Associate Director - Technology Category Procurement (COR 917)

The organization is a flagship gigaproject under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiative, aiming to create a world-class entertainment, cultural and lifestyle destination. As a multibillion-dollar project, the operation of the giga project entails vast procurement of goods & services across numerous procurement categories.

The Associate Director will play a key role in the development and execution of an overarching category procurement strategy for the “Technology” category, ensuring alignment with the gigaproject’s strategic goals. The “Technology” category includes procurement of goods & services across IT, Data, Digital, Cybersecurity, etc. This role is pivotal in streamlining the category procurement across the org, aligning it with business objectives and ensuring procurement excellence in the category. The Associate Director will act as the primary contact for strategic procurement planning for the category.

Key Responsibilities

1. Category Strategy Development

1. Develop and implement an overarching procurement strategy for the category, to help achieve the org’s procurement objectives of supply security, speed, quality, cost optimization, ESG & innovation.
2. Analyze the category in detail, e.g., segment all products/services included, map the segments with the org’s procurement taxonomy, identify internal stakeholders for each segment along with estimated demand for each segment.
3. Conduct market analyses to study suppliers, pricing, seasonality/volatility of supply, emerging trends, regulations, supply chain risks, cost-saving opportunities, competitors, collaborators, etc.
4. Work collaboratively with the SRM team to evaluate suppliers on an exhaustive list of factors, e.g., offerings, capacity, technical capabilities, prices, local presence, track record, quality, post-sales support, financials etc.
5. Drive full value enablement to extract maximum value from the procurement spend via commercial and non-commercial levers, e.g. demand consolidation, strategic partnerships, specification improvement, value engineering, negotiation strategies, etc.
6. Cross-functionally drive implementation of the category strategy via well-defined initiatives and collaboration, e.g., engaging suppliers, formulating strategic partnership structures, executing strategic partnerships, managing supplier relationships, etc.
7. Support the Procurement operation by handling operational procurement and driving end-to-end packages to completion.

2. Internal Stakeholder Collaboration

1. Engage cross-functional stakeholders across Corporate Procurement and IT Function for formulation of a category strategy which is value-adding to all stakeholders.
2. Serve as a key point of contact for category-related matters for Corporate Procurement and IT Function stakeholders.
3. Perform Category Management role in complete alignment with the Director of Central Procurement Technology (CPT) Team.

3. Supplier Management

1. When required, manage relationships with critical suppliers, ensuring alignment with gigaproject’s strategic goals.
2. When required, negotiate and establish long-term strategic agreements with suppliers to secure favorable terms.
3. Support the Business in monitoring supplier performance and ensure adherence to quality and delivery standards. Identify and develop KPI’s as required.
4. Foster supplier satisfaction, collecting supplier feedback on key considerations such as timely payments, minimal contractual variations etc., and driving improvements where necessary.
5. Support localization efforts and compliance with Local Content and Government Procurement Authority (LCGPA) requirements and ensure that procurement activities support local economic development.

4. Category Procurement Excellence

1. Pursue cross-functional satisfaction on category-related matters, including Corporate Procurement, IT Function and suppliers.
2. Provide visibility to Corporate Procurement and IT Function teams on leveraging strategic supplier agreements in day-to-day procurement activities.
3. Conduct regular and effective market engagement (even with companies who are not yet supplying to the org) to ensure the org’s strong presence and branding in the category market.
4. Track and report on category performance metrics, identifying areas for improvement.

Requirements

1. 15+ years of category management experience, ideally in Technology related categories, which may include, but not be limited to hardware, software, services, management consulting etc.
2. Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Technology, Business, or related fields. MBA and/or other advanced degrees preferred.
3. Preferred: CIPS (Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply), CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Management), or CSCP (Certified Supply Chain Professional).
4. Proven track record of working in cross-functional environments and ensuring differing goals and needs align with overarching organizational strategy.
5. Fluency in English is required, with proficiency in Arabic highly desirable.
6. Understanding of the local cultural and business landscape in Saudi Arabia through work experience in the region preferred.
7. Ability to understand and assist in the compliance of Local Content Regulation.