Global Category Specialists at Save the Children

The Opportunity

We are currently recruiting for Global Category Specialists to be based in our Nairobi office. These are great opportunities for candidates with significant ambition and potential, in which you’ll have a significant impact on a greenfield area of spend and ensure we fully leverage our scale to achieve value for money within our 3rd party spend (approx. $450m).

You’ll be responsible for supporting the definition of category strategies and their implementation. You will drive and support the execution of sourcing projects and be a key point of interaction between the Global Category Manager and the analytical capability.

Depending on the category structure and shape, you will be fully responsible for driving value in certain sub-categories. The categories are:

Indirects: Professional Services (e.g. Legal, Consulting, Insurance), Business Services (e.g. Recruitment & Temp. Labour, Training, Travel, Facilities Management) and IT (e.g. IT Hardware, Services, Telecoms)
Directs: Medical (e.g. Pharma, Medical Consumables and Equipment), Logistics (e.g. Warehousing, Fleet, Freight), Nutrition/Food, Shelters and Education Supplies

In order to be successful you will bring:

• Significant experience in hands-on category management within a global organisation
• A track record of ensuring value for money
• Proven experience in setting up complex commercial contracts
• A proven ability to review procurement demands and trends and develop strategies to fill any gaps,
  Proven management, coaching and capacity building skills
• Highly developed influencing and negotiation skills
• Ability to engage in high level discussions with the business and challenge ideas where appropriate
• On a personal level you’ll have strong interpersonal and communication skills, cultural awareness and the ability to maintain confidence.

These roles are offered on the basis of national contracts.

The organisation

We employ approximately 17,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 60 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise children’s rights and ensure their voices are heard.

We are working towards 3 breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:

No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
Violence against children is no longer tolerated