Package Description
Full details on application.
Relocation assistance provided (if applicable).
Job Introduction
Serco is a specialist at delivering vital services on behalf of European, National and Local Governments.
Serco Europe employ’s a large workforce in Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Spain, Italy and the UK.
Our European operations have ca. 2,000 employees delivering critical services to public institutions throughout Europe.
Main Responsibilities
Key Purpose
The role provides experienced leadership and expertise to the creation, implementation and management of a high-performing global Category Management function. The role has leadership accountability for the provision of the category and market expertise to effectively manage Serco’s spend and supply base globally that:
- Engages and builds strategic relationships with key stakeholders across Divisions and Business Units.
- Collaborates with key stakeholders, Procurement colleagues and Serco’s third party Procurement Delivery Partner to capture business requirements and lead the creation, implementation and management of comprehensive global category strategies that understand and support Serco’s corporate objectives and local market requirements.
- Optimises value delivery and risk mitigation from the supply base.
- Ensures that benefits are recognised by key stakeholders to allow benefit delivery.
- Drives sustainable value from key supplier relationships.
Reason for role
Serco spends approximately £1.4bn globally with third party suppliers every year. Procurement supports the business by understanding business requirements and providing innovative solutions from the supply market throughout the business lifecycle that; reduce cost, improve service and quality and protect the business from risk. Procurement is responsible for managing all third party supplier arrangements including sourcing and contracting and supplier and contract management to deliver competitive advantage to Serco.
Structure and reporting relationship
- Member of the Procurement Leadership team and reports to Director of Procurement.
- Manages 10 direct reports.
- Engages and works across the Procurement function globally with Procurement Business Partners, Procurement Service Management and Serco’s third party Procurement Delivery Partner.
- Engages and works with key stakeholders globally across Group, Divisions, Business Units, and Contracts.
Key accountabilities
- Accountable for global category management of all categories from strategy creation through to the delivery of business outcomes and performance including in-year and annualised savings target as agreed through the planning process and aligned with the targets for Serco’s third party Procurement Delivery Partner.
- As a key member of the global Procurement Leadership team, the Head of Category Management will have joint responsibility with the rest of the Procurement Leadership Team for the development and implementation of Serco’s Procurement Strategy, Policy and Standards.
- Form and establish the Category Management function as part of the Procurement Transformation programme and extend globally to the Regions in line with the Procurement Target Operating Model.
- Lead and develop a high-performing and engaged Category Management team including any regional category management roles created as the Procurement Operating Model is implemented in the Regions.
- Budget holder for the Category Management function.
- Work with the Executive Sponsor and Group Risk providing Procurement subject matter expertise to manage and mitigate principal risk of ‘Failure of a Business Critical Supplier’.
- Lead the creation and continual review of comprehensive and forward looking global category strategies and plans to deliver results and year on year continuous improvement in cost, service, innovation and risk for all categories ensuring that truly global and strategic thinking is applied whilst ensuring that local business and supply market requirements are understood and supported.
- Lead and support the education and influencing of key stakeholders ensuring that the development of category strategies is supported, that recommended category strategies are endorsed, implementation is supported, and the capture of benefits is agreed.
- Drive and facilitate the leveraging of deep category and market expertise of Category Management function, Serco’s third party Procurement Delivery Partner, Procurement Business Partners and key stakeholders to support Serco in optimising value, managing demand and mitigating risk from the third party supply base across all categories globally.
- Ensure that global category strategies are translated to a clear and prioritised pipeline of sourcing projects for execution by Serco’s third party Procurement Delivery Partner.
- Lead the governance and oversight to the execution of sourcing projects by Serco’s third party Procurement Delivery Partner including the approval of gates in the sourcing process.
- Track strategy implementation, project delivery, spend, performance and compliance across all categories, ensure that strategy and plans are refined, or improvement or corrective actions are initiated and implemented as required.
- Collaborate with regional Heads of Procurement to ensure that category insights, expertise and best practices are provided to support bids create competitive supply chain architecture that meets bid requirements, leverages the existing supply base or sources new suppliers as required, and mitigates risk to support profitable growth.
- Own and lead supplier management processes to build relationships with key suppliers across all categories to ensure that performance and value is delivered whilst managing the risks.
- Manage the Property team and conduct a review to recommend proposed operating model and any transformation opportunities.
- Be a Procurement role model by living Serco’s values, consistently delivering to the high standards expected in Procurement and promoting Procurement through engagement with key stakeholders.
- Comply with and expect compliance with Serco Procurement Policy, Standards and Standard Operating Procedures and act within limits of delegated authority.
- Empower all team members with good line management in accordance with Serco Management System.
Successful Candidate
Essential technical and professional skills, knowledge and qualifications
- Graduate calibre with a Bachelor’s degree.
- Post-graduate qualification (e.g. MSc/MBA) or a professional qualification such as MCIPS is desirable but not essential.
- Has the Leadership Behaviour and Capabilities stated as most critical to this role
- Ability to ‘sell’ Procurement.
- Possesses strong business acumen, able to understand complex business needs and drivers and identify ways for Procurement to address.
- At least ten years senior management experience demonstrating a consistent track record of delivery within large and complex Procurement organisations.
- Will have worked in a complex changing environment with demanding business objectives in a competitive market sector.
- Demonstrates previous experience of creating, building, leading and managing successful Category Management teams
- Demonstrates previous experience and ability to motivate, lead, coach, mentor and develop staff and enhance their performance and fulfil their future growth potential
- Demonstrates extensive track record of developing and maintaining strong senior stakeholder relationships up to MD and Board level.
- Possesses excellent communication skills with the ability to influence and sell at multiple levels especially Senior and Board level.
- Has category and market knowledge and experience across a number of categories.
- Has a global and strategic mindset while being flexible to local differences and creative to encourage and seek innovative approaches.
- Demonstrates personal and professional credibility and resilience.
Additional / special features of the role
The role will start with a focus on the UK but will extend globally to other Regions in phases as a single, global procurement operating model is implemented by the Procurement Transformation programme.
About the Company
Serco’s heritage over the last 40 years has placed us in the Top 50 Services for Governments Companies.
What connects the ever growing Serco workforce is a passion for delivering great service – To keep ahead we have to constantly evolve and enhance the way we deliver our services and everyone in Serco has a role to play here.
Serco provide the right environment to encourage ideas and a comprehensive Best Practice support network that enables them to put their ideas into action.
If you share our values then join with over 50,000 colleagues globally who are equally as passionate about delivering great service as you.
