Market Category Specialist Professional Services Africa at Diageo

About the Role

Your role will involve supporting strategic procurement by developing category plans using Diageo's methods to enhance procurement value, leading or assisting with sourcing initiatives for specific spend categories, and implementing category strategies in collaboration with global and market specialists. You'll develop expertise in specific spend categories, guiding Analysts in leveraging supply market data for strategy development. Engage dynamically across categories, contributing to flexible resource pools aimed at balancing demand peaks and troughs while accelerating career growth.

Role Responsibilities

General

• Applied Expertise: Build and share knowledge in one or more spend categories. Understand supply markets, suppliers, stakeholders, and negotiation strategies. Become a subject-matter expert within our global community.
• Category Excellence: Lead the development of market data, category strategies, and sourcing events using Diageo standards. Contribute to improving tools & techniques.

Category Strategy

• Business Partnering: Collaborate closely with category managers to deepen relationships with stakeholders, partners, and suppliers for enhanced insights.
• Strategy Development: Support evolution of category strategies by capturing business requirements, analyzing market dynamics, assessing opportunities, and proposing solutions.
• Best-in-Class Capabilities: Develop cost models considering scenarios with suppliers/stakeholders. Enhance analytics capabilities for regular strategy reviews.
• Strategy Execution: Facilitate end-to-end execution of strategies across geographical/organizational boundaries. Track progress against goals; provide detailed KPI data monthly.

Sourcing

• Execute sourcing activities for above-market leverage (CM2) and truly market-specific (CM1) spend categories utilizing best practices.
• Support effective planning/preparation using the Negotiation Toolkit; assist in negotiating/closing contracts; manage compliance throughout contract lifecycles.

Risk Management

• Identify strategic risks during strategy execution; follow-up on mitigations aligned with best practices. Address sourcing risks by engaging stakeholders/partners/suppliers effectively.

Supplier Relationship Management

• Establish trust-based relationships with market suppliers ensuring strong performance/risk mitigation/resolution foundations. Drive consistency/improvement across supplier KPIs/data application.

Excellence in Supply Chain ‘Source’

• Demonstrated experience working within standard end-to-end processes like Source-to-Pay adhering to core process/standards/KPI-led performance management structures/tiered reporting/review frameworks. Continuously develop through learning curriculums/materials available on Learning Hub/sources relevant to role growth/development opportunities at Diageo!

Experience / skills required:

• We are seeking candidates with a graduate or equivalent qualification who are members of a professional body such as CIPS. You should have a minimum of 4–5 years' experience in Procurement, Finance, FMCG Commercial, or another relevant field, with expertise in supply markets and spend categories pertinent to the role. Demonstrated success in projects and cross-market teams is essential, along with experience in developing and executing category and procurement strategies, and managing supplier negotiations. Strong analytical skills and financial awareness are crucial, including an understanding of AOP requirements and financial goals relevant to the categories in scope. A proven track record of generating insights to influence decision-making is important, alongside good commercial acumen. Proficiency in systems like SAP, PRDM, M/S Office, E-collaborate or similar tools is required. Strong verbal and written communication skills, presentation abilities, and interpersonal skills are also necessary. A history of consistent performance and delivery will be highly valued.