Procurement Category Manager - Raw Materials (Cement)

Manager, Raw Materials

1. Strategic Sourcing & Procurement

• Develop and implement raw material sourcing strategies to optimize cost, quality, supply continuity, and supplier performance.
• Conduct market research, benchmarking, and cost analysis to identify savings opportunities and market risks.
• Develop detailed sourcing strategies and realistic cost models for raw material segments.
• Negotiate contracts, commercial terms, and service-level agreements with suppliers.
• Maintain market intelligence on availability, pricing trends, logistics constraints, and supply-demand dynamics.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align sourcing strategies with business and production objectives.

2. Category Management

• Manage raw material spend categories and develop analytics dashboards for performance monitoring.
• Analyze spending patterns and identify consolidation, standardization, and process improvement opportunities.
• Develop and maintain category strategies aligned with organizational objectives and production requirements.

3. Supplier Management

• Build and maintain strategic supplier relationships to ensure reliable delivery and business continuity.
• Monitor supplier performance across quality, cost, delivery, safety, sustainability, and service metrics.
• Lead supplier performance reviews, corrective actions, and supplier development initiatives.
• Oversee supplier qualification, registration, assessment, and risk evaluation processes.
• Act as the central procurement contact for supplier onboarding and qualification activities within approved systems (e.g., SAP / Supply Chain Hub).

4. Cost Optimization & Budget Management

• Identify and deliver cost-saving initiatives without compromising quality or supply reliability.
• Collaborate with Finance and Operations to align procurement plans with budgets and production forecasts.
• Track, validate, and report procurement savings and value-generation initiatives.

5. Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure procurement activities comply with company policies, ethical standards, and applicable regulations.
• Mitigate supplier, contractual, commercial, and supply continuity risks.
• Support business continuity planning for critical raw material categories.

6. Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Operations, Technical, Finance, Projects, HR, IT, Facilities, Fleet, and other functions to understand requirements and align sourcing strategies.
• Provide guidance on procurement best practices, supplier management, sourcing optimization, and savings initiatives.

7. Technology & Process Improvement

• Leverage procurement systems and analytics tools (e.g., SAP, Ariba, Supply Chain Hub, Power BI) to improve transparency, efficiency, and control.
• Drive process automation and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure procurement processes remain fit-for-purpose and scalable as business needs evolve.

8. Performance Measurement & Reporting

• Develop and maintain raw materials procurement KPI dashboards.
• Provide regular reports to Procurement leadership on performance, savings, risks, supplier status, and improvement opportunities.
• Use data analytics to support decision-making and strategic planning.

9. Safety, Quality & Environment

• Ensure compliance with all relevant HSE policies, procedures, and controls.
• Promote responsible environmental practices and support delivery of high-quality products and services.

10. Sustainability & People Initiatives

• Promote sustainable procurement practices that reduce environmental impact and support social responsibility objectives.
• Collaborate with key suppliers on sustainability and innovation initiatives.
• Develop and implement learning and capability-building programs for the raw materials procurement team.

Minimum Qualification

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, or a related field.

Professional Experience

• Minimum 10+years of experience in procurement, supply chain management, or raw materials sourcing, including at least 3 years in a leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience managing raw material procurement categories in manufacturing, industrial, cement, or multinational environments.
• Proven track record of delivering cost savings, service improvements, compliance, and supplier performance enhancements.
• Strong knowledge of strategic sourcing, contract management, procurement governance, cost modeling, market intelligence, and supplier relationship management.
• Experience with ERP and procurement systems such as SAP, SAP Ariba, Coupa, Supply Chain Hub, and analytics tools including Power BI.
• Excellent negotiation, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management capabilities