About the company

IWG has been at the forefront of the flexible workspace revolution for more than 30 years. We have made it possible for organisations and individuals everywhere to take a new approach to the traditional working day. We have over 3,500 locations across over 120 countries allowing millions of people every day to have a great day at work. 

Our customers are start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises, and large multinationals. With unique business goals, people and aspirations. They want workspaces and communities to match their needs. We provide them with choice through our portfolio of brands, covering serviced offices (Regus, Spaces, HQ, Signature and No18), commercial real estate brokerage and managed office solutions.

Join us at www.iwgplc.com

About the Role

We are expanding our team and hiring a range of Category Managers across our supply chain operations. We are looking for expert category managers with one of the following experiences:

• Construction and fit out
• Building Maintenance (including cleaning services)

The Category Manager role is a critical and senior function in our supply chain team to enable IWG to meet its strategic objectives of sustainably growing our network and improving our profit margin. This position leads the company in the specific category, managing 3,500+ locations globally across 120+ countries.

The successful applicant will own the end to end process for supplying our centres. This includes but is not limited to identifying the right suppliers, securing the best market rates to manage our cost base, whilst meeting the sustainability requirements of the group. They will continually review and optimize our contracts, as well as driving cost reduction initiatives through technology in our centres. They will establish clear reporting on centre and vendor level consumption and spend. Where needed this role will engaged with key partners, ensuring suppliers meet negotiated SLA’s associated with service, delivery or billing and working to resolve any escalations,. This is a key role, accountable for managing relationships with our internal stakeholders, our external partners, and our supplier network to ensure we work collaboratively to improve our commercial performance and deliver against strategic objectives.    

Specific accountabilities

• Develop and implement effective category management strategies that drive cost savings and efficiency and create additional value for clients through innovative service and product delivery.
• Ensure costs are recovered through various avenues, such as customer payments, centre recharges, rebates, or other creative cost recovery methods.
• Track and report on planned and validate achieved savings targets, as well as consumption data.
• Establish and cultivate robust relationships with key suppliers, fostering mutual benefits, enhancing quality and reliability, and driving innovation in supply chain processes and vendor partnerships.
• Lead the vendor selection process, including the execution of RFPs, RFQs, and other sourcing activities.
• Negotiate contracts to secure optimal terms and conditions, ensuring this process also prioritises value creation for clients and profitable cost recovery for the Category.
• Conduct regular vendor performance measurements and management, emphasising continual improvement and innovation
• Approve large/technical/one-off expenditures.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to understand their needs and align strategies accordingly while maintaining a client-focused approach that drives value and innovation.
• Manage risks within the Category (including compliance with legislation) and develop contingency plans to mitigate them while identifying opportunities to leverage them to drive innovation and add value.
• Stay updated on market trends and conditions that impact the Category, including pricing, supply/demand dynamics, and innovation opportunities, to ensure the Category’s offerings remain competitive, valuable, and aligned with client’s needs and expectations.

Applicant profile:

Minimum 5 years experience in category management, supply chain management, procurement, or a related field. Must be able to demonstrate experience in overseeing the strategic decision-making processes.

• Market Awareness: Understands market trends, pricing dynamics, supply/demand dynamics, and innovation opportunities. The Category Owner should have a track record of leveraging this knowledge to ensure the Category's offerings remain competitive and valuable.
• Strategic Planning and Execution: Developing and implementing effective strategies. The Category Owner should have a proven track record of creating strategies that drive cost savings, efficiency, and added value through innovative product and service delivery.
• Commercial Acumen: A strong understanding of commercial strategies to recover costs is crucial. This includes experience with customer payments, centre recharges, rebates, and other innovative cost recovery methods to ensure profitability.
• Supplier Relationship Management: Cultivating robust relationships with key suppliers and fostering innovation in supply chain processes and vendor partnerships.
• Procurement and Contract Negotiation: Demonstrated experience in procurement processes, including executing RFPs, RFQs, and other sourcing activities. The ability to negotiate contracts with suppliers to secure optimal terms and conditions.
• Vendor Performance Management: Proven experience in vendor performance measurement and management. The Category Owner should understand how to drive continual improvement and innovation in supplier performance while enhancing client satisfaction.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborating with various stakeholders to align strategies while maintaining a client-focused approach.
• Risk Management: Managing risks within their respective categories.

Other qualifications and skills

• Strong organisation, time and project management skills.
• An independent problem solver, capable of understanding concerns, identifying solutions and executing action plans.
• A self starter, takes accountability for your work, and the work of your team to ensure objectives are achieved.
• Microsoft Suite Competency: Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint.