Procurement Category Specialist – Digital and Technology

Global Category Specialist – D&T Procurement

PURPOSE OF THIS ROLE

Global Procurement delivers significant contribution towards Diageo business, productivity and growth goals. The Digital & Technology category is seeking to deliver value creation to support operating margin improvement and competitive advantage through sourcing, negotiation, optimization and supplier partnerships, leveraging the sweet spot between efficiencies and effectiveness of our investment.

This category is complex, with varying collaborator needs, significant external spend and key relationships at all levels of the business. The prime accountability for the role is to drive value through ensuring the commercial elements of spend in this category are implemented brilliantly with our vendors. This role will lead sourcing decisions with collaborators in the D&T community and will support the maximization of value as well as return on investment, whilst minimizing risk from all external spend - assuring quality of delivery and performance.

Digital & Technology is growing in importance and becoming strategically more integrated in our planning and decision making. The role will play a key part in developing and driving the Consumer and Data & Analytics transformation, articulating the journey and vision to align collaborators, while unlocking the value and business performance that Digital & Technology can bring.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

General

• Leadership.  Build, manage and elevate the business impact of Procurement within Digital & Technology.
• End to end category excellence.  Take ultimate ownership for maximising procurement value for Diageo from one or more spend categories, including application of best-in-class market knowledge, partner engagement, global community development, tools & techniques.

Category strategy

• Business partnering.  Develop and grow relationships with collaborators, partners and suppliers for deeper insights into needs and capabilities; establish a position to advise on how to gain greater value from close engagement with Procurement.
• Strategy development.  Support the team to develop and evolve comprehensive category strategies that match strategic business requirements, are well researched with analysed market dynamics to create incremental procurement value for Diageo.
• Best in class capabilities.  Generate insights and opportunities from internal and external benchmarking, develop cost models to consider scenarios with suppliers and collaborators and build & evolve analytics capabilities that allow regular review and improvement of strategies.

Sourcing

• Global sourcing.  Lead all sourcing activities for projects that are allocated to this role.  Engage community members as required, apply the right standards and processes through contract completion and engage other CoEs/ D&T as required.
• Global contracting.  For relevant sourcing projects, deliver best possible outcomes for Diageo through effective planning, preparation and application of the Negotiation Toolkit.
• Support to Market CoEs.  Support Market CoEs with cross-market sourcing activities through provision of best practices, coaching and alignment with category strategies.

Risk management

• Mitigate strategic risks.  As part of category strategy development, identify and design mitigations for potential risks, in line with Category Strategy development standards.
• Mitigate sourcing risks.  Identify corporate, supply, supplier and other risks associated with sourcing activities and put mitigations in place, engaging all relevant collaborators, partners and suppliers to ensure the mitigations are successful.
• Apply and improve tools & techniques.  Apply Diageo Procurement best practice standard, ensuring the most recent and relevant approaches are always applied; use formal governance and peer review to ensure the quality and efficacy of risk management; contribute to development of standards.

Supplier relationship management

• Supplier relationship.  Establish standards, ways of working and trust relationships with global suppliers in relevant categories; ensure Diageo standard processes are applied and that there is a good foundation for strong performance, risk mitigation and rapid resolution of issues.
• Supplier performance.  Support Market CoEs in setting critical metrics, driving consistency across suppliers and markets, improving the value of data generated and applied and act as an escalation point for chronic supplier performance issues.
• Supplier development.  In line with Procurement strategic supplier strategies, collaborate with suppliers to unlock breakthrough opportunities for the business; stimulate supplier capabilities to generate ideas for the future.

CAPABILITIES, SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• Demonstrated performance in leading projects, experience developing and implementing category and procurement strategies, managing and negotiating with suppliers.
• Strong analytical and financial awareness including a comprehensive understanding of AOP requirements and financial goals & value drivers relevant to the categories in scope.
• Track record of influencing and managing senior collaborators and budget holders and driving cross-border teams within a complex matrix organisation.
• Exceptional communication skills:  verbal, written and presentation; strong interpersonal skills.
• Proven track record of consistent performance and delivery.
• Ability to work in an agile, fast moving environment and ability to keep up with pace of change and prioritize according to business needs.
• Strong communication and influencing skills with both internal and external partners.
• Objectively challenges established practice to stimulate alternative thinking.

Category-specific requirements

• Experience of Technology would be highly beneficial.
• Appreciation of automation, AI, robotics, blockchain and other digital solutions and integrated application across the broader Digital & Technology environment.

Working with Us

Flexibility is key to success in our business and many of our people work flexibly in many different ways, including part-time, compressed hours, flexible location. Please talk to us about what flexibility means to you and don’t let anything stop you from applying.
 

We offer a highly competitive rewards and benefits package including:

• Contemporary work life balance policies and wellbeing activities

• Contributary pension scheme

• Comprehensive health benefits

• Annual bonus

Our purpose is to celebrate life, every day, everywhere. And creating an inclusive culture, where everyone feels valued and listened to, is a crucial part of this.

We believe the most diverse and inclusive culture makes for a better business and a better world.

We know that for our business to thrive and for Diageo to realise its ambition, we depend on having diverse talent with a range of backgrounds, skills and capabilities in each of the countries in which we operate and to reflect our broad consumer base.

Around the world we have a number of inclusive Business and Employee Resource Groups known as BRGs and ERGs. These influential groups, made up of our people, represent various viewpoints, experiences and communities who generate thought-provoking work to enhance our business and workplace, creating a sense of belonging and opportunities for all. 

Join us, and you'll be part of an organisation that embraces diversity in the broadest possible sense. This means that you'll be welcomed and celebrated for who you are just by being you. You'll be part of — and help build — an inclusive culture that celebrates people of different gender, ethnicity, ability, age, sexual orientation, social class, educational backgrounds, experiences, approaches and more. And you'll help us champion inclusion and diversity across our entire business: with our employees, our suppliers, across our brands, and within the communities in which we operate.

Feel inspired? Then this may be the opportunity for you!

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