Category Manager, Networks Transport

Telenor Group is a leading telecommunications company across the Nordics and Asia with 209 million customers and annual sales of around NOK 80.5 billion (2023) We are committed to responsible business conduct and driven by the ambition of empowering societies. Connectivity has been Telenor’s domain for more than 160 years, and our purpose is to connect our customers to what matters most.

We have a leading Nordic position in mobile, broadband and TV services, as well as substantial activities in subsidiaries and joint venture operations, including mobile financial services and online classifieds in the Asia region. Worldwide, Telenor Group and our operations’ teams are 11,000 people strong.

Telenor Procurement Company (TPC), established in 2017 and headquartered in Singapore, operates as a subsidiary of the Telenor Group. We deliver Global Category Management as a service to the Telenor Business Units, taking full responsibility for the end-to-end Sourcing process and performance of global spend categories. Functioning as one Global Procurement team across all Telenor markets, we enable Telenor’s strategic ambitions by becoming a centre of expertise in the pursuit of efficient operations. TPC seeks qualified procurement professionals that are comfortable working in a global setup in the fast-paced Telecom field.

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About the Role

As a Category Manager, Networks Transport you will be part of the Networks Sourcing Strategic team and you will report to the Head of Category - Networks Transport & Capacity. You will work closely with both Group units in Telenor and all of the Business Units. As a Category Manager you will be working closely with the entire category team by contributing to the end to end Category management and strategy development, including sourcing execution, contract negotiation, as well as supplier management processes. Scope of Category Manager - Networks Transport includes Microwave, IP Routers and WDM systems however he/she will also support in additional areas i.e. Fixed Networks Infrastructure, International Capacity & IP Transit, Satellite capacity, Leased Lines and Fiber Build. In addition, you will help Telenor Procurement Company to drive new focus area related to providing procurement services to 3rd parties.

Main tasks
- Collaborate with team members and other user departments for preparing and executing the category procurement strategy, innovative analysis and proactively addressing procurement needs.
- Execute sourcing projects at global level with participants from the Business Units as well as Group functions.
- Manage, lead and Support Category into Company business’s topic in Procurement As A Services (PaaS) that deliver value in the procurement of goods and services for the company.
- Collaborate with user departments to reduce the procurement cycle time.
- Ensure contract compliance with policies and achieve targets.
- Develop and prepare periodic reports on all procurement activities.
- Follow-up with the Business Units on contract management requirements.
- Lead negotiations and ensure delivery targets.
- Maintain an awareness of relevant and latest Sourcing and Procurement guidelines.
- Lead the implementation of category sourcing strategy.
- Identify, analyze, and develop vendor markets.

Profile

To enjoy this role and succeed in it you would need to be/have:

- Strong business knowledge in telecommunications landscape.
- An academic understanding of strategic sourcing and category management.
- Strong ability to communicate and interact effectively across organizational and cultural boundaries, internal and external.
- Be proficient in contract negotiations, networking and stakeholder management.
- Strong ability to communicate and interact effectively across organizational and cultural boundaries, internal and external.
- High level of integrity and ethics.
- Strong analytical, systems thinking and problem-solving capabilities.
- Able to work with a high degree of execution power and passion.
- Demonstrate commitment, maturity, flexibility, and speed in response to challenges.
- Highly creative and innovative mindset.
- Knowledge of sourcing techniques and demand management & demand forecasting methods.
- Familiar with contract setup activities such as specification definition, contract T&C setup.

Qualifications and Experience Requirements
- University degree in Finance, Business or Technology.
- More than 5 years in a procurement / contract management / Vendor Management / negotiations / supply chain management role or as Networks Transport functional expert.
- Broad experience with Microsoft & other relevant tools, e.g. ThinkCell etc.
- Have deep insight into end to end Sourcing process and strategies.
- Have good presentation and communication skills with proficiency in English with ability to influence colleagues and decision makers.
- Relevant Technology background would be an advantage.
- Be a part