Manager, Category Management (Shared Services)

This Manager, Category Management (Shared Services) is a critical position that supports the Cheniere corporate functions businesses with the development and deployment of category strategies. In doing so, the Manager will work closely with business partners to source, select, contract, and manage supplier relationships. Additionally, this position will be responsible for integrating new business processes, sourcing, and contracting principles and systems being developed through our SCM transformation.

The Manager shall have experience with all the processes associated with category management to include category strategy development, annual planning, sourcing, contracting, contract management and supplier management.

This is a non-DOT position.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND ESSENTIAL DUTIES

The Manager of Category Management is responsible for:

- Managing a team of Supply Chain professionals.

- Integrating and working lock-in-step with business partners in Human Resources, Information Technology, Facilities, Health & Safety, Security, Sustainability, and other corporate function businesses.

- Managing categories and contracts associated with Human Resources, Information Technology, Facilities, Health & Safety, Security, Sustainability, and other corporate function businesses.

- Maintaining and supporting the Shared Services Category Management team’s category strategies with business stakeholders.

Leadership

- Provides leadership in the management of the team’s category portfolio, value delivery, data integrity and communication.

- Leads, coaches, and performance manage team’s quality of work, and career development.

- Communicates with business stakeholders to align the strategic intent of supplier relationships, category or sourcing strategies and the business needs.

- Proactively influences senior leaders to gain alignment and access to appropriate resources.

- Coordinates business specific interests while leveraging Cheniere’s scope and scale.

- Supports innovation and introduction of changes considering internal and external market challenges.

- Ensures the timeliness and quality of sourcing and contracting.

- Provides assurance for team performance, quality of work, data management and capability development related to their Sourcing, Competitive bidding, Contracting and category implementation.

Stakeholder Management

- Acts as the primary interface for all 3rd party spend in the category for Business and SCM.

- Owns business relationships and collaborates with their teams to provide thought leadership and way of working that drive category and contract management best practices.

- Supports cross-team workload balancing to ensure SCM services are delivered with quality and timely response.

- Develops supplier management plans for category-specific suppliers, to manage internal and external relationships focused on enhancing collaboration and value.

- Manages targeted supplier relationships for the Category.

- Champions supplier innovation with business stakeholders and leadership to contribute to Cheniere’s future success.

- Supports Contract Owners to gather performance feedback for effective contractor and supplier management (per Cheniere’s Operating Management Systems element 9.1).

Category Strategy and Implementation

- Provides input to the development of comprehensive Category Strategies.

- Integrates and connects demand planning, materials management, inventory strategy, contract call-off, buying and invoice requirements to deliver the Category.

- Ensures the category activities are compliant with local laws/regulations, policies and SCM functional policies, procedures, and guidelines.

- Implements end-to-end category strategies – from the development of the strategy, through the implementation and benefits realization of that strategy.

- Provides expertise within their category portfolio, with an intimate knowledge of the supply market dynamics, the latest thinking on innovative technologies, disruption, and innovative commercial contracting.

- Ensures category coverage, timeliness and quality of all contracts required for safe, reliable, and competitive business operations

Sourcing, Contracting, and Contract Management

- Ensures all category specific sourcing & contracting is delivered in a compliant, timely, and accurate manner.

- Perform negotiations to establish contracts with qualified suppliers, to secure equipment, materials, and services on time at optimum cost for the Company.

- Drafts, evaluates, negotiates, and executes contracts (several types, including lump sum [firm, fixed price], time based, and multi-year contracts).

- Maintains an awareness of supplier activity to ensure supply of materials, equipment, and services required for current and future needs.

- Ensures contractual records and documentation for all suppliers are maintained in the appropriate systems.

- Supports the Delivery Purchasing team in the establishment of Contract Purchase Agreements (CPA’s) and Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPA’s) as appropriate for the business and supplier contracts.

- Supports the Delivery Purchasing team to establish transactional purchases against established contracts.

- The duties and responsibilities described are not a comprehensive list, and additional tasks may be assigned to the employee from time to time; or the scope of the job may change as necessitated by business demands.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Knowledge:

- Understanding of LNG or Oil & Gas plant or pipeline experience.

- Understanding of corporate contracting requirements to be used centrally and by operating sites.

- Advanced knowledge of category management strategies, inventory management and purchasing.

Skills:

- Ability to create and manage Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) models.

- Demonstrated ability to manage cross-functional teams. Collaborative, teamwork approach with alignment with company values.

- Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management abilities.

- Strong organizational and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.

- Advanced MS Office skills.

- Proficiency in ERP or similar procurement software and central contract management system.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Education and Certifications: Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in Supply Chain or related field.

Experience: M inimum of ten (10) years of relevant, progressive Supply Chain Management experience.

Manager, Category Management must have experience with the following:

- Managing teams of direct and indirect reports.

- Leading cross functional teams across multiple organizational disciplines.

- Hands-on experience with sourcing, negotiation of general material and service contract provisions, commercial terms, and post award contract management.

- Hands-on experience with managing and delivering value from supplier relationship management.

- Hands-on experience with source-to-contract and purchase to pay systems i.e. Oracle, SAP, GEP, Coupa, JDE, etc.

- Experience with the following spend categories or another relevant category experience: Any of the following categories: Software Services, IT Hardware, Contingent Labor, Fleet Management Services, Consulting Services, Security Services, HR Services, Waste and Environmental Services, Logistics Services, Warehouse Services, Travel Services, and other corporate shared services.

DIRECT REPORTS

Team of Category Management Specialists.

WORK CONDITIONS

- Physical Area: Our Houston office is located in the heart of downtown and we offer free parking or a metro ticket to get here. With all corporate teams at the same location, there’s always a buzz around the office. You’ll have dedicated desk space and plenty of human interaction.

- Facilities and hardware: Our offices are modern, bright, and designed to foster collaboration. You’ll have access to great IT equipment and support and can readily access the downtown tunnels, restaurants, and gyms. You may occasionally need to travel to our sites at Sabine Pass and Corpus Christi, and those sites are governed by FTZ regulations which include drug and alcohol testing.

- Working conditions: Cheniere is committed to improving the wellbeing of our employees and while you may on occasion need to work outside usual working hours, we aspire to provide a good work life balance for all.

- Company culture: So, what’s the culture like at Cheniere? It’s our values — teamwork, respect, accountability, integrity, nimbleness, and safety — at work. We’re happy when we hear employees say we have a great culture. But we’re not satisfied with building a great culture, we’re endeavoring to build the best culture.

- Job is performed in a typical office environment, but is subject to time pressures and constraints, and is often dependent on input from others.

- Occasionally, work may be performed from home, after normal work hours or on weekends.

- Periodically travel as business requires.

- Subject to drug and alcohol testing, per applicable federal regulations or as required by Cheniere.

ADA JOB REQUIREMENTS

Reasonable accommodation will be made to ensure that the essential functions of the job can be performed and not hinder the employee's performance due to physical, mental, or emotional disability.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Cheniere Energy is an equal opportunity workplace. All employment decisions are made without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other legally protected categories. This includes providing reasonable accommodation if requested for disabilities or religious beliefs and practices.