The Company lies at the heart of a transforming energy system, spanning the US and the UK. Our businesses supply gas and electricity, safely, reliably and efficiently to millions of customers and communities. But we also drive change through engineering innovation and by incubating new ideas with the power to revolutionize our industry.
As the world changes to embrace cleaner energy and businesses shift to operate in a more responsible way, we are leading that charge. We are focused on finding ways to decarbonize the energy system; from investing in renewable energy generation in the US, to building interconnectors to allow the UK to share clean energy with our neighbors in Europe.
At the Company, we don't just ask our people to deliver to the highest standards. We also support them to be the best they can be. We welcome and encourage applicants with diverse experiences and backgrounds. ***'s ambition is to drive, develop and operate our business in a way that results in a more inclusive culture. We are committed to building a workforce which represents the communities we serve and a working environment in which each individual feels respected, fairly treated, valued and able to reach their full potential.
Job Purpose
The Lead Category Specialist is responsible for leading and supporting the Company's sourcing activities within the US Procurement organization. The leads are key members of our category management teams, and deliver innovative thinking supported by detailed analytics, data science, market research, and subject matter expertise, to help our category teams and stakeholders make effective sourcing decisions.
US Procurement at the Company is structured into four category teams: Electric, Gas, Corporate Indirects and Construction. This position is within our Gas Pipeline Services team which oversees the various materials & equipment needed for the maintenance and construction of our electric infrastructure.
Key Accountabilities
Category Management
Category Management and Strategic Sourcing subject matter expert with a desire and ability to lead procurement staff and stakeholders
Engage with Stakeholders to establish clear business needs, apply forward thinking skills to set near and long term E2E category strategies Execute strategic and complex sourcing activities utilizing various market approach tools; RFX, e-sourcing and reverse auction
Utilize varied and complex data sets to identify new opportunities to drive benefits through the contracts E2E lifecycle
Evaluate and apply the concept of total cost of ownership (TCO) and supplier and contract switching costs to support decision making options
Commercial Negotiation
Have a solid understanding of and ability to apply commercial and legal concepts to successful negotiation and contract development.
Establish structured negotiation strategies with clarity of desired outcomes, leveraging stakeholder input and support where appropriate
Provide support to team members in development of negotiation strategies
Supplier Relationship Management
Identify critical suppliers and create appropriate engagement plans to ensure our Supply Chain risk profile
Demonstrate a collaborative approach with supply base and develops integrated plans to drive appropriate value for business and customer requirements
Build appropriate supplier performance measurements (KPIs) into contractual frameworks
Systems and Analytics
Ability to adapt to different ERP systems such as SAP, Power BI, Ariba, Spend Analytics
Understands how to analyze large data sets and extract information for strategic decision making
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree required; supply chain, finance, business, operations, construction, project management or engineering preferred.
Advanced coursework and or professional certifications preferred (e.g. MBA, CPM, PMP mCIPS).
Preferred 7+ years'+ experience in strategic sourcing, contract negotiations and vendor management.
EPC experience desirable
Minimum three years in project or construction management
Ability to effectively time-manage competing priorities, lead and manage cross-functional teams and effectively delegate as appropriate
Strong interpersonal skills, specifically working cross-functionally to support critical business objectives at all levels of the company.
Ability and willingness to mentor and knowledge-share in areas of expertise and/or with more junior members of the team.
An equivalent combination of education and extensive subject matter expertise along with procurement experience may be accepted as a satisfactory substitute for the specific education requirements listed above.
Additional Notes:
Ideal candidate has end to end experience in Construction - transformers, substations, etc.
Project Management experience - leading/managing projects.
Strong collaboration and communications skills
Stakeholder management
Projects are ranging from 80 million to 2.1 billion
Stakeholders are located in upstate NY. Candidate will be expected to travel to location 1 a month, likely for a few days
Open to candidates located in Waltham, Syracuse or Brooklyn
Team is primary located near Waltham. They do like to meet in person at least once a quarter. •
Last updated on Sep 15, 2023