Category Manager

**Flexible Work Eligible**: None

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GLOBAL TRANSVERSAL CATEGORY MANAGER - WORKPLACE
France (Paris) - Hybride working mode
This position reports to the Transversal Categories Lead, and there are 1 procurement specialist (senior buyers) as direct report

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What will your essential responsibilities include?

Global Sourcing & Procurement department is the 3rd party strategy and supply chain performance dedicated department for Information Technologies, Insurance Procurement and Transversal categories / general expenses. It is a truly global department managing the procurement projects for the whole division, whatever the location. In the Transversal scope, one of the 3 sub-domains is Workplace (dealing with the following categories: Soft Facilities Management [catering, cleaning, reception ], Hard FM, Premises [real estate, utilities, furniture ]; services [space management ])
With a relentless focus on profitability, as Global Transversal Category Manager your objective is to ensure, for a few categories, to get the best value from 3rd party relationships while keeping appropriately controls & risk management in place. It is an exciting opportunity to develop a cohesive plan to strategically manage this spend and drive qualitative and quantitative benefits. Execution of the strategies will require the ability to work across multiple senior stakeholders, along with the ability to put in place governance processes to ensure appropriate decision-making.
Overseeing the Workplace domain, the key responsibilities of the Category Manager are:

- Contribute to the definition and implementation of category strategies for the allocated portfolio of transversal categories on a global basis, in cooperation with senior stakeholders and ensure the provider portfolio meets risk and compliance requirements
- Manage and oversee Stakeholder Management process with key stakeholders, and ensure alignment and joint strategy and action plan and respective role & responsibilities (operational / delivery vs commercial vendor relationship management) and in doing so become a trusted business partner
- Ensure definition and validate the content of dedicated category policies (when required) and subsequent Coupa policies drafted by the proper procurement specialist (direct report)
- Develop and manage a pipeline of sourcing opportunities to deliver a robust plan for delivering benefit and aligned support for new projects
- Track and report metrics related yearly targets for the transversal scope (qualitative and quantitative benefits) in collaboration with senior stakeholders for each category and the Senior Procurement Supervisor of the team
- Drive continuous improvement and innovation ensuring that in scope suppliers are properly managed in line with the AXA XL Supplier Relationship Management - SRM - approach (at AXA XL level or by contribution to cross entity / group SRM programs) and tracking metrics (qualitative and quantitative benefits)
- Support the definition of appropriate category policies & procedures ensuring consistency with Procurement policy, AXA standards and GVRF
- Lead negotiations on complex and often high value engagements to achieve best value and strong contractual protection
- Pilot projects or initiatives handled by the proper procurement specialist (direct report) or interact with junior buyers of the tactical buying team for the allocated portfolio of categories on the whole procurement process:

- Analysis (spend analysis, definition of service specifications, market survey, AXA leverage)
- Prospect & select supplier (RFI/RFP/RFQ process, selection grid, contract negotiation)
- Contract & implement (contract architecture & negotiation, QSCT, onboarding, performance management - incl. benefit tracking - and 360° strategic & commercial relationship management with the providers’ global account managers, jointly with senior business stakeholders)
- Ensure category spend meets risk and compliance requirements including helping functional constituents to understand such requirements; lead projects to remediate where necessary
- Interact with the GSP regional engagement leader on the implementation of the matrix model combining category management (leaded by the Global transversal category manager) and spend management (supported by the regional engagement leader)
- Interact with the procurement operations team and the appropriate senior business stakeholders to onboard / offboard providers, collect and analyze spend figures, and ensure allocation of minor project to tactical buying team when appropriate
- Lead & manage interactions with counterparts at Group and AXA GI’s level, and contribute to synergy initiatives and strategy for the allocated portfolio of transversal categories (or any one-off project)
- Identify and communicate best practices and develop benchmarks that compare internal performance to industry best practice for the allocated portfol