Category Manager

Location: Mill Bay - Squl’ew', Canada

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.

Victoria, Mill Bay, B.C., Hybrid

Position Summary

Thales requires a Category Manager will be responsible for the management of assigned suppliers supporting strategic projects and Business Lines. Suppliers may be developing and delivering complex, high risk, high value services typically under specific long-term subcontract agreements and associated terms and conditions. As a Category Manager you are responsible for the lifecycle of the assigned suppliers, and will ensure that the supplier executes to the requirements in accordance with the contract. Primary activities include managing compliance against contractual requirements, identifying and addressing areas of risk, and acting as a point of escalation as required.

The Category Manager (CM) may support one or several procurement categories.

• The CM is accountable for end to end performance of the acquisition process via the management of the RFI &/or RFP's until the PVet 4 stage for critical work packages (up to PVet 5 based on some Regions).

• The CM is expected to lead major / business critical supplier selection exercises to support business needs.

• The CM ensures the deployment, implementation and monitoring of agreed category strategies.

Furthermore, the CM is responsible for supplier relationship management and continuous improvement of suppliers within his/her category (with the support of Supplier Performance Management Team if needed) and the management of suppliers performance including, but not limited to, quality, cost, delivery, contractual performance and innovation.

Accountable for ensuring the most up-to-date knowledge of their supplier market, including new innovations and key emerging technologies relevant to their category.

An essential element of his role is to ensure that the suppliers provide the competitiveness required to support the business and to introduce optimal supply base changes to support business winning capability.

Key Areas of Responsibility

• 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 feedback 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 needs. Ensure 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 optimize 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.

Preferred Qualifications

Previous experience in the Defense Industry; and

Familiarity with Standard Acquisition Clauses and Conditions (SACC);

What We Offer

• Thales provides an extensive benefits program for all full-time employees working 24 or more hours per week and their eligible dependents, including the following:

• Company paid Extended Health, Dental, HSA, Life, AD&D, Short-term Disability, Cancer Care Program, travel insurance, Employee Assistance Plan and Well-Being program.

• Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP, DCPP, TFSA) with a company contribution and a match to a DCPP, with no vesting period.

• Company paid holidays, vacation days, and paid sick leave.

• Voluntary Life, AD&D, Critical Illness, Long-Term Disability.

• Employee Discounts on home, auto, and gym membership.

Why Join Us?

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Thales provides an extensive benefits program for all full-time employees working 24 or more hours per week and their eligible dependents, including the following:

• Company paid Extended Health, Dental, HSA, Life, AD&D, Short-term Disability, Cancer Care Program, travel insurance, Employee Assistance Plan and Well-Being program.

• Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP, DCPP, TFSA) with a company contribution and a match to a DCPP, with no vesting period.

• Company paid holidays, vacation days, and paid sick leave.

• Voluntary Life, AD&D, Critical Illness, Long-Term Disability.

• Employee Discounts on home, auto, and gym membership.

Thales is an equal opportunity employer which values diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. Thales is committed to providing accommodations in all parts of the interview process. Applicants selected for an interview who require accommodation are asked to advise accordingly upon the invitation for an interview. We will work with you to meet your needs. All accommodation information provided will be treated as confidential and used only for the purpose of providing an accessible candidate experience.

This position requires direct or indirect access to hardware, software or technical information controlled under the Canadian Export Control List, the Canadian Controlled Goods Program, the Canadian Industrial Security Program, the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the US Export Administration Regulations (EAR). All applicants must be eligible or able to obtain authorization for such access including eligibility to the Canadian Controlled Goods Program and able to obtain a Canadian NATO Secret clearance.