Global Category Lead

The Global Category Leader is responsible for developing and executing procurement strategies with 3rd party suppliers in support of Fresenius Medical Care’s One Procurement strategy. Responsible for category management, strategic sourcing, supplier negotiations, contracting, and ongoing supplier management for the Corporate Services category and the leadership of all subcategory managers. Coordinates with procurement partners and key stakeholders to ensure alignment of procurement strategies. This position has strong liaison relationships and may have reporting line responsibilities with other FMCNA divisions. This position works with management to develop fully integrated global procurement programs, determining scope and objectives, ensuring administrative compliance, and interpreting broad best in class industry standard strategies and philosophies. Operational accountability for key areas of spend is an additional responsibility.

**Duties/Responsibilities**
- Drive, develop, and implement multi-year category plans for the assigned category, including demand aggregation, definition of buying channels, strategic relationship management, and supplier risk management.
- Leads a global team of subcategory managers, aligned with overall Category Management
- Provides strategic leadership of short
- and long-term goals through the use of thoughtful techniques in the communication of the company's mission and core values as a means to implement positive change and or create organizational structure within the assigned business unit(s).
- Manages and optimizes the business unit and or category spend according to the goals set by SVP Procurement / CPO (and or Procurement leadership) and VP Procurement. Defines spend optimization strategies and potentials (i.e., standardization, design-to-cost, bundling, supplier concentration), initiates, supports, and drives decisions. Assures the implementation of defined optimization strategies in coordination with the Procurement leadership and Stakeholder Council; reports according to specified ˜reporting lines.'
- Establishes and leads teams that strategically manage spending by utilizing a proven sourcing process that engages stakeholders, aligns business objectives, and ensure supply continuity. Leverage supplier capabilities across FMCNA to meet the near and long-term needs of the business. Ensure robust supplier selection, diligent management of supplier performance issues, and innovative thinking on supplier capability.
- Benchmarks category (Purchasing conditions, processes) and continuously optimizes procurement processes/ systems and commodity (sub-category) portfolio. Elaborates and deepens the know-how about products, markets, and suppliers inside the category; provides this to the procurement community, and supports scouting for innovations. Monitors the global supplier market for her/his category esp. in terms of global/best cost country sourcing.
- Identifies risks (e.g., delivery dates, capacities, exchange rates/prices for materials). Evaluates and documents identified risks, development of risk management initiatives, and scenarios. And recommends, when necessary, taking risk controlling measures.
- Informs internal interfaces about procurement activities and collects feedbacks and derives initiatives in line with strategic requirements. Development and execution of internal marketing strategies for procurement to develop the overall maturity level of organizational understanding for procurement. Responsible for internal customer relationship management of the respective category.
- Maintains knowledge of current trends, supplier capabilities, innovation, and changes within the technology landscape
- Identifies, develops and leads/supports opportunities to optimize spend, reduce costs, mitigate supply risks, improve services, bring innovation and assure supply.
- Leads or supports cross functional supplier selection activities and management of formal strategic sourcing and RFx processes.
- Performs proposal analysis, including price analyses, “Should Cost” modelling, benchmarking and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
- Develops negotiation strategy, including targets for costs and key commercial/business terms.
- Working in conjunction with Legal, drafts and negotiates key legal and commercial terms
- Evaluates financial stability of suppliers and manages supplier risks as needed.
- Actively manages key supplier relationships in collaboration with the VMO, including resolution of issues and disputes.
- Build relationships and works closely with the Procurement Business Partner(s), other Category Managers, and cross-functional teams to share and implement procurement strategies.
- Cross-regional people management responsibilities, including hiring, developing, and terminating employees.
- Leads and participates in supplier business reviews
- Champions use of eSourcing, Spend Visibility, and R2P tools within category; leverages and utilizes eAuctions wh