Supply Chain Veg Category Specialist – Remote

About the position

Responsibilities
• Supporting the strategic category manager in achieving significant cost reductions in the Vegetation category
• Defining contracting optimization strategies that seek total cost of ownership and service level improvements
• Working directly with stakeholders to develop optimization strategies and improvement execution plans
• Leveraging technology, analytics, and tools to collect and analyze supplier spend data to drive savings
• Analyzing supplier performance data and providing input to category sourcing strategy
• Developing strategic plans for contracting and improving managed category
• Leveraging influence with stakeholders to develop cost saving efforts and ensuring compliance with supply chain processes
• Ensuring execution of strategies
• Leading supplier selection and management
• Helping to measure and track performance of both incumbent and new suppliers
• Developing knowledge and best practices in the category
• Ensuring user satisfaction and compliance of the strategic sourcing process
• Keeping strategic manager informed about acquisition progress
• Planning and leading bidding processes
• Coordinating with users’ technical assessment of received proposals
• Negotiating contract conditions that are more favorable for FirstEnergy
• Tracking market dynamics of category
• Defining cost benchmarks for Vegetation Category
• Serving as subject matter expert (SME) on supply chain category strategies, programs, and/or processes
• Leading and taking full ownership of assigned supply chain category
• Providing technical training and education to peers and other departments

Requirements
• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, business administration, engineering or related discipline and minimum 4 years’ related work experience is required
• OR High School or equivalent and minimum 7 years’ related work experience is required
• Successful track record in a procurement organization
• Demonstrable pattern of success in leadership of procurement-based projects and programs
• Able to lead others on projects and in solving highly complex problems and situations
• Subject matter expert on procurement topics relevant to the responsibilities of this position
• Category strategies under management
• Strategic initiatives for category optimization
• Performance indicators defined and clear for teams, designed with the performance management analyst