The Role

COE Category Buyer – IT 

Bristol (Hybrid)

About Us

We're a truly international company, fourth largest in our industry and operating across 119 markets. An inclusive, innovative global FMCG business supported by 26,000 employees. As we embrace a new era of growth, we are transforming. Our ways of working and culture are driven by a challenger mindset, constantly questioning the status quo where people can bring their best selves to work. Our agility and collaboration are driving our ambitions, innovation and success all supported by our award-winning development programmes that creates exciting and rewarding career opportunities for all.

As we move forward, our consumers will be at the heart of what we do, evolving to needs and expectations and committing to a more meaningful contribution to harm reduction by building a successful NGP business. Integral to our long-term success is our sustainability strategy, behaving responsibly and supporting our ambitions, all underpinned by high governance.

Encouraging inclusion at local levels and supporting a developing and robust diversity agenda globally, we’re fully committed to creating and maintaining an environment that celebrates and respects difference.

The Role:

As part of the broader Global Supply Chain organisation and as part of the Procurement function, this truly global role will include the sourcing and management of strategic supplier relationships within a broader category management framework.

This role is a critical enabler as part of the IT category team, to bring and develop solutions to support Imperial stakeholders in central functions, markets and factories (as applicable).

Working with the Category Manager this role will support the delivery of the procurement strategy and support the deployment of category and strategic supplier relationship management.

The Category Buyer will conduct strategic and tactical sourcing activities with the stakeholders as needed, in order to establish contracts and manage supplier relations including issue resolution when needed and support the Category Manager with development of category strategies.

The role will cover high profile and strategic / globally focused engagements with suppliers and will require close working with central function business stakeholders and Business Partners within the Procurement function, particularly for global requirements and Tier 1 (top 5) markets.

Principle Accountabilities

• Sub-category strategy development and delivering strategic commercial agreements which maximise value and minimise risk for Imperial Brands
• Support the Category Manager with the deployment of the procurement strategy and supplier risk / ESG and supplier relationship management strategy
• Conducting strategic and tactical sourcing activities within the category (including preparation, execution and evaluation of RFx activity - RFIs, RFPs, RFQs and e-auctions as required)
• Ensure that all procurement activity and tender requirements are in accordance with the company’s financial regulations and comply with directives
• Conduct commercial contract negotiation, contract management (including implementation), renewal of contracts and archiving old contracts and make them available for each relevant region
• Follow-up and act on supplier performance data received from Procurement Centre of Capability team
• Work closely with Procurement Business Partners within the agreed service archetype to achieve the procurement targets
• Work with GBS (Global Business Services) in relation to operational process, compliance, deployment and issue resolution / management as needed - to utilise technology and standard ways of working

Portfolio Specific 

• Work collaboratively as part of a small IT Procurement team, responsible for strategic commercial agreements and category development optimising value for money across Imperial Brands
• Regular and direct engagement with key business stakeholder and budget owners (Global and Local) for each sub-category of spend, as well and working closely with Procurement Business Partners and GBS
• Category solution support focus on Tier 1 and Tier 2 markets working alongside Procurement Business Partners
• Collaboration with Governance teams in relation to IT Enterprise Architecture, IT Policy & Standards, Information Security, Data Privacy and related topics
• Engagement with strategic transformation and improvement programmes where necessary – including collaboration with extended / external procurement support for one-off investment activity
• Global influence and category support for a supply base of c. £110m and 1,300 suppliers, with additional £60-80m investment spend each year over the next 5 years due to strategic investments underway as part of technology transformation programmes

Key Relationships

Internal

• Procurement Leadership Team
• Procurement Business Partners
• Procurement Capability & GBS
• Stakeholders across Central Functions (including Finance and Legal), Region / Cluster / Market, Factories (only if relevant for portfolio)
• Global IT Leadership Team, Service Owners and PMO support functions

External

• Supplier key stakeholders
• Commercial legal firms
• Local professional networking and industry groups

Education, Key Skills & Experience

Required

• Outstanding communication skills
• Strong negotiation and influencing skills.
• Ambitious, willing to learn and driven to achieve results
• Well organised, reliable and with commercial awareness
• Analytical and strategic
• Proven track record to influence and manage internal and external stakeholders, building and managing strong working relationships.
• Strong, demonstrable ability to collaborate in a multi-cultural environment
• Able to deal with a changing environment.
• Fluent oral and written English is essential.
• Significant specific experience of portfolio (either from procurement or business perspective) – an understanding of how the category and business stakeholders operate with the related supply base

Desirable

• University degree preferred
• Cross cultural & international experience is preferred
• MCIPS desirable but not required

Additional Information

• Travel within the UK (London most likely) and some international travel may occasionally be required

What We Offer

Competitive salary & flexible working, bonus scheme, pension, and 25 days holiday (with an additional 4 days on top to cover the Christmas period, and bank holidays), corporate discounts, Health Cash Plan, and other wellbeing initiatives.

Next Steps

Interested applicants are encouraged to apply, highlighting their suitability for the role.