The IPS Procurement Category Management Org is responsible for the procurement of all third party provided services required for the operation of our Data Center infrastructure globally, including Colo and Edge facilities for externally delivered services not provided by the facility owner. The team is responsible for the identification, on boarding and performance management of suppliers as well as developing category strategies, conducting competitive tendering processes, supplier negotiations and the preparation of associated Work Orders.
The team is structured into three regions, each led by a regional manager, with each regional team composed of category managers with responsibility for the management of specific areas of spend within the region and a cohort of procurement specialists who support the category managers. The category management approach facilitates a strategic approach to procurement by facilitating in depth market analysis coupled with a cross functional approach to identify supplier and associated contracting options which are focused on meeting the particular needs of the business. Category management moves beyond traditional transactional based purchasing negotiations to provide a strategic approach to longer term, sustainable cost reductions, reducing risk and increasing resiliency in the supply base and facilitating innovation from within the supply base that the business can leverage.
While cost reduction will always be a key focus of the team, the principle cynosure of the team is the delivery of services that are keenly focused on increasing reliability and supporting enhanced availability through robust relationships which support continuity of operations. As service and quality levels can vary greatly, principally based on the skill set within a supplier local organization, the regional structure facilitates tailoring of category strategies to meet local market considerations and closely monitor supplier performance at the local level.
Key job responsibilities
The ideal candidate thinks long term, drives multiple initiatives, and communicates appropriately and influences customers and suppliers at all levels. You must be collaborative, but also work with significant autonomy. To be successful in this role you must be highly analytical; think strategically and globally; have a sense of urgency to meet customer timelines; exhibit curiosity and learning drive; succeed in a fast-paced environment; engage and influence key stakeholders; and have a high level of customer focus and business judgement. Also, you must have a demonstrated track record of managing multiple projects and driving them to completion to meet business objectives. It will be critical to embrace and model Amazon’s Leadership Principles and have an entrepreneurial spirit with a “get it done” mentality.
Manage a complex category within the Maintenance, Repair, and Operation (MRO) and Facility Management domains.
Achieve cost savings through bidding and negotiations, drive collaboration to achieve long term value delivery.
Obtain market intelligence, analyze category data and metrics to drive Procurement category strategies.
Understand trends in customers’ needs and concerns, across categories and regions, to influence customers’ priorities.
Lead supplier selection process across multiple sub-categories, internal teams, and regions, and create longer-term supplier selection strategies for management.
Ensure you are knowledgeable about the supply market, new innovations and supplier capabilities, technically and geographically.
Ensure you are knowledgeable about sustainability, diversity, in-country value and have experience developing category strategies to incorporate same.
Develop mechanisms and metrics to track supplier performance related to delivery, quality, and cost.
Create supplier scorecards to measure and track supplier performance.
Lead business reviews to discuss best practices and issues and to ultimately improve supplier performance and strengthen business partnerships.
Innovate within the procurement space, automating and/or improving tools or processes to better support the Procurement Lifecycle.
Provide support throughout the contracting process, as well as SRM and management of contracts post-execution.
Travel domestic and international as required.
About the team
Diverse Experiences
AWS values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the qualifications and skills listed in the job description, we encourage candidates to apply. If your career is just starting, hasn’t followed a traditional path, or includes alternative experiences, don’t let it stop you from applying.
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5+ years of procurement, supply chain, inventory management, contract management, lease administration or operations experience
5+ years of relevant strategic sourcing including vendor negotiations, global contract management, process improvement, operational and financial analysis experience
Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Finance, or a related technical field
Experience in procurement, supply chain, inventory management, contract management, lease administration or operations
Experience in strategic sourcing including vendor negotiations, global contract management, process improvement, operational and financial analysis
Experience with data analysis tools such as Advanced Excel, SQL, Tableau, Python
Experience in global supply chain management, managing cross-functional teams in a fast-paced consumer electronics product company
4+ years of relevant strategic sourcing including vendor negotiations, global contract management, process improvement, operational and financial analysis experience
Master's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Finance, or a related technical field
Experience in program, project, product management, or leading a product implementation process
Experience in data centers, infrastructure service providers, or related technology companies
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