Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

In fast changing markets, customers worldwide rely on Thales. Thales is a business where brilliant people from all over the world come together to share ideas and inspire each other. In aerospace, transportation, defence, security and space, our architects design innovative solutions that make our tomorrow's possible.

We have been present in Saudi Arabia for 40 years and with over 600 employees to date, we are growing rapidly. Together we are delivering our signalling, control and train protection systems for the North –South Railway (NSR), the longest system of it’s kind in the world. Together we are key suppliers of In-flight entertainment and connectivity systems as well as air traffic management solutions in Saudi. We are making Saudi Arabia a safer place by securing the country’s critical infrastructure and e-security solutions that secure the country’s electronic payment systems. Thales has been selected to supply major electronic systems for air defence and the Group also supplied communication and optronic systems for the Army, the Saudi Arabia National Guards and the Air Force.

Reporting to the relevant Global Category Manager and / or Categories Team leader (CTL) depending of geographic location.

Key Figures :
- Annual volume of commitment and spend within relevant categories and % of Savings
- Number of suppliers for the given category and the structured closure of legacy, close and disengage suppliers as defined by the category strategies
- Year on year competitiveness and cost reductions
- Categories operational performance (quality, on-time delivery, supply risk assessment, ..)
- % Categories compliance with policy suppliers based on both commitment and spend
- Implementation of framework agreement(s) or specific contract(s) where there is a business need

The Category Manager (CM) supports one or several procurement categories.
The CM works in close relation with the relevant Global Category Managers (GCM), the Categories Team Leader (CTL) and the Tactical Buyer (TB).
All CM actions have to be in line with the strategy defined by the Global Category Manager and the CM will have a regular feed back loop with the GCM. The CM's prime role is the management of the RFI or/and RFP's until PVet 4 stage for business critical work packages (up to PVet 5 based on some Regions) in order to provide competitiveness to the business

In addition to this their main tasks are:
Strategy:

Provide input into worldwide category strategies for short, medium and long term needsEnsure the relevant players have a good knowledge of Thales need and support the category strategy so that the business secures targeted projects and customer competitive advantage.Ensure that clear and measurable savings targets are identified and delivered by category and endorsed by business / project.Ensure category commitment and spend compliance tracking is well reported.Procurement Competitiveness Capture:Monitor category markets on an on-going basis to identify and understand key players, newcomers, economic evolutions, market or regulation constraints, innovations and technology in order to support the development of the most up to date category strategies for the businesses. Based on the above provide insights as to how products / projects could be more competitive via the adoption of different suppliers / methodologies / technology etc.In conjunction with the Procurement Product, Bids and Project Managers (PPM) and cross functional teams, the CM supports the preparation of Make / Buy decisions (lead by the PPM) in order to optimise business performance.Governance, Leadership and Performance Management:Ensure THALES governance is applied using KPI's and root cause corrective actions

Supplier / Acquisition Management:

Performance management of the supply base in line with the standards set out by the Global Category Manager.Ensure that supplier competitions follow the governance process and are balanced and fair in order to improve business and customer performance.Ensure that the supplier contracts and framework agreements are negotiated when required in line with the category strategies.Ensure that global contracts / framework agreements are adopted and utilised.Ensure that specific legal compliance government or special customer requirements are taken into account during conception / implementation of category strategies.Ensure that Thales e-Acquisition and all THALES procurement tools are properly fully used according to governance procurement work packages at global level.Ensure that the risks, opportunities and Tier supply chain mapping is understood and managed in order to optimise business performance.Based on the performance management of the supply base identify the suppliers who require focused development actions and ensure that the Supplier Development Team have the required support / leverage to conduct successfully these actions .

Operational Support:

Ensure the Tactical Buyers receive all required information to raise the Procurement Orders.

Work Experience Requirements:

7+ years experience in Procurement. Experience of interactions with senior management and senior stakeholders, in complex project environment . Experience in  product policy, design / product development with cross functional teams in a Procurement Bids and Project role. Experience in sub-contract management and delivery of complex solutions. Experience & ability to define and to implement category strategy. 

Technical Skills:

Strong involvement in defining/ updating  the strategy with the GCM
Strong implementation of the strategy on an operational basis.
Has ability to use the "Thales tool box" in order to lead the category and manage the suppliers.
Strong contractual knowledge especially of framework agreements, Liability & insurance.  
Ability to lead complex negotiation including import / export considerations
Understanding of  the market for the category under his control but also ability to understand the customer’s stakes, needs and program issues
Mastering  economic models for the category so that increased value can be added to Thales and the supply base.
Proven ability to challenge and develop innovative supply chain / procurement analysis (CCO, should cost)  that adds value to the business and end customers.
Ability to manage complex sub-contracts including risks & opportunities and ability to identify Purchasing levers . 
Good knowledge of the best practice acquisition Process.

Soft Skills:

Leadership skills with the ability to influence in order to deliver business results
Ability to understand the business / global picture. 
Capability to work within and potentially lead cross functional and international multi organisational teams (teamwork) .
Open minded (listen, share ideas etc.) and able to bring added value and innovation 
Ability to handle conflicts and problem solving.
Ability to take initiatives and to perform  analysis and  synthesis. 
Agility and adaptation to  complex environment, international and intercultural. 
Ability to prioritise tasks while meeting deadlines under stress when needed 
Ability to represent Thales and to demonstrate Thales values 
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Language:

English & Arabic language fluency is mandatory. and French could be a +

Saudization + 

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