Category Manager – Real Estate, Facilities Management

Role Overview

• The Category Manager provides category leadership for key sub-categories of spend in support of their global category.
• They undertake category management and global supplier relationship management, driving end-to-end spend management to mitigate supply chain risk and enhance value delivery, including sustainability, within their category.
• They do this through collaborating across and beyond procurement, including with regional, business, and cross-functional resources.
• They know their categories intimately and support development of innovative strategies which deliver business objectives and strong category guidance which ensures efficient end to end category execution.
• They work with regional and Capability Centre resources for optimal, compliant, and competitive procurement outcomes, collaborating across and beyond procurement.
• Problem solvers with good commercial acumen, they create solutions to category challenges, they cultivate senior partner relationships and work with businesses to understand their evolving needs alongside developing deep insights into supply markets, including disruptors and technological advances.
• They bring value through orchestrating development of transformational strategies in support of Castrol’s strategy, collaborating cross-functionally to realize identified value and working with delivery teams to ensure that their global strategies are implemented locally.
• The RE/FM Category Manager leads the development and execution of category strategies across Real Estate and Facilities Management, ensuring commercial value, operational continuity, supplier performance, and compliance with procurement and risk standards.
• This role manages a diverse supplier base supporting property operations, workplace services, maintenance, facilities projects and outsourced services across multiple offices in more than 40 countries.

Requirements

• Knowledge of category management principles and experience in undertaking procurement processes and developing category strategies.
• An understanding of how to ensure strategies flow through to execution in the businesses / assets
• Strong understanding of Real Estate, Facilities Management, workplace services, building operations and vendor ecosystems.
• Prior experience in global, matrixed procurement environments dealing with global partners.
• Good partner management and influencing skills in order to develop a deep understanding of the supported businesses / regions / assets and their priorities, including long term objectives.
• Critical thinking and commercial competence
• An understanding of working in and navigating complex multi-national businesses
• Track record in collaborating with businesses / partners to deliver continuous improvement
• An SME, who shares knowledge with the wider team and drives delivery of business and procurement priorities.
• Collaborates across procurement, the businesses, suppliers and beyond to achieve their regions / assets goals.
• Experience in leading initiatives internationally, recognizing cultural nuances, analyzing data-driven trends & insights, and employing agile/flexible approaches.
• An advocate for our code, they incorporate the Operating Management System (OMS) and our safety leadership principles into strategies and everyday work.
• The role requires the ability to partner with the business to develop innovative solutions, clearing blockers and enabling delivery.
• It also requires judgement to translate business requirements into a demand plan.
• Embraces industry challenges and technological disruption, pioneers' innovative solutions whilst managing risk.
• Brings multiple parties (procurement, business, suppliers) together to collaboratively solve complex problems.
• Manages conflict to successful resolution while maintaining relationships with key partners.
• The ability to evaluate innovative solutions and manage risk.
• Good judgement in order to translate business requirements into a strategic delivery plan, aligned with the categories, to inform strategic decisions.
• Strong people skills to engage with diverse partners.
• Strong senior partner networking and influencing skills to ensure consensus and adoption, building a reputation as a strategic partner to the regions / sites / assets.
• Experience in regular interaction with external suppliers and representing Castrol externally.
• Effective change management is key, requiring good influencing, engagement and storytelling abilities.
• Persevering through organizational complexity and resistance to change, key to leading transformational change.

Benefits

• A company culture where we respect our diverse and unified teams, where we are proud of our achievements and where fun and the attitude of giving back to our environment are highly valued
• Possibility to join our social communities and networks
• Learning opportunities and other development opportunities to craft your career path
• Life and health insurance, medical care package
• And many other benefits.