Senior Specialist, Direct Category Management at IHS Towers

IHS Towers is the largest independent mobile telecommunications infrastructure provider in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Founded in 2001, IHS provides services across the full tower value chain – colocation on owned towers, deployment and managed services.

Today IHS Towers has operations in Nigeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Zambia and Rwanda. Following the recent acquisitions of MTN and Etisalat’s tower portfolios in Nigeria, IHS owns over 23,300 towers in Africa.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Senior Specialist, Direct Category Management

Location: Lagos, Nigeria

Job Description

We are currently recruiting for a Strategic Buyer in our Supply Chain team in Nigeria. Based in Lagos, our ideal candidate will be a key individual contributor in Direct Category Management, covering:
- Civil (new site build and site upgrade),
- Power, Electrical & Automation (generators, batteries, rectifiers, HVAC and solar),
- Radio Devices (inbuilding solution, microwave and radio frequency), and,
- Towers
As Strategic Buyer, you will be responsible for implementing approved sourcing strategies for direct procurement of medium to high complexity, giving due consideration to quality, cost, time/ schedule, risk and sustainability.

Key Roles & Responsibilities

Support the Senior Manager, Direct Category Management in identifying sourcing needs and provide inputs in developing the category’s sourcing strategies to ensure sustainable development.
Utilize lean manufacturing techniques in executing procurement of assigned products/ commodities within relevant departmental operating guidelines. Adjust lean parameters to ensure proper order quantities and delivery schedule.
Ensure that purchasing of works, services and materials is done at the best quality and delivered on time at a competitive price.
Award work to suppliers in accordance with the registered suppliers process and sourcing event criteria.
Solicit and evaluate supplier quotes to obtain the most desirable suppliers based on quality, timely delivery, and overall costs.
Analyze RFx using well-balanced dimensions and make appropriate recommendations to the Senior Manager, Direct Category Management and/ or Associate Director, Strategic Sourcing.
Lead negotiations with suppliers by considering total cost of ownership for direct category procurement.
Keep informed of economic, industrial and other trends that affect markets, prices and delivery conditions. Apply industry knowledge and market intelligence to ensure sourcing outcomes are competitive and value-adding to the business.
Deliver quality and cost savings through strategic procurement activities.
Analyze market and delivery conditions to determine present and future material availability and prepare analysis reports.
Review and monitor requisitions, purchase orders, supply sources, quotations and terms.
Provide overall assistance to own and other functions in matters pertaining to purchasing performance, records, accuracy of transactions, pricing projections, etc.
Maintain key purchasing data on the company’s system – e.g. lead time, minimum order, order multiple, safety stock, vendors, etc – to ensure accurate planning of requirements.
Work within approved supplier list and make suggestions for adding a supplier if needed. Maintain strategic relationships with top suppliers across all spend categories.
Manage and control the company’s suppliers. Identify poor performing suppliers and develop improvement plans. Monitor results and adjust plans. Research new suppliers and implement in accordance with master data supplier registration process.
Regularly review open POs for lateness and address any potential issues.
Provide early warning of potential lateness and work with shipments expeditor to resolve such issues before they affect supply requirements or customer on-time delivery.
Manage ongoing communications with suppliers. Act as liaison between vendors and user departments when necessary.
Liaise with Procurement Business Partners to ensure requirements including SLAs are refined and implementable in formal contracts.
Interpret and implement key compliance requirements relevant to all procurement categories.
Continuously improve systems and processes to drive improved customer performance at reduced cost, e.g. through revisions to purchasing strategies, collaboration with suppliers, improvements to forecast, or other targeted opportunities.
Perform other tasks and duties as assigned by the Senior Manager, Direct Category Management.

Job Requirements
Experience & Qualifications Required:

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering or related field in combination with relevant procurement certification, e.g. APICS CSCP (Certified Supply Chain Professional), CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Management), etc.
+10 years’ experience of purchasing / sourcing in a technical / operations environment, covering products and goods sourcing; planning, procurement, scheduling, and material/ goods & services control.
Demonstrable experience in working with complex sourcing projects and influencing / engaging cross-functional teams.
Good command of Excel and ability to understand and integrate ERP systems.
Extensive knowledge of bill of material structures and routing functionality.

Organizational Competencies: