Job Family Group:

Procurement & Supply Chain Management Group

Job Description:

Role Synopsis

The Category Manager provides category leadership for key sub-categories of spend in support of their global category.

They undertake category management and global supplier relationship management, driving end-to-end spend management to mitigate supply chain risk and improve value delivery, including sustainability, within their category. They do this through collaborating across and beyond procurement, including with regional, business, and cross-functional resources.

They know their categories intimately and support development of innovative strategies which deliver business objectives and strong category guidance which ensures efficient end to end category execution. They work with regional and Capability Centre resources for optimal, compliant, and competitive procurement outcomes, collaborating across and beyond procurement.

Problem solvers with good commercial acumen, they create solutions to category challenges, they cultivate senior collaborator relationships and work with businesses to understand their evolving needs alongside developing deep insights into supply markets, including disruptors and technological advances.

 

They bring value through orchestrating development of transformational strategies in support of Castrol’s strategy, collaborating cross-functionally to realize identified value and working with delivery teams to ensure that their global strategies are driven locally.

 

The RE/FM Category Manager leads the development and execution of category strategies across Real Estate and Facilities Management, ensuring commercial value, operational continuity, supplier performance, and compliance with procurement and risk standards.

This role manages a diverse supplier base supporting property operations, workplace services, maintenance, facilities projects and outsourced services across multiple offices in more than 40 countries.

Develop, own, and continuously improve the RE/FM category strategy, covering areas such as workplace services, facilities maintenance, property management, utilities, repairs, and capital works.

Analyse category spend, demand patterns, cost drivers, and supplier market dynamics to find opportunities for value creation, standardisation, and cost optimisation.

Key Accountabilities

Category Strategy leadership: Collaborate to develop creative category strategies that address business needs, both globally and regionally, supply chain risk and sustainability. Analyze market factors to inform strategy excellence, remaining attuned to market dynamics, balancing needs with proactive transformational strategies.

Category excellence: Data led management of end-to-end category performance by working with the organization to understand demand and ensure strategies that can be accomplished effectively across teams.

• Skillfully navigates Castrol’s multifaceted operational frameworks, guaranteeing consistent strategy delivery and uninterrupted supply flow to make procurement easier for suppliers and collaborators to work with.

• Consider regional factors like laws, taxes, and market conditions in category management planning.

• Cultivates passionate partnerships and robust supplier relationships to navigate business challenges and unlock triple bottom line (people, profit & planet) value

Transformation and Change Management: Implement transformation initiatives, which deliver incremental business value. Ensure supplier performance, in a dynamic business environment, and implement change across diverse collaborator landscapes.

• Leverage digital solutions to drive innovation, enhancing efficiency, effectiveness and value creation

• Partner with internal field teams to drive category excellence

• Use influencing, storytelling and communication to encourage adoption

Team integration: Work within a team of category managers, embracing culture of collaboration, excellence, and continuous improvement. Acts as an SME and advocate for their category, sharing category knowledge across teams to ensure business needs are met.

• Builds category knowledge across the wider procurement organization to ensure strategy execution

• Develops their technical capabilities in order to deliver category operational excellence

• Embraces accelerator skills; curiosity in external markets, innovation and technological disruption, digital fluency, data-driven insights, and strong collaboration with both suppliers and stakeholders
• Embraces an environment of psychological safety as a foundation for collaborative learning, ideation and innovation

Supplier & Stakeholder Management: Uses storytelling to communicate with collaborators and external partners, respectfully challenging to achieve the right outcomes, resolving conflict and focusing on priorities. 

• Leads and influences through complexity and ambiguity, managing virtual relationships with partners in multi-discipline, multi-cultural environments

• Unites diverse partners, ensuring both advantageous supply avenues and collaborative solutions to business challenges

• Builds partner relationships, bringing market insights and championing supplier value whilst taking time to understand business needs. Becomes a trusted advisor and critical partner to collaborators

• Prepares documentation and relevant collaborator communication to enable key decision forums

Essential Education:

• Degree educated - something related to Business, Real Estate, Procurement preferred - or equivalent relevant professional experience
• Post graduate qualification related to procurement desirable

Essential Experience and Job Requirements:

Functional knowledge: Knowledge of category management principles and experience in undertaking procurement processes and developing category strategies.

• An understanding of how to ensure strategies flow through to execution in the businesses / assets 

• Strong understanding of Real Estate, Facilities Management, workplace services, building operations and vendor ecosystems.

• Prior experience in global, matrixed procurement environments dealing with global partners.

Business expertise: Partner management and influencing skills in order to develop a deep understanding of the supported businesses / regions / assets and their priorities, including long term objectives.

• An ability to quickly develop an understanding of the supported businesses / regions / assets and its objectives

• Knowledge of procurement for Real Estate and Facilities Management within a complex multinational business

• Knowledge in relevant procurement categories with an understanding of the market's dynamics and its influence on procurement strategies

Leadership: An SME in the relevant category, who shares knowledge with the wider team and implements the strategy. Collaborates across procurement, the businesses, suppliers and beyond to achieve their categories goals.

• Experience in leading initiatives internationally, recognizing cultural nuances, analyzing data-driven trends & insights, and employing agile/flexible approaches

• An advocate for our code, they incorporate the Operating Management System (OMS) and our safety leadership principles into strategies and everyday work

Problem solving: The role requires analytical thinking to develop and evaluate solutions, as well as judgement to translate business requirements into actionable plans.

• Embraces industry challenges and technological disruption, pioneers innovative solutions whilst managing risk

• Foster strong supplier relationships, bringing multiple parties together to collaboratively solve complex business problems

• Translates business requirements into a strategic category plan

• Uses critical thinking to make informed strategic decision

Interpersonal skills: Strong interpersonal skills are essential for collaborating with the category team, engaging with global, diverse stakeholders, communicating impactfully across organizational levels and managing change effectively.

• Stakeholder networking and influencing skills to ensure buy in and adoption

• Regular interaction with external suppliers and representing Castrol externally

• Effective change management

• Persevering through organizational complexity and resistance to change

At bp, we provide the following environment and benefits to you:

• A company culture where we respect our diverse and unified teams, where we are proud of our achievements and where fun and the attitude of giving back to our environment are highly valued
• Possibility to join our social communities and networks
• Learning opportunities and other development opportunities to craft your career path
• Life and health insurance, medical care package
• And many other benefits.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status!

Travel Requirement:

No travel is expected with this role

Relocation Assistance:

This role is not eligible for relocation

Remote Type:

This position is a hybrid of office/remote working

Skills:

Agility core practices, Agility tools, Analytical Thinking, Business Acumen, Business Requirements Analysis, Category spend profiling, Category Strategy, Cost modelling, Digital Fluency, Negotiating, Negotiation planning and preparation, Product and market intelligence, Supplier Performance Management, Supplier Relationship Management, Value creation and management

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Legal Disclaimer:

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, socioeconomic status, neurodiversity/neurocognitive functioning, veteran status or disability status. Individuals with an accessibility need may request an adjustment/accommodation related to bp’s recruiting process (e.g., accessing the job application, completing required assessments, participating in telephone screenings or interviews, etc.). If you would like to request an adjustment/accommodation related to the recruitment process, please contact us.

If you are selected for a position and depending upon your role, your employment may be contingent upon adherence to local policy. This may include pre-placement drug screening, medical review of physical fitness for the role, and background checks.