Senior Manager: Strategic Sourcing - Transnet

Position Purpose:

• Reporting directly to the Divisional CPO, leads Strategic Sourcing for Division, and supports Group-wide Strategic Sourcing COE initiatives.
• Leads sourcing of strategic commodities with the goal of achieving significant cost savings, year-on-year productivity improvement in the total cost of goods and services procured while maintaining or improving product quality and supplier service levels. This includes formulating strategies for the Division’s strategic commodities, from anticipating and consolidating demand signals to procurement strategies for execution by the Procurement Operations function.
• Active participation in cross-functional sourcing teams; executing portfolio-based commodity strategies; and ensuring the overall sustainability of commodity-based initiatives in the Division.
• Accountable for the delivery of savings targets for a designated portfolio of commodities. Plays an active role in effective execution of the integrated Supply Chain Management strategy (iSCM), specifically through participation in the Strategic Sourcing Centre of Excellence (SS COE).
• Attracts and develops necessary talent to build a distinctive Strategic Sourcing team within the Division.

Position outputs:

1. Strategic management of strategic sourcing at the Division:

• Implement and create focus around the medium and long-term strategic direction for strategic sourcing in the Division, to transform the Division’s strategic sourcing function into a world-class organisation, within the framework of Transnet’s iSCM strategy and the SS COE;
• Develop and manage the Strategic Sourcing budgeting process i.e. develop budgets based on targets and monitor progress against budget, delivery of benefits targets against action plans; and
• Ensure effective integration between the Division’s Strategic Sourcing function and Group Strategic Sourcing through participation in the Strategic Sourcing COE.

2. Oversight of strategic sourcing function:

• Implement standards and procedures for the overall Strategic Sourcing programme and Contract Management pertaining to strategic commodities (as contemplated in the SS COE and ratified by the Group iSCM Council);
• Deliver savings in terms of Degrees of Attainment (DOA) methodology and track attainment of these savings;
• Manage all procurement and related process for core business commodity purchasing;
• Consolidate demand signals from the business for core business commodities;
• Implement and monitor compliance on P2P (Purchase to Pay) controls framework;
• Prepare DAC (Divisional Acquisition Council) submissions;
• Drive consistent supplier relationship management (SRM) strategies, processes and systems across the Division, including monitoring, reviewing and reporting on SLAs;
• Advocate supplier development initiatives as part of sourcing, in close collaboration with the Supplier Development function;

and

• Sign-off procurement strategies.

3. Functional leadership and management:

• Provide high-level operational support to Commodity Teams as part of the overall Strategic Sourcing programme. This includes: providing functional leadership and management, lobbying senior executive support and buy-in for relevant strategic sourcing initiatives; and mediate on conflict points between commodity teams and other functions of Supply Management within the Division, including end-users and external stakeholders;
• Manage Commodity Managers to plan and resolve resource constraints in respect of staffing, information, systems or physical infrastructure; and
• Ensure good governance in all aspects of overall Sourcing programme by monitoring BCCs (Business Critical Controls), maintaining close integration and cooperation with the Governance and other relevant COEs.

4. Manage strategic initiatives:

• Contributes to the delivery of the SS COE;
• Monitor the consolidated achievement of strategic and tactical objectives, formulate and implement plans for corrective action, if required;
• Report on the overall performance of the Strategic Sourcing programme within the Division and progress against achievement of strategic and tactical targets on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis, in line with Divisional dashboard reporting;
• Monitoring and reporting on the Division’s strategic sourcing KPIs for upward integration into the Transnet-wide SS COE
  KPIs;
• Manage commodities and report monthly of savings and project roll-out; and
• Drive savings by consolidating commodity spend and suppliers across Transnet for the Division’s natural owned commodities (e.g. Rails) and for the Division’s own commodities; and converting regular buying to contracts and reducing acquisition costs and processing costs.

5. Stakeholder management:

• Communicate the vision and objectives of Strategic Sourcing to relevant internal and external stakeholders;
• Contribute to effective integration between Strategic Sourcing and the other components of iSCM;
• Act as the liaison and executing officer for the directives, mandates and initiatives set by the iSCM Council and other bodies and persons in authority; and
• Provide regular feedback on progress and highlight or escalate issues and problems immediately as they occur.

6. Capability development:

• Drive capability development initiatives for Sourcing within the Division;
• Approve performance measures (SPOs), ongoing performance management and appraisal for direct reports;
• Approve skills development plans for Commodity managers;
• Implement and manage succession planning in the Sourcing function as part of talent management within the Division;
• To lead capability development for sourcing within the Division and Across Transnet, by providing focused training initiatives on sourcing strategies, processes and systems; and
• Drive the values and behaviours required to create a positive motivational culture in Transnet’s iSCM arena, with specific
  reference to Strategic Sourcing.

Qualifications & Experience:

• A relevant bachelor's degree in Supply Management, Logistics, Commercial or Financial is required, CIPS Level 6 or a post-graduate degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Finance, or Commercial will be an added advantage;
• 8 years of relevant experience in Supply Chain Management Functions;
• Experience and Knowledge in Purchasing, Supply Management, Manufacturing or Financial Environments is desirable; and
• Contract management and extensive experience in contractual negotiations