Category Manager (Soft FM)

Working at the helm of an exciting procurement transformation and reporting to the Head of Soft FM Procurement, you’ll provide Soft FM category and market expertise to identify benefits, mitigate risk & drive best value from Serco’s spend and supply base globally.

You’ll also be responsible for managing key strategic Soft FM supplier relationships as part of a new supplier management programme.

The Category Manager (Soft FM) mandate is one of a number of roles Procurement Heads is recruiting on behalf of Serco and forms part of its ongoing procurement evolution; Serco’s Chief Procurement Officer Gavin Boswell said:

“Procurement at Serco has come a long way over the past 5 years. We already contribute to business success by helping grow both the top and bottom line through supporting new business development and delivering cost efficiencies while protecting Serco from risk, delivering on sustainability, and driving operational excellence. And building on a platform of success, we’re now embarking on the next exciting phase in our Procurement evolution by investing in building capabilities and developing talent to increase internal collaboration and drive more strategic relationships with key suppliers. Our ambition is to deliver Procurement with impact on people, place, planet and profit, and so helping Serco to impact a better future.”

The role will see you aligned to one of Serco’s offices in either Hook, London or Solihull (location dependent) and the working pattern is very agile with most employees typically going into the office 2-8x/month.

As Category Manager (Soft FM) your key responsibilities will be:

• Contributing to Soft FM strategy creation through to the delivery of business outcomes and performance including in-year and annualised savings target as agreed through the planning process and aligned with the targets for Serco’s third-party Procurement Delivery Partner
• Leveraging supplier, category and market expertise of self and Serco’s third-party
• Procurement Delivery Partner, Procurement Business Partners and key stakeholders to identify opportunities for Serco in optimising value, managing performance and mitigating risk from the third party supply base for the Soft FM category and designated supplier relationships
• Developing global category strategies to a clear and prioritised pipeline of sourcing projects for execution by Serco’s third-party Procurement Delivery Partner
• Delivering key Supplier Management activities in accordance with Serco’s Supplier Management activity across three core service functions (as well as any future refinements and maturity developments); Contract Compliance, Risk Management & Performance Management
• Building relationships with key stakeholders to ensure a holistic and rounded knowledge of a supplier’s performance and risk across Serco
• Monitoring supplier risk and performance through reporting tools and business feedback
• Collaborating with Procurement Business Partners to ensure supplier management activities, category strategies and stakeholder priorities are aligned and to drive compliance to the use of preferred suppliers
• Building relationships with key suppliers at a senior level and leading supplier management processes within the Soft FM Category and identified suppliers to ensure that performance and value is delivered whilst managing the risks and using the supply base expertise to drive innovation
• Being a Procurement role model by living Serco’s values, consistently delivering to the high standards expected in Procurement and promoting Procurement through engagement with key stakeholders
• Complying with and expecting compliance with Serco Procurement Policy, Standards and Standard Operating Procedures and act within limits of delegated authority

Skills and experience:

• Post-graduate qualification (e.g. MSc/MBA) or a professional qualification such as MCIPS is desirable but not essential
• Has the Leadership Behaviour and Capabilities stated as most critical to this role
• Possesses strong business acumen, able to understand business needs and how to manage supplier relationships
• Will have worked in a complex changing environment with demanding business objectives in a competitive market sector
• Demonstrates a consistent track record of delivery within large and complex Procurement Organisations
• Will have a track record of Soft FM category and supplier management, effecting change and continuous improvement through creation and implementation of innovative category strategies and effective supplier relationships
• Soft FM category, supplier and market SME
• Has a strategic mindset while being flexible to local differences and creative to encourage and seek innovative approaches
• Demonstrates track record of developing and maintaining strong senior stakeholder relationships up to MD and Board level
• Possesses excellent communication skills with the ability to influence at multiple levels especially Senior and to Board level
• Strong planning, organising, analytical and fact-based decision-making skills
• Demonstrates personal and professional credibility and resilience

Benefits of the Category Manager (Soft FM) role include:

• £65-73,000
• Up to 10% bonus
• Company car
• 6% matched pension
• Private medical insurance
• Life assurance
• 25 days annual leave