Sr. Category Manager - Fire, Life, Safety & Security

Cushman & Wakefield • Nashville, TN

4d

About The Position

This role interfaces with the business lines to lead the development and implementation of category strategies and supplier relationship management company wide. The primary responsibility of this position is to select and manage robust preferred supplier program inclusive of manufacturers and distributors that drive value for our clients. This role is instrumental in delivering value to Cushman & Wakefield’s clients through leveraging the Company’s aggregated spend to negotiate best in class rates and contractual terms and conditions at the individual client property level. Procurement is a cornerstone of Cushman & Wakefield’s value proposition to clients, and the Sr. Category Manager may accompany Cushman & Wakefield executives on new client pitches and existing client quarterly business reviews to highlight the bottom-line benefits that our group delivers. As such, the Sr. Category Manager will also work with Marketing to develop methods to highlight their category accomplishments to clients by drafting case studies, white papers and updating internal and external Cushman & Wakefield website platforms.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree
• 7+ years of facilities category management or operational experience from within the supply chain
• In-depth knowledge of Procurement and fundamentals
• Demonstrated subject matter expertise in fire, life, safety and/or security guard / equipment.
• Strong interpersonal and analytical skills
• Ability to build relationships at all levels
• Inner drive to accomplish goals and not deterred by obstacles
• Capacity to develop innovative strategies and solutions, creative problem solver
• Contract negotiation and ongoing management skills
• Analytics, ability to mine data to drive in depth analysis
• Building and managing diverse supplier relationships
• Ability to independently lead & manage multiple projects
• C&W DRIVE Values: Driven, Resilient, Inclusive Visionary and Entrepreneurial

Nice To Haves

• Professional certifications preferred e.g., CPSM, CIPS, C.P.M., or evidence of continued professional growth

Responsibilities

• Leadership- Creates a working environment that encourages high performance and innovation. Becomes a trusted advisor and subject matter expert on the categories. Removes roadblocks to enable the delivery of procurement, company and client goals. Promotes compliance with C&W’s code of conduct.
• Category Management- Establishes category plans and strategy to ensure the right solution for C&W business lines. Responsible for working with procurement business partners and service line leadership to align category management vision with service line and procurement priorities. Drives EBITDA growth through C&W’s preferred suppliers. Incorporates industry best practices into category delivery. Utilizes demand planning to target value from supplier agreements. Monitors preferred supplier utilization, builds roster to ensure capability to deliver across the service line portfolios, and monitors performance to ensure capability to meet account needs. Ability to develop and understand data analytics, to mine data to drive in depth analysis of client 3rd party spend. Ensure effective commercial arrangements.
• Business Influence- Communicates supply category preferred supplier metrics and helps the business drive greater adoption of the preferred supplier network. Develops and maintains strong relationships with business units and the category management team. Drives for results by consistently achieving goals in a timely manner. Develops and delivers communications with clarity and impact, ensuring consistent messaging. Encourages creation and brings new best in class ideas and approaches to the table for developing and executing category strategies and working within the supply market to ensure Cushman & Wakefield meets or exceeds their objectives. Working cross-functionally with other departments including Finance, Operations, Technology, HR, Project Management, etc. for delivery of category strategies. Working with C&W Legal Counsel to ensure consistent templates to enable effective negotiations and risk mitigation.
• Continuous Improvement/Change Management- Strong problem-solving skills utilizing continuous improvement techniques. Utilizes change management techniques to drive the development and utilization of a preferred supplier program.

Benefits

• Cushman & Wakefield also provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health, vision, and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life, and disability insurance programs, and paid and unpaid time away from work.
• In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, Cushman and Wakefield provide eligible employees with competitive pay, which may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, total hours worked, job type, business line, and applicability of collective bargaining agreements.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees