Offers “Kn Portal”

Expires soon Kn Portal

Category Buyer - Warehousing & Fit-out

  • Milton Keynes (Buckinghamshire)
  • Procurement

Job description

Are you a Procurement Professional looking for a new opportunity to work for one of the world’s leading logistics companies? With a focus on best practice procurement, our UK Procurement team is strengthening in capability and investing in new talent. This means we now have a new opportunity for a Category Buyer specialising in Warehousing and Fit-Out to compliment the skillset of the existing team.

Your Role

Reporting directly to our Head of Procurement, this role affords the successful candidate a great opportunity to be part of a dynamic function, and to join a highly motivated team where there is a strong emphasis on personal development. With category management responsibility (typically around £20 million spend per annum) for all construction and fit-out related commodities and services, the jobholder will have the opportunity to develop relationships with operational stakeholders and suppliers that will deliver significant synergies and savings for both Kuehne + Nagel and its customers. This role is central to the establishment of cutting edge, efficient 3rd party logistics operations.

Your Responsibilities

·  Fulfil the role of Subject Matter Expert within Kuehne+Nagel UK by demonstrating and continuing to develop detailed understanding of the category and the industry sector(s) and markets upon which it is focused.  Also, where appropriate, collaborate with colleagues in other countries/regions to leverage global capability and volumes and provide coherent strategy and messaging
·  Act as Category Buyer, leading procurement activity for the Warehousing and Fit-Out category and advising stakeholders on optimum strategies for tendering, negotiation, contracting and the delivery of best value solutions
·  Develop and implement the category strategy for Warehousing and Fit-Out, establishing and managing contractual frameworks with suppliers, driving the continuous improvement of solutions and service levels to improve compliance, maximise value, minimise risk  and ensure adherence to established ‘Best Practice’ procurement and reporting standards
·  Develop relationships with internal stakeholders to increase the awareness of the procurement function and processes and gain buy in for the procurement strategy; maintain a close relationship with Kuehne+Nagel’s Property Engineering and CTI Solutions teams, sharing strategic objectives to enable delivery of construction, reconfiguration and refurbishment projects
·  Bring together, coalesce and work with cross-functional teams to implement solutions that meet business needs at optimum whole life cost and in a manner that is consistent with excellent service to customers.  Challenge where appropriate to ensure both value for money and compliance with corporate standards
·  As a strong team player, contribute to the development of collective capability at the same time as taking advantage of opportunities for your own professional development, including the achievement of professional accreditation status
·  Own and manage strategically important and operationally critical supplier relationships within the category area. Monitor and manage supplier spend with the category, reviewing and interpreting data from various sources, identifying opportunities to aggregate spend and take responsibility for the monitoring and management of supplier performance in line with appropriate KPIs & SLAs
·  Act as “Procurement Lead” on new projects, ensuring effective engagement of other category managers.  Champion a focus on product and service innovation within the categories in order to add value

Your Skills and Experiences

·  Experience of Category Management within a Procurement team environment (essential); recent experience of procuring Warehousing and Fit-Out solutions and services (or related commodities) is preferred
·  The ability to deliver results as part of a professional indirect procurement function (we’re looking for a strong team player) with an understanding of category strategy development and implementation
·  Negotiation skills and experience with evidence of effective application to deliver improved contractual outcomes
·  The capability to communicate effectively, influence decision makers and understand when and how to escalate to achieve results without detriment to stakeholder relationships
·  Able to establish and proactively manage collaborative relationships with key suppliers and internal stakeholders in the best interests of Kuehne + Nagel
·  An ability to understand and interpret (and where appropriate challenge!) user requirements, work on own initiative all whilst aligning to our UK Procurement strategy
·  Experience of tendering, negotiating, drafting, interpreting and implementing contracts & legal agreements
·  An analytical, logical and numerate approach with an ability to interrogate, interpret, manipulate and critically analyse data to produce concise and meaningful insights (experience of running enquiries and detailed reports from ERP platforms / databases would be ideal)
·  If not already MCIPS qualified, a desire to progress towards and achieve this qualification

Good Reasons to Join

In order to achieve our objectives, Kuehne+Nagel are investing in improved capability, honing and professionalising the procurement operating model and recruiting new talent to increase capacity. This role will suit an individual who is able to demonstrate ambition and who has an appetite for ongoing professional development. We are offering a competitive salary with an attractive bonus, 23 days holiday plus bank holidays (rising to 24 days and 25 days after 4 and 5 years’ service respectively), life assurance (3 x salary) and private medical insurance. You will also have the opportunity to join the contributory Kuehne+Nagel pension plan.","datePosted":"2019-06-14T00:00:00.000Z

Make every future a success.
  • Job directory
  • Business directory