Category Manager, Technology EMEA recruitment

Job ID: 21501

Position Description:
SunGard is one of the world's leading software and technology services companies. SunGard has more than 20,000 employees and serves over 25,000 customers in more than 70 countries. SunGard provides software and processing solutions for financial services, education and the public sector. SunGard also provides disaster recovery services, managed IT services, information availability consulting services and business continuity management software. With annual revenue of about $5 billion, SunGard is ranked 434 on the Fortune 500 and is the largest privately held business software and IT services company. Look for us wherever the mission is critical.
The Category Manager responsible for the Technology Category in EMEA will report into the Director EMEA Procurement in Canary Wharf, London. At this level the incumbent will perform assignments requiring a broad knowledge and understanding of Technology, including but not limited to Laptops, Desktops, Small Scale servers to Mainframe servers, Software (including SaaS, support and maintenance contracting mechanisms), Hardware Equipment Maintenance and Storage and Networking technologies across a broad field of manufacturers. The incumbent will manage the sourcing supply chain within the designated categories along with the implementation of business and supply line management best practices, theories, principles, and disciplines. The incumbent is responsible to own, manage, and drive a measurable improvement in SunGard procurement strategies and initiatives within the Categories described above for the EMEA Region and provide support in the Categories to Global Leads. Additionally, the incumbent will be responsible for driving annual cost reduction by utilizing all levers of the category such as rate (price paid), demand management, compliance management, and where applicable engineering and specification changes.

Responsibilities:

• Own, manage, and drive a measurable improvement in the selection of vendors to optimize the purchasing power of the categories assigned within EMEA.

• Execute for the categories owned, the following procurement process steps: Category Profiling, Needs/specifications; category strategy development; Vendor negotiations; transaction management; Vendor management; SRM contract administration including measurement and monitoring.

• Perform internal assessment of current and future needs, external assessment of market trends and competitive suppliers; develop financial models to assess Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and opportunities to leverage changes in specifications, processes, systems and products to lower TCO; work closely with Business Groups/Regions to establish and implement the sourcing strategy.

• Based on the sourcing strategy and TCO, select and negotiate with vendors; establish and maintain contractual and business relationships with the vendors; communicate with Business Group/Regional influencers and users on the selection.

• Work with key management to help develop the strategic direction to attain a world-class service delivery management function and organization.

• Manage all TCO levers including demand, volume, compliance and process improvement, and act as the EMEA company procurement expert in the above Categories.

• Lead cross-functional teams to ensure that Business Groups provide input and are represented in the execution of the service level management processes for their category.

• Remain current with future trends within the marketplace by maintaining relationships with vendors, potential competitors, and other market experts; recommend new technologies, innovation and solutions

• Perform SRM measuring and monitoring to include SLAs when appropriate, and ensure national/Regional and Global contracts are followed for the assigned category.

• Drive cooperation and the development of company-wide standards to facilitate strong links between SunGard and its vendors/suppliers; lead and drive supplier development where appropriate.

• Provide assistance to acquisition strategies by completing the due diligence and integration activities for the spend categories assigned

• Develop and implement Preferred Supplier Programs across multiple service lines

Position Requirements:
• BS Degree (Finance, Business or Supply Chain preferred) or equivalent work-related experience

• Substantial experience within relevant functional areas within supply Chain management

• CIPS certification a plus.

• Requires a broad, thorough, and comprehensive knowledge of category management, business and supply line management practices, theories, principles, and disciplines

• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple large IT projects

• Broad technical knowledge of the Technology categories indicated along with related workstreams

• Demonstrates creative problem solving and design of innovative solutions

• Solid experience in the use of e-mail, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, ERP and databases

• Incumbents at this level perform their functions with considerable independence and judgment, and leadership and influence are exercised through participation in task forces, peer teams, and conferences

• Excellent written and verbal communications across internal and external resources and for the development of RFIs, RFPs, and Presentations

• Organizational awareness, strategic planning, and team oriented

• Key competencies would include: strong pricing analysis, negotiation and vendor management skills, high energy, analytical thinking, strategic planning and team collaboration.

• Additional languages could be an advantage (French, German)

• High volume of in/out bound communication via telephone and email

• Some Travel Required