STRATEGIST - PROCUREMENT CATEGORY MANAGEMENT & PLANNING

£/€Very Competitive Bonus Blue Chip Benefits

Location: Flexible/Hybrid Role - UK, Netherlands, or Germany

"It's a slightly unusual role".

And that's a great way of summarising this position for our client. They're a well-established organisation in the specialist renewables and power generation industry that wants to become "best-in-class" in terms of its procurement process.

As part of this strategic development plan, they would like to appoint a Category Management Specialist to sit within their large pan European procurement team. The main focus of this role is to work alongside each Category Manager to help them develop longer-term procurement strategies for each category.

As such, you'll be mentoring, coaching, and developing the category management team to help them think differently and innovate new ideas. This may take the form of working one-to-one with the managers or running workshops to create an open culture of collaboration between the team.

So, they're looking for a category management expert who's used to working in a blue-chip, world-class procurement function and can bring new ideas into the company. Experience of working in the power generation industry is not essential, and they're open to considering candidates from any highly regulated industry in the public or commercial sector such as utilities, defence, aerospace, chemicals, automotive, FMCG as long as it's within a multinational matrix structure with a substantial procurement and category management function. Candidates who combine in house and leading procurement consultancy backgrounds would also be very interesting

Your personality will be a deciding factor in this role, as you'll need the drive and desire to develop a high-performing team. You'll be a natural people-person who can connect with colleagues to help them become the best versions of themselves. In addition, you'll have the vision and the presentation skills to convey it to the team and get them excited about the levels they can achieve. Career development prospects are excellent.

This role can be based at any of our client's business units in the UK (North West or Buckinghamshire), Germany (Lower Saxony), and the Netherlands (Overijssel).

Candidates should be university degree/Masters degree educated ideally with a professional procurement/purchasing qualification such as CIPS or equivalent.

It really is a unique role, but it's going to be a rewarding one for the right candidate. As you can imagine, there's plenty more detail to discuss about this role, so please indicate your interest by emailing your CV, quoting reference LX 1175876

MANAGING DIRECTOR - AIRFREIGHT SECTOR

"Airfreight Sector Sales/New Business and Commercial Leader sought for established multimedia and exhibition business."

Salary £60-70000 Benefits

Location: Remote Working - Company HQ in South East

Are you a Sales Manager/ Director with experience in the air cargo industry? Are you ready for a new opportunity to take the reins of an established multi-media company that specialises in air freight?

Our client in Surrey may well have your perfect next role as their new Managing Director.

They've been in business for many years and have achieved great success in publishing hard copy and digital newspapers, newsletters, internet sites and selling stands at major transport logistic exhibitions. However, the original owners are now ready to retire, so they are looking for someone to take over the running of the business and develop it further.

Your fellow directors are all highly competent in their roles of Operations, Finance, Sales and Marketing, but they need someone with a strong sales skillset who can lead the team, network with the major advertising buyers and develop new key accounts.

The company has long-standing relationships with several of the world's largest airlines, airports, charter brokers and forwarders, particularly in the Middle East, USA and Europe, and is keen to build on these further.

Although they are based in Surrey, all the staff work remotely, so you'll need to have experience in managing remote teams. As for your background, you will know the sector well, having worked in the freight and logistics industry. Maybe you're now tired of all the travel involved in your current role but still want to keep your contacts and expand your network further.

Ideally, you will also have exhibition or media experience as you will need to be involved with the newspaper editor and freelance contributors to ensure they perform to the agreed service levels. However, it's more important that you have a strong sales track record and network within the international airfreight sector.

In return our client offers a competitive base salary and benefits package including a bonus linked to profit and the opportunity to become a Board Director in the future.

So, if you feel you'd like to take on this fascinating challenge, please indicate your interest by emailing your CV quoting reference LX 1178280 or call us on 01905 381 320.

SENIOR BUYER/ CATEGORY SPECIALIST - IT/INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

"Exciting role for ambitious IT/Information Technology procurement specialist with experience of purchasing outsourced IT/Information Technology Infrastructure, Cyber Defence and Application Development."

£Very Competitive (Dependent Upon Experience) Blue Chip Benefits Package

Location: Hybrid/Remote - Sites in the North West & South East/Home Counties

Commutable from Chester, Ellesmere Port, Mold, Wrexham, Birkenhead, Wallasey, Warrington, Runcorn, Widnes, Liverpool, Crewe, Knutsford, Macclesfield, Greater Manchester, Wigan, Newton le Willows, Leigh, Heywood, Skelmersdale.

Our client is a global player within the specialist energy, electricity and power generation sector.

Our client seeks to strengthen its IT/Technology procurement team with the appointment of an ambitious, university degree educated category and procurement management professional into the role of Senior Buyer/Category Specialist - IT/Information Technology.

Our client is focused on delivering efficiency to its global operations and rising to the challenge of ensuring that its data and systems are secure and robust, delivering significant change to the way IT/Information Technology works within the organisation. Currently IT Infrastructure, Cyber Defence and Application Development are outsourced, and our client is reviewing Operational Information Technology for the its plants. The focus will be on next generation outsourcing with high levels of customer satisfaction as a key driver for our client's IT strategy. Reporting to a Senior Category Manager, the Senior Buyer/Category Specialist- IT/Information Technology will work in close collaboration IT Director will be of paramount importance to a successful transformation.

You will be working closely with the IT/Information Technology team and therefore your role will take on a UK and European perspective.

The Role:
* Working within cross functional teams develop medium to long term sub-category plans setting out the value drivers for the category and the roadmap of actions to deliver them.
* Shape and manage supplier relationships to ensure value is delivered including value definition, value creation including opportunity development and supply chain execution process; value capture including governance and compliance management and value protection to mitigate risk.
* Management and development of robust business partner relationships will be critical to success in the role. You will be expected to leverage experience of procurement strategy and delivery in your field of expertise to build these relationships. The strength of your relationship will enable you to confidently challenge business partners to think and act differently, to be creative and open to new ideas and to explore new supply chain possibilities.
* You will be happy to accept responsibility for delivering the value set out in your sub-category strategy.
* Your experience of influencing and shaping contracts, supplier relationships and contract management will ensure you deliver the expected business benefits from the spend you are managing.
* You will contribute to the development of the Procurement function's capability bringing experience of best practice from other industries and employers.

The Ideal Person will possess the following qualifications, experience, skills and competencies:
 A university degree and ideally CIPS (or equivalent) qualification
 Experience of working across global operations or multi-site environments and a keen sense of cultural awareness
 Currently working within a high security sector such as defence, nuclear, aerospace, marine, ministry of defence, utilities etc
 Understanding of the nuances of IT/Information Technology contracts and knowledge and skill in the development of IT/Information Technology specific contracts which secure value for our client and mitigate risk as much as possible.
 A proven track record in value delivery, improvement activity and best practice development in IT/Information Technology procurement.
 Understanding Information Technology markets, suppliers and technologies and how to leverage them for value for our client
 Building IT/Information Technology sub-category and category strategies to describe how value will delivered in the short, medium and long term
 Negotiating with IT/Information Technology suppliers to drive the right commercial and contractual outcomes
 Building relationships internally and externally to enable you to be successful in your role and to contribute to the development of our client as a world-class procurement organisation
 A thirst for knowledge, an inquisitive mind-set and drive for results.
 A knowledge of Procurement systems and technologies and the ability to put operational measures in place to ensure contracts deliver brilliantly.
In return our client offers a very competitive salary and blue-chip benefits package and the opportunity to develop your career within a market leader. The roles are offered on a hybrid/remote basis with regular visits to sites in the North West and Home Counties for cross functional engagement.