Lead Buyer, Category Management

About us

At National Grid we are committed to delivering safe and reliable energy to the customers and communities we serve. We are one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world. We are proud of the contributions our work and our people make to the prosperity and wellbeing of our customers, communities, and investors.

National Grid has embarked on ambitious capital projects and construction programs designed to build the infrastructure to enable our renewable electric future. Projects include upgrades to transmission lines, substations and distribution network infrastructure that will support renewable energy and reliability initiatives and other programs. 

National Grid has a focus on providing electricity and gas to millions of its existing customers, by continuously updating its infrastructure to provide the most safe and reliable system.

Job Purpose

Category Lead is a key role at National Grid, working closely with suppliers, stakeholders, and procurement colleagues to run higher level bids, negotiate agreements, and spearhead category strategy development, with a focus on driving savings benefits and driving efficiencies. 

The individual will work closely with their Category Manager helping direct the team, being a “sounding board”, providing feedback during year end employee reviews, attending senior level meetings and meetings in lieu of the manager. They will take on the role of training, mentoring, driving change, having the pulse of the team, working hand in hand with buyers as needed to enhance their skill set, champion initiatives, etc. In essence the lead will be a Role Model to the team and the second to the manager.

As a key member of our procurement group, they deliver innovative thinking supported by detailed analytics, data science, market research, and subject matter expertise, to help our category teams and stakeholders make effective sourcing decisions. They develop and own key supplier and stakeholder relationships and are able to evaluate supplier risks and develop mitigation plans. 

Through business partnering the procurement group enhances the relationship and through collaborative efforts bridges the gap of applying critical thinking, helping drive the goals of the company forward, providing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and risk mitigation efforts, while further evaluating our supplier base. 

Key Accountabilities

The following competencies are core to the Category Lead role:

Category Management: 
•    The Category Lead must have the ability to think independently and bring viable solutions to the forefront that are actionable
•    Experience with Developing Category Strategies – Support the buyers, work with Stakeholders to evaluate and establish business needs, apply forward thinking skills to establish flexible long-term category strategies with value options & clear supplier performance criteria, challenge the “norm” while thinking “out of the box” longer term to minimize and mitigate risks
•    Supplier Engagement - Regularly engage with category suppliers to seek feedback, discuss improvement opportunities, and resolve issues, ensuring continuous enhancement of supplier performance and alignment with National Grid's objectives
•    Analytics - Utilize varied and complex data sets to identify gaps and new opportunities to drive benefits through the contracts End to End lifecycle, while implementing analytics as part of the Category Plan
•    Market Research - Conduct industry analysis and evaluate supplier performance, incorporating the research into the Category Strategy and associated contract initiatives/bidding events

Procurement/Strategic Sourcing Process (SSP)
•    Source Events (RFx, Sole Source, direct negotiate) – Lead the execution of  critical (high spend/high profile) sourcing initiatives, providing guidance and mentorship to team members, while using tailored procurement strategies to optimize value, mitigate risk, and support business objectives
•    Stakeholder Coordination – Foster strong, collaborative relationships with business units and suppliers, while further understanding the needs and issues that each side faces, driving strategic initiatives to identify continuous improvement opportunities and maximize value for money from awarded contracts
•    Bid Analysis – Support and guide buyers by providing analysis insights, coaching them through development of responses to complex bid requests, pointing out commercial differences, and making succinct recommendations in selecting appropriate suppliers for contract awards
•    Process Management and Improvement - Drive continuous improvement to identify and eliminate waste in the extended E2E Supply Chain. Identify innovative procurement solutions that provide savings benefits and process efficiencies for the organization. Ability to take those ideas and clearly articulate the change solution/improvements to various stakeholders and change board
•    Total Cost of Ownership - Evaluate and apply the concept of total cost of ownership (TCO) and supplier/ contract switching costs to support decision making options
•    Commercial Negotiation - Capable of preparing complex negotiation strategies and mentor buyers in the team regarding thought process of laying out their negotiation strategies, with clarity of desired outcomes and conducting complex negotiations successfully under aggressive time demands. Has extensive working knowledge of terms and conditions
•    Understanding Counterparty - Has comprehensive understanding of supplier's position, desired outcomes, and leverage points with the ability to maximize the benefits to the company while maintaining a good working relationship with suppliers
•    Team Building – Collaborating with the manager/director supports and develops team building
•    Mentorship and Training - Exemplify excellence in procurement standards by proactively mentoring and guiding Buyers and Associate Buyers, ensuring the adoption and utilization of best-in-class methodologies across National Grid Procurement. Extend support and expertise beyond the immediate team, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration within the organization

Qualifications

•    Bachelor's degree (B.A or B.S) required; in supply chain or business management degree preferred, masters degree, CPSM/APICS a plus
•    7+ Years experience in a procurement role preferred
•    Experience in the $25 – 50M spend range with contract and framework/multiyear agreements
•    Strategic sourcing, contract negotiations, project planning and vendor management
•    Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, comfortable communicating with a wide cross-section of the business, including senior management. Able to clearly articulate one’s position and influence others 
•    Track record of directing discussions/negotiations, steering agendas, and effectively delivering difficult messages.
•    Experience working with various business units and stakeholders to align goals and strategies.
•    Effective in influencing stakeholders and communicating progress to senior leadership.
•    Experience in decision-making roles that positively impact business performance.
•    Excellent computer skills including Advanced Microsoft Excel & PowerPoint

Additional Preferred Qualifications
•    Experience with bidding construction projects is a plus (EPC, EPCM; GMP, Design/Bid/Build, etc.) which includes full depth of knowledge of several models that can be articulated to the business that will help with the understanding of the pros & cons of each further acting as a trusted advisor for the proposed selection of the most appropriate model
•    Prior experience leading a team and/or enrollment in a leadership development program
•    Professional Certification in Supply Chain or Contract Management (I.E. CPSM and APICS)
•    Strong working knowledge of ERP systems such as SAP and ARIBA. Also, working knowledge of Power Bi, etc.

More Information

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At National Grid, we work a hybrid work schedule which generally means that some days you will work in the office and some days you will work remotely. This can vary and is at your manager's discretion.  Applicants for these positions can be located in any of our service territories (New York and Massachusetts) or any state that borders New York and Massachusetts, and you must reside within a reasonable driving distance to your respective office