Category Manager - Piping

Client's Vision

Our client believes the oceans will provide the world with safe, sustainable, and affordable energy for generations to come. We share our experience to make it happen.

Profile

They design, build, install, and operate offshore floating facilities for the offshore energy industry. As a leading technology provider, we put our marine expertise at the service of a responsible energy transition by reducing emissions from fossil fuel production while developing cleaner solutions for renewable energy sources. More than 7,000 employees worldwide are committed to sharing their experience to deliver safe, sustainable, and affordable energy from the oceans for generations to come. Together, we are driving progress forward in a TRUE. BLUE. TRANSITION.

 

ROLE PURPOSE

The Category Manager is responsible for the development of the Category strategy in view of increasing the company’s competitiveness and actively participating in business development. The category strategy is a consolidation of:

• Your technical expertise of the products in your category in liaison with technical stakeholders.
• Your knowledge of the energy market pertaining to your category.
• Your assessment of the capabilities of the key vendors and their sub-vendors in your category, including the manufacturing processes, execution, and subcontracting model.
• Suitability of the vendors’ capabilities and their execution model to the company’s Product Lines.

You are in charge of the effective management of strategically important vendors and the efficient global sourcing of key equipment. You help to ensure that projects and operations receive the full benefits of these arrangements by supporting the correct implementation of the procurement strategy on proposals/projects/operations. You develop a long-term relationship with the strategic vendors and seek to continually and jointly improve vendor performance.

ROLE CONTRIBUTION

1. To ensure that the Category Strategy meets both the company’s strategic objectives and future project and operations requirements, you are to:

1.1. Define the roadmap of future technological requirements for the category based on continuous collaboration with Group Engineering, Group Technology, and strategic vendors.
1.2. Conduct market analysis in collaboration with other discipline stakeholders to finalize the strategy to meet future project requirements.
1.3. Understand the requirements of the Product Lines and engage in/facilitate technical & execution-related discussions with the vendors to ensure that the category strategy is aligned with the Product Line requirements.
1.4. Lead the preparation and finalization of deliverables associated with your category (Approved Vendor List (AVL), Framework Agreements (FA), Spend analysis, and other deliverables required by the Product Line).
1.5. Define Category performance objectives and translate them into vendor management and strategic sourcing objectives.
1.6. Lead the vendor qualification activities for the vendors identified as strategic in your category.

Measure of effectiveness:

• % of savings in schedule estimated for the category.
• Demonstrated quality of deliverables.
• Number of vendors related to the category qualified during the year.
• Number of frame agreements signed for equipment/service related to the category.

1. To ensure that projects and operations receive the benefits identified in the Category Strategy, you are to:

2.1. Support the definition and implementation of the Project Procurement Strategy (PPS).
2.2. Leverage the vendor network to build competitive advantages (e.g., strategic relationship) and assist in initiating pre-agreements during the win phase.
2.3. Provide direct support for negotiating key packages/services with vendors, as required.
2.4. Ensure that best practices/lessons learned are captured, formalized, shared, and implemented for continuous improvement.
2.5. Lead the drafting of generic Quality Control Plans (QCP) for equipment related to your category based on a multi-disciplinary approach.
2.6. Serve as the SC Group expert for your category and be recognized as the focal point by key stakeholders (Proposal, Engineering, Construction, Operations, Project Management) to provide assistance for any project/operations issues related to your category.

Measure of effectiveness:

• Demonstrated actions to monitor and implement lessons learned.

1. To ensure that category performance achieves the company’s SC objectives, you are to:

3.1. Ensure compliance with the category sourcing strategy during Win, Execute, and Operate phases.
3.2. Measure and monitor contracted savings from the implementation of the category strategy.
3.3. Monitor and report SC KPIs for the category (e.g., savings, % of spend under group framework agreements).

Measure of effectiveness:

• % of estimated savings in schedule delivered for the category.
• % of spend managed under GFA for the category.

1. To develop and nurture a sustainable collaboration with strategic vendors and achieve agreed improvement objectives in terms of quality, price, reliability, and/or capability, you are to:

4.1. Act as the single point of contact for communication with the vendor.
4.2. Increase the company’s attractiveness to achieve greater value (e.g., innovation, specific investments).
4.3. Monitor the vendor’s load level, capacity, and investment plans.
4.4. Identify risks & opportunities related to the vendor (e.g., mergers & acquisitions) and anticipate any changes impacting the vendor relationship strategy.
4.5. Define the Vendor Relationship Strategy, engage and mobilize the vendor to get the most out of the relationship.
4.6. Provide support to Project & Operations teams when the relationship with the vendor is at risk (e.g., dispute & claims resolution, manufacturing performance, slot allocation).

Measure of effectiveness:

• Number of organized strategic meetings (vendor day, partner technology day, steering committee).
• Achievement of vendor performance objectives.
• Number of vendor action/improvement plans.

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES

• Piping expert.
• Commercial Profile - Negotiator - Contractual Negotiation.
• Full understanding of the O&G Technical Standards for critical steel grades.
• Strong knowledge of European and Chinese markets.
• 15 years of experience in Piping Procurement roles in EPCI companies or Sales engineer/Project Manager at Vendors.
• Construction Site or Manufacturing plant experience would be a plus.

 

With over 90 years' combined experience, NES Fircroft (NES) is proud to be the world's leading engineering staffing provider spanning the Oil & Gas, Power & Renewables, Chemicals, Construction & Infrastructure, Life Sciences, Mining and Manufacturing sectors worldwide. With more than 80 offices in 45 countries, we are able to provide our clients with the engineering and technical expertise they need, wherever and whenever it is needed. We offer contractors far more than a traditional recruitment service, supporting with everything from securing visas and work permits, to providing market-leading benefits packages and accommodation, ensuring they are safely and compliantly able to support our clients.