supply base which can meet the evolving needs of the business
• Identify cost savings opportunities using various methods which you can confidently present to senior business leaders
• Continual evaluation of the category strategy throughout the various product lifecycles, ensuring they are relevant and tangible across the relevant projects
• Oversee complex price analysis by members of the team and benchmarking activities prior to leading negotiations
• Ensure compliance with internal governance and customer flowdown requirements, supporting internal and external audits as required
• Ensure that SAP is aligned to reflect the agreements that your team will implement

This is a great opportunity to bring your talents and form an integral part of Leonardo’s future. We can help you develop your skills and offer great opportunities to develop and grow, so why not join us.
You must be eligible for full security clearance. For more information and guidance please visit : https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels

What we are looking for

• Extensive Procurement experience, preferably including category management
• Demonstrable working knowledge and understanding of Contract Terms & Conditions
• Experience in managing a team of professionals in a corporate environment
• A relevant business/ engineering degree and/or working experience in a similar role
• Significant experience in managing complex tenders
• Experience working in a highly regulated business environment
• Proficient level of MS Office based IT skills
• CIPS qualification preferred
• SAP user experience

We are relentless about inclusion. We understand an inclusive environment is one that welcomes everyone as they are. We see diversity as a strength. We still have some way to go to achieving diverse teams across our whole business. We would like you to be part of our journey to creating that better balance and welcome applications from all individuals from all walks of life as we build a stronger company together.

Life at Leonardo

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Our UK locations

We have offices around the UK, including Basildon, Bristol, Edinburgh, Lincoln, Luton, Southampton and Yeovil

Committed to Inclusion

We are committed to creating a working environment that is designed to provide everyone with the opportunity to succeed.