Overview
Do you want to help enrich the lives of learners worldwide?
At RM, we've been pioneers of education technology since 1973. We provide technology and resources to the education sector supporting over 10 million students around the world. We work with 28,000 schools, nurseries, and education trusts in 115 countries to deliver customer-centric solutions that improve education outcomes worldwide.
What we do helps learners at all stages of their lives, from preschool to higher education and professional qualification. We partner with schools, examination boards, central governments, and other professional institutions to enrich the lives of learners.
Our mission is to grow by improving the life chances of people through delivering great education products and services that help teachers to teach and learners to learn.
The Technology division of RM provides a range of industry-leading IT service solutions, from software that underpins learning strategy to the connectivity and IT hardware and services necessary for teachers to deliver learning in school and remotely.
As a Third Party Software Senior Category Manager, you would be accountable for the category strategy and operations whilst managing the relationship and the performance of the suppliers. You will also be expected to apply industry best practices and train/mentor junior staff.
Responsibilities
The Senior Category Manager is accountable for the creation and implementation of the business strategy and has commercial accountabilities for all activities. They are seen as an expert on the category within the organisation. The role spans the full product life cycle for all lines of business within the category.
* Supplier ownership across the Category, managing contracts and regular performance reviews, and contributing towards the strategic business reviews. Lead negotiation and management of contractual SLAs between the supplier and RM.
* Agreeing, driving, and proactively reporting on supplier performance metrics (KPIs) to ensure they are delivering their obligations.
* Provision of procurement services to support the commercial delivery of the business. Managing third-party spend and delivering segmental benefit through identification and execution of strategic sourcing initiatives and vendor relationship management.
* Supporting the P&Ls to deliver required revenue and direct margin by leading price negotiation.
* Responsible for providing insight about the competitive landscape, underpinned by detailed analysis, ensuring that buy prices are set at the correct level to maximise profitability for RM.
* Displaying continuous improvement of suppliers.
* Owning, understanding, and managing risks and opportunities related to suppliers.
* Governing suppliers and facilitating audits where required.
* Leading and managing procurement to secure large deals in relation to bids.
* Training, supporting, and assisting Sales.
* Accountable for stock management, including forecasting and continuity of supply based on information supplied from the order book/sales/propositions.
* Establishing and monitoring clear and robust communication plans for suppliers, including escalation processes.
* Leading the process for onboarding a new supplier, ensuring agreements are in place that allow the new supplier to be managed effectively.
* Line management where required, training/mentoring junior staff.
* Applying industry best practices and guiding others where appropriate.
* Regularly suggesting and implementing improvements that enhance the team's efficiency and performance.
Experience
* Demonstrable experience of managing a similar level of spend and workload whilst working in a fast-paced role.
* Experience in negotiating with suppliers at a senior level.
* Demonstrable experience of building and managing relationships externally with suppliers and internally with stakeholders.
* Excellent planning and organisational skills and a flexible approach to workload demands.
* High levels of self-motivation, drive, and tenacity.
* Pro-active and innovative approach in providing solutions to challenges.
* Excellent written and verbal communication, with strong active listening and influencing skills.
* Excellent PC skills to include Microsoft Office.
* Excellent analytical skills.
* Knowledge of industry best practices.
What's in it for you?
At RM, we have "My Work Blend @RM" which provides office-based colleagues with multi-location and hybrid working options to suit them. As well as your office base, you can spend a proportion of your time working at other locations in the UK that suit your role and your life, including home, other offices, customer sites, distribution centres, or on the move. We encourage you to discuss arrangements for this role with your potential line manager during the recruitment process. We expect how we make best use of hybrid working may continue to adapt as we adjust to our new ways of working.
As well as a competitive salary and our core benefits package which includes private medical healthcare, life assurance, and a Group Personal Pension Plan with higher contribution levels available, some roles are also eligible for a performance-related bonus. There are lots of voluntary benefits too. You could buy additional annual leave, join our dental plan, sign for a health assessment, or take part in our cycle to work scheme. You could even earn yourself an extra bonus for successfully recommending a friend or family member for a position within RM.
To better reflect the society that we serve, we're committed to building a diverse workforce and creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for all. To achieve this, we create teams of talented people from different backgrounds and experiences and strive to be a business where our people can bring their whole selves to work. We also want to make the recruitment process as inclusive as possible for everyone. Should you require additional support with your application or through the interview process, please contact us at recruitment@rm.com.
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.
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