Category Manager

At Rogers, we connect Canadians to a world of possibilities and the memorable moments that matter most in their lives. Every day we wake up with one purpose in mind. To bring loved ones together from across the globe. To connect people to each other and the world around them. To help an entrepreneur realize their dream. A sports fan celebrate a special moment.

Because we believe connections unite us, possibilities fuel us, and moments define us.

As we grow our team, the well-being of our team members remains our top priority. To ensure the health and safety of our team members, including those in the recruitment process, our team members are temporarily working from home.

Category Manager, Access Networks Services

Reporting to the Senior Manager of Access Networks Procurement, the Category Manager position is a senior role within the Procurement and Supplier Management department. The successful candidate will have strong knowledge of construction, engineering and maintenance as it relates to the Cable Access Network and will be an expert on this spend category. The candidate will be quickly recognized by the Rogers’ business partner as a valued contributor in helping manage the strategic direction, total cost of ownership and risk. This individual must be an excellent communicator with proven ability to influence at all levels within the organization.

The successful candidate will be responsible for setting savings targets for the spend category and be accountable to working collaboratively with other groups within Procurement and with our business partners in Network and Finance to realize those savings through market tenders and negotiations. The individual will need to work across different pillars within the organization to corral and drive the overarching procurement point-of-view and to realize the desired outcomes. The Category Manager will cultivate a strong rapport with key senior technical, business and finance stakeholders / partners based on foundational trust, respect, collaboration, cooperation and help in achieving their business objectives. The Category Manager will coach and support other team members and work closely with senior leaders within the vendor marketplace.

What you’ll be doing:

• Create and maintain comprehensive category strategies based on category historic spend, top suppliers, marketplace intelligence, new entrants, disruptors, issues, gaps, opportunities, innovations, new products, industry trends, competitive intelligence, commercial models, delivery models, best practices, business direction, budget requirements and other factors
• Take full end-to-end ownership of the overarching and integrated spend category strategy to drive category transformation and short / medium / long term saving targets
• Act as the primary interface to key category business stakeholders
• Provide category leadership and direction to business partners and the Sourcing & Supplier Management team
• Influence the business with respect to gaining buy-in and alignment on the category strategy
• Drive relationships with key suppliers
• Identify cost savings objectives for the category and drive the total cost of ownership reductions
• Aggregate demand to leverage Rogers’ scale and scope to drive standardization and cost savings
• Ensure procurement cost saving challenges are built into the capital and operating budgets and Procurement’s projects and efforts are aligned to meet budget expectations
• Ensure procurement projects and savings are tracked against the budget and targets
• Manage the analysis of spend data to assist with the identification of sourcing and cost take-out opportunities
• Assist in additional analytical related activities including but not limited to compliance, catalogue adoption rates, procurement metrics and dashboards, etc.

What you bring:

• Deep knowledge of procuring Access Networks Services including the following:
  • HFC & fibre design and construction
  • Head-end design and installation
  • Drops, locates and surface restoration
  • Maintenance and repairs including long-haul fibre
  • Emergency on-call services restoration
• 7+ years of relevant work experience in the cable or comparative industry preferably in Network, or managing an Access Network Services category in a procurement setting
• Knowledge of category’s market trends and impacts to cost structures
• University/post-secondary degree required in engineering, computer science, business, commerce or economics. An MBA or M. Eng. is desirable but not required
• Strong relationship building and business acumen are required. Needs to be able to quickly establish credibility and influence with business stakeholders
• Excellent interpersonal and communication (verbal and written) skills. Ability to communicate / present complex topics to executive leaders and to “sell” by influencing their thinking and decisions
• Ability to deal effectively with ambiguity and resolve multi-party conflicts to get to the “right answer”
• Ability to be resilient when faced with opposition with a solutionist mentality
• Works collaboratively with members of their team and stakeholders across the business and seeks input as needed
• Understands the power dynamic within the spend category and will create his/her own network for success
• Must be a motivated self-starter and quick study of complicated technical topics
• Experience leading high level negotiations for technical products and services
• Proven analytical and problem-solving skills are required, as well as excellent attention to accuracy and detail
• Proven ability to be adaptable in a fast paced, consistently changing environment 
• Must be able to create comprehensive project plans and execute with discipline
• Requires proficiency in Microsoft products including PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Project
• Demonstrated mastery of Strategic Sourcing practices is preferred but not mandatory

 
As part of the recruitment process, the selected candidate will be required to provide employment references and successfully complete a background check which includes credit and criminal checks.

1. Our people are at the heart of our success
2. Our customers come first. They inspire everything we do
3. We do what’s right, each and every day
4. We believe in the power of new ideas
5. We work as one team, with one vision
6. We give back to our communities and protect our environment