Senior Category Specialist

About us

National Grid lies at the heart of a transforming energy system, spanning the US and the UK. Our businesses supply gas and electricity, safely, reliably and efficiently to millions of customers and communities. But we also drive change through engineering innovation and by incubating new ideas with the power to revolutionize our industry.

As the world changes to embrace cleaner energy and businesses shift to operate in a more responsible way, we are leading that charge. We are focused on finding ways to decarbonize the energy system; from investing in renewable energy generation in the US, to building interconnectors to allow the UK to share clean energy with our neighbors in Europe.

At National Grid, we don't just ask our people to deliver to the highest standards. We also support them to be the best they can be. We welcome and encourage applicants with diverse experiences and backgrounds. National Grid's ambition is to drive, develop and operate our business in a way that results in a more inclusive culture. We are committed to building a workforce which represents the communities we serve and a working environment in which each individual feels respected, fairly treated, valued and able to reach their full potential.

We are currently looking for highly motivated individuals with critical thinking skills who want to join a dynamic and fast paced organization going through a major transformation. If you are someone who's looking to bring innovation, contribute ideas and play a part in renewing the Global Procurement organization we want to hear from you!

Job Purpose

The Sr. Category Specialist is responsible for supporting National Grid's sourcing activities within the US Procurement organization. They are key members of our category management teams, and deliver innovative thinking supported by detailed analytics, data science, market research, and subject matter expertise, in order to help our category teams and stakeholders make effective sourcing decisions.

Key Accountabilities

US Procurement at National Grid is structured into five category teams: Electric, Gas, Corporate Indirects, Construction & National Grid Ventures. Additional work will include categories offshore wind/energy efficiency/solar interconnects/future of heat.

Category Management

• With support of the Category Manager, work with Stakeholders to establish clear business needs, apply forward thinking skills to establish flexible long-term category strategies with value options & clear supplier performance criteria


• Able to execute operationally, complex sourcing activities; able to implement more than one option: RFX, e-sourcing and reverse auctions


• Analyze forecast trends and track category savings targets in support of Procurement and category team commitment and goals.

Commercial Negotiation

• Solid understanding of contractual terms & conditions and able to craft structured agreements with legal and stakeholder input


• Establishes structured negotiation plans with clarity of desired outcomes, leveraging stakeholder input and support where appropriate


• Has basic understanding of supplier's position, desired outcomes, and leverage points

Supplier Relationship Management

• Identifies critical suppliers and creates appropriate engagement plans to ensure our Supply Chain risk profile and inputs to continuous improvement are proactively managed


• Demonstrates a collaborative approach with supply base and develops integrated plans to drive appropriate value for business and customer requirements


• Builds appropriate supplier performance measurements (KPIs) into contractual frameworks

Procurement Process Management and Improvement

• Drive continuous improvement to identify and eliminate waste in the extended E2E Supply Chain

Systems and Analytics

• Ability to adapt to different ERP systems such as SAP, Tableau, Ariba, Spend Analytics


• Understands how to analyze large data sets and extract information for strategic decision making

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; supply chain, finance, business or operations preferred.


• Preferred 5+ years' experience in strategic sourcing, contract negotiations and vendor management.


• Experience with software procurement strongly desired.


• Strong interpersonal skills, specifically working cross-functionally to support critical business objectives at all levels of the company.


• MBA, MS preferred. Successful completion of professional negotiation coursework preferred


• An equivalent combination of education and extensive subject matter expertise along with procurement process experience may be accepted as a satisfactory substitute for the specific education requirements listed above.

More Information

Annual Salary:

UNY $78,000-$92,000

DNY $94,000-$110,000

MA $88,000-$103,000

Salary commensurate with experience and location.

This position has a career path which provides for advancement opportunities within and across bands as you develop and evolve in the position; gaining experience, expertise and acquiring and applying technical skills. Candidates will be assessed and provided offers against the minimum qualifications of this role and their individual experience.

National Grid is an equal opportunity employer that values a broad diversity of talent, knowledge, experience and expertise.  We foster a culture of inclusion that drives employee engagement to deliver superior performance to the communities we serve.  National Grid is proud to be an affirmative action employer. We encourage minorities, women, individuals with disabilities and protected veterans to join the National Grid team.