Category Buyer - Installation & Civil Works

Job description / Role

Location: Doha, Qatar

In fast changing markets, customers worldwide rely on Thales. Thales is a business where brilliant people from all over the world come together to share ideas and inspire each other. In aerospace, transportation, defence, security and space, our architects design innovative solutions that make our tomorrow's possible.

We have been present in Qatar for over 35 years and with over 350 employees to date and we are growing rapidly. Thales in Qatar is part of our Middle East business that has 1,800 people across Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, KSA, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar and UAE. Our people are working on two major urban rail projects; the Doha Metro and Lusail Tramway and providing security and communications systems for Hamad International Airport and Doha Port as well as delivering world-class In-Flight entertainment and Connectivity systems.

We are currently looking for a Category Buyer to join the Thales team in Qatar.

Role & Responsibilities:

The Category Buyer (CB) supports the Installation and Civil Works Category. CB works in close relation with the relevant Global Category Managers (GCM), the Categories Team leader (CTL), the Category Manager (CM) and the Tactical Buyer (TB).

In addition to this their main tasks are:

Category Strategy Development:

- Develop a Category Strategy for Installation and Construction for Qatar, in line with the Global Category Strategy set by the GCM and MEA regional standards by the CTL. This should include pre-selection of suppliers to meet future in country demand, and a Supplier Management approach for any category selected suppliers.
- Continuously update this strategy on a periodic basis, to align with changes in business demand and market drivers.

Operational Support:

- Develop and execute sourcing strategies for bids/projects; negotiate and coordinate signatures of installation and construction subcontracts.
- Ensure that the PPM and Tactical Buyer receive all required information to raise the Purchase Orders in accordance with the purchasing delegation rules

Procurement Competitiveness Capture:

- Monitor the markets for defined categories including key players, newcomers, economic evolution, market or regulation constraints, innovations and technology in order to support the development of the most up to date category strategies to the businesses.
- Based on the above provide insights as to how products / projects could be more competitive via the adoption of different suppliers / methodologies / technology etc.

Governance, Leadership and Performance Management:

- Ensure appropriate governance is applied using KPI's and root cause corrective actions

Supplier / Acquisition Management:

- Performance management of the supply base in line with the standards set out by the Global Category Manager
- Ensure that supplier competitions follow the governance process and are balanced and fair in order to improve business and customer performance
- Ensure that global contracts / framework agreements are adopted and utilised
- Ensure that Thales e-Acquisition and all THALES procurement tools are fully used
- Based on the performance management of the supply base identify the suppliers who require focused development actions and ensure that the Supplier Development
- Team have the required support / leverage in order for these actions to be successful

Requirements

Desired Experience & Skills:

- Strong sourcing capability and knowledge, preferred within the construction or installation environment
- Excellent contractual knowledge, and the ability to develop (with the support of Legal and Commercial) strong subcontracts, including customer flow downs.
- Experience with industry standard forms of contract, such as NEC/FIDIC/JCT is desirable
- Knowledge of subcontractor incentivisation strategies, including gain/share or performance linked payments.
- Experience in developing subcontractor performance management strategies, including development and monitoring of KPIs and operational performance reviews
- Ability to represent Thales and to demonstrate Thales values
- 5+ years' experience in Procurement function
- Experience working in projects with cross functional teams
- Experience working within the construction or installation market/category is desirable
- Excellent communication skills - written, verbal and presentation
- Excellent presentation and analytical skills
- A team player getting along well with people of different nationalities and backgrounds

Education Qualification:

- Bachelor's/Master's degree in Business, Procurement, Supply Chain or Engineering is desirable
- Fluency in English. Knowledge of Arabic and French languages will be an added advantage
- Recognized professional procurement qualifications (CIPS, EIPM, ISM, MAI) are desirable

At Thales we provide CAREERS and not only jobs. With Thales employing 65,000 employees in 56 countries our mobility policy enables thousands of employees each year to develop their careers at home and abroad, in their existing areas of expertise or by branching out into new fields. Together we believe that embracing flexibility is a smarter way of working. Great journeys start here, apply now!

About the Company

Thales is a global leader in advanced technologies, investing in digital and “deep tech” innovations – connectivity, big data, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and quantum computing – to build a confident future crucial for the development of our societies. The Group provides its customers – businesses, organizations and governments – in the defense, aeronautics, space, transport, and digital identity and security domains with solutions, services and products that help them fulfil their critical role, consideration for the individual being the driving force behind all decisions.

Thales has 81,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2020 the Group generated sales of €17 billion and Self-funded R&D 1B€.