Associate Category Outsourcing

PURPOSE AND IMPACT OF YOUR ROLE

Strategic Sourcing and Planning:

• Develop, implement, and maintain a robust category strategy aligned with business objectives.
• Conduct comprehensive market research and analysis to identify emerging trends, new suppliers, and potential opportunities for value creation within the outsourcing landscape.
• Lead end-to-end strategic sourcing projects, including vendor identification, RFI/RFP processes, negotiation, and contract execution.
• Identify and implement cost-reduction strategies while maintaining or improving quality and service levels.

Vendor and Relationship Management:

• Act as the primary point of contact for a portfolio of key outsourced vendors.
• Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with suppliers to ensure mutual success and drive innovation.
• Conduct regular business reviews with key vendors to monitor performance against SLAs and KPIs, identify opportunities for improvement, and address any issues.
• Manage contract renewals, amendments, and escalations, ensuring all commercial terms and obligations are met.

Performance and Risk Management:

• Establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to measure category and supplier performance.
• Develop and implement risk mitigation strategies to ensure supply continuity and protect the business from potential disruptions.
• Ensure compliance with all internal policies, regulatory requirements, and ethical standards throughout the sourcing and vendor management lifecycle.

Stakeholder Collaboration and Communication:

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders across various departments (e.g., IT, Operations, HR, Legal, Finance) to understand their needs and align category strategies with business goals.
• Serve as the subject matter expert on the outsourced category, providing insights and recommendations to senior management.
• Communicate category strategies, project updates, and performance results clearly and effectively to all relevant stakeholders.

SKILLS

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build rapport and influence decision-makers.
• Strong analytical and financial acumen, with the ability to interpret data and make data-driven decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically and execute tactically.
• SAP knowledge is MUST, should know product costing & efficiency in trims development & costing.