natgridProd
Lead Buyer, Category Management
Warwick
Posted 2 days ago
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Lead Buyer, Category Management
**Category Lead — Procurement (Strategic Sourcing) — National Grid
About Us
At National Grid, we are committed to delivering safe and reliable energy to the millions of customers and communities we serve. As one of the largest investor-owned energy companies globally, we pride ourselves on driving prosperity, wellbeing, and progress for customers, stakeholders, and investors.
National Grid is embarking on ambitious capital projects and construction programs to build the future of clean energy. Key initiatives include:
- Upgrading transmission lines, substations, and distribution network infrastructure to support renewable energy and reliability.
- Ensuring continuous improvements to our existing electricity and gas infrastructure for maximum safety and reliability.
About the Role: Category Lead
The Category Lead is a critical role within National Grid’s procurement team. You will:
- Work closely with suppliers, stakeholders, and internal colleagues to drive higher-level bids, negotiate agreements, and develop category strategies, all with a focus on cost savings and operational efficiency.
- Partner with Category Managers to direct teams, guide decision-making, mentor professionals, and represent the organisation in senior leadership meetings.
- Deliver innovative, data-driven solutions to support procurement strategy, supplier relationship management, and risk mitigation efforts.
Personal Impact Areas
- Champion category strategy development, acting as a second-in-command to your Manager.
- Serve as a Role Model for your team, ensuring alignment with National Grid’s procurement excellence standards.
- Foster collaboration between buyers, stakeholders, and suppliers to optimize Total Cost of Ownership and risk mitigation.
- Align procurement goals with broader business objectives through business partnering and strategic change management.
Responsibilities
Core Duties
Category Management
- Develop and execute high-impact category strategies aligned with stakeholder needs, leveraging innovation to mitigate risks and drive long-term value.
- Engage suppliers to solicit feedback, identify improvement opportunities, and ensure alignment with National Grid’s strategic goals.
- Utilize analytics and data science to identify cost optimization opportunities and inform category plans, showcasing thorough market intelligence.
- Provide tailored procurement support during sourcing events (RFx, sole-source negotiations, contract renewals) to maximize commercial outcomes and value delivery.
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Strategic Sourcing & Execution
- Lead critical sourcing initiatives in high-spend/high-profile categories (€25–50M contracts), ensuring efficiency, transparency, and risk mitigation.
- Coordinate the entire procure-to-pay lifecycle by integrating broader value governance models and contract management.
- Guidance and mentorship for business stakeholders and suppliers during complex negotiations and strategic evaluations.
- _change management and lifecycle optimisation—continuously enhance processes to save costs and deliver savings benefits.
Stakeholder & Commercial Relationship Management
- Build and maintain key supplier relationships, ensuring proactive risk assessment, performance evaluation, and strategic supplier health discussions.
- Offer confidence in commercial choices by leveraging inter-firm knowledge when negotiating:
- Framework or multi-year agreements
- EPC/EPCM (with deep contract modelling expertise)
- Complex Design/Bid/Build contracts
- Collaborate with business units, teaching them contract salability to inform strategic ecosystem changes.
- Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) management to enable informed supplier and contract comparison, minimizing hidden spend.
Negotiation & Passenger
- Develop and execute agreed negotiation strategies, ensuring objective-based solutions under tight deadlines.
- Manage mal (e.g., Design/Build/GMP) modelling, translating cost-benefit tradeoffs into trusted strategy recommendations for senior leadership.
Capacity Building & Growth
- Champion National Grid’s procurement agreements by ensuring adherence to best-in-class methodologies.
- Mentor Buyers and Associate Buyers to foster excellence in:
- Vendor management processes
- Data-driven contract optimization
- Performance analysis tools (e.g., PowerBI)
- Contribute to broader procurement governance by planning team skills upscaling (e.g., via ERP training or certifications like CPSM/APICS).
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Requirements
Essential Criteria
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business or related field. A Masters designation or professional certification (CPSM/APICS) is advantageous.
- Proven 7+ years of procurement experience in strategic sourcing, negotiated pricing, and contract lifecycle management.
- Hands-on experience in negotiating and managing contracts spanning €25–50M, including frameworks and multi-year agreements.
- Strong proficiency in ERP tools (SAP/ARIBA) and Excel/PowerBI for analytics and reporting.
- Exceptional interpersonal and influencing skills—ability to:
- Effectively engage cross-functional stakeholders, including senior executives.
- Manage difficult negotiations and drive impact on business outcomes.
- Deep analytical mindset and track record of identifying cost-saving opportunities using data science, market gaps, or performance benchmarks.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in construction project bidding (e.g., EPC, EPCM, GMP, or Design-Bid-Build models).
- Prior leadership experience or involvement in a leadership development programme.
- Certification in Contract Management or Supply Chain (e.g., CPSM, APICS).
- Knowledge of SAP Contract/Agreement/Implemented Controls (WC95/WC65 etc).
Benefits & Culture
#LI-NK1 #LI-procurement #LI-warrioch
#-Hybrid Working
National Grid’s procurement team thrives in a culture of innovation, collaboration, and sustainability. This role offers:
- A higher pay scale based on billings, support, and contract success metrics.
- Clear strategies for career progression within the organisation’s category leadership structure.
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Skills
Category Management
Strategic Sourcing
Contract Negotiation
Supplier Relationship Management
Total Cost of Ownership
Market Research
Data Analytics
Stakeholder Management
Mentorship
Risk Mitigation
Bid Analysis
Process Improvement
Location