Buyer, Category Management

About us

Here at National Grid, we connect homes and businesses to power, making sure supply and demand match each other. We make sure the lights are on in schools, operating theatres, and sporting arenas; we’re thousands of people working on behalf of millions of people. And whatever your role, wherever you work with us, you’ll help us hit stretching targets and achieve our far-reaching goal: to secure, clean energy that supports our world far into the future. Here, you will be at the heart of energy.

At National Grid, we work towards the highest standards in everything we do, including how we support, value, and develop our people. Our aim is to encourage and support employees to thrive and be the best they can be. We celebrate the difference people can bring into our organization, and welcome and encourage applicants with diverse experiences and backgrounds, and offer flexible and tailored support, at home and in the office.

Our function covers a diverse range of categories from Indirect, IT & Digital, Network Operations (Maintenance & Repair), Gas equipment and Services to large scale Construction and Network Equipment, with a clear mission: to enable a clean, fair, and affordable energy future through commercial, responsible and innovative supply chain leadership.

Job Purpose

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Category Buyer to join our team on a Full Time, Permanent basis with a Hybrid work schedule! This is a global role working with international suppliers. This opportunity is based at our Hicksville, Long Island NY offices.

The Category Buyer is responsible for strategic procurement operations within the aligned business area. The role will partner with the Category Manager in the delivery of Category strategies, working with the NG business units to share supply chain insight and recommendations, award Contracts from leading strategic sourcing events, lead commercial negotiations, draft contracts, and engage and manage suppliers.

These Category Buyer is accountable for high value, business critical goods and services, engaging at various levels of the organization to ensure delivery of business priorities. We are recruiting for roles across the entire function across the following disciplines: Direct Category Management.

National Grid is leading the charge towards a Net Zero future in the UK and NE of USA. We recognize that decarbonizing our electric and gas systems will require resolving many questions and seeking new partnerships, technologies, and transformative investments. Over the next 5 years, we will be investing over £60bn across our UK and US businesses – nearly double the investment over the past 5 years. This is an exciting time for our industry that is creating significant opportunities for National Grid; this is not just a moment in time; it's agame-changing era that will shape National Grid's success for decades to come.

Working to procure equipment and services such as transformers, steel structures, switchgear, cable, civils, or vegetation management (and many others) in support of National Grid Business Units. The variety of roles available include roles within our UK and US business units, as well as roles that procure on behalf of the NG Group.

Given this backdrop, our supply chains are facing an unprecedented set of challenges and are at the forefront of our plans, placing National Grid Procurement at the center of our Net Zero goals. We have set out an ambitious transformation plan, focused on becoming a client of choice for our supply partners whilst ensuring outstanding outcomes for our Business Units (BUs).

Our strategy revolves around significant changes in three core areas:

• Partnering: We are forging closer ties with our supply chain, aligning ourselves more closely with each NG Group Business Unit (BU).
• Scale: We are leveraging the immense scale of our group to unlock even greater potential. By harnessing our collective strength, we can achieve remarkable things.
• Operational Transformation: We are revolutionizing the way we work as a team. Embracing new approaches and technologies, we are streamlining processes and making the day-to-day job simpler and more efficient.

Key Accountabilities

This role will engage and build strong working relationships with stakeholders across the business, within procurement, and externally, to develop commercial strategies, source and contract the goods and services required to meet the business needs.

• Accountable for the development of category strategies, commercial recommendations, and execution of sourcing strategy for allocated categories, executing standardized strategic sourcing processes from market engagement through to award, ensuring goods/services are procured in a best-in-class manner that drives value.
• Deliver multiple strategic sourcing events within your portfolio, working with stakeholders to understand and challenge demand and ensure the best possible commercial solutions for National Grid.
• Support the overall development and delivery of assigned category strategy and share best practice across other category teams.
• Profile category characteristics and research supply markets, suppliers, and assess trends, opportunities, and risks, feeding insights into the Global teams and Market and Supplier Development teams.
• Deliver value by effectively managing tender events for key products required by the business.
• Work with Contract Managers and/or Procurement Program Managers to ensure the successful delivery of contracted activities, identifying continuous improvement category opportunities through engagement with suppliers and stakeholders, and maximizing value for money from contracts awarded.
• Contribute to an effective forward planning process by identifying future requirements of supported areas and ensuring robust forecasting is put in place that maximizes value of goods/services procured.

About You

• Degree or equivalent experience
• Significant experience of strategic sourcing and category management
• Highly proficient in Excel, PowerPoint, MS Office applications
• An understanding of project management principles and ideally evidence of managing multiple projects and consistently delivering outstanding results.
• Ability to prepare for and lead negotiations.
• Ability to travel to multiple locations across Long Island as needed
• Ability to build and manage complex commercial assessment models.
• Experience of contract development, including the ability to make recommendations and amendments to existing contracts as well as drafting new ones.