Head of Group Procurement Category Management - IT

Location:

London, London, United Kingdom

Job ID:

R0101513

Date Posted:

2025-08-26

Company Name:

HITACHI RAIL LIMITED

Profession (Job Category):

Customer Service & Contact Center Operations

Job Schedule:

Full time

Remote:

No

About Us

A career at Hitachi Rail will help create a legacy. With operations in every corner of the world, our work goes to the cutting-edge of digital transformation and technology. From the multi-cultural strength of our global organisation to the sustainable and innovative ways we work to bring people together, there’s something for everyone to get stuck into. And that’s where you come in.

Job Description:

Your new role

Here at Hitachi Rail we have a unique opportunity for an experienced, dynamic and qualified Global Head of Category Management – IT to join our team. Using your prior experience working in IT category management, you will work directly with the global IT Leadership team and be responsible for managing a portfolio of IT spend categories by developing short, medium, and long term procurement strategies to maximise leverage through the effective prioritisation of projects and resources.

This is a very strategic role where the successful candidate will need to ensure they keep updated with changes in technology while keeping abreast of market trends that could affect business goals. Due to the nature of this role some international travel will be required.

Specific responsibilities will include:

• Develop and maintain excellent professional relationships and networks with business partners and suppliers to deliver financial benefit through strong presentation and facilitation skills.

• Excellent communicator, committed to ensuring the procurement delivers outstanding customer service and creates value through cost and/or service improvement.

• Own the category planning cycle for a portfolio of spend categories developing a bottoms-up plan detailing in-year and long term commercial targets aligned to business operating plans

• Develop and execute category management strategies for long term breakthrough value achieving competitive advantage through cost reduction, quality, compliance, sustainability, risk mitigation and innovation from existing and new suppliers

• Accountable for sourcing, benchmarking, and negotiation activities within the category, ensuring compliance to all Hitachi Rail processes, continuous improvement in terms of quality, service, and total cost of ownership in-line with business requirements.

• Ensure financial targets for all spend categories are achieved within the portfolio.

• Apply advanced procurement methods (such as gain sharing, clean sheeting, reduced cost to serve) to improve the results of strategic sourcing.

• Identify strategic suppliers and partners through segmentation of spend on the basis of risk, criticality and volume of spend allocating time to areas that derive value.

• Approval of suitable suppliers for the commodity portfolio, ensuring Hitachi Rail on-boarding process is followed.

• Establish roles and responsibilities for supplier governance to improve the alignment of supplier agreements with business partner objectives

• Develop continuous improvement plans with strategic suppliers to accelerate the development of supplier capabilities through collaboration, increasing value and pursuing further cost reduction.

• Undertake contract reviews of existing agreements and exploit opportunities to make in-contract life savings.

About you

• Prior experience working in a Senior Category Management role, specifically linked to IT categories.

• Good time management skills: managing priorities and keeping to deadlines.

• Experienced procurement practitioner with the knowledge of strategic sourcing, category management processes and supplier management tools and techniques (although not specifically in the rail industry).

• Able to negotiate directly with suppliers for all contract provisions.

• Experience of leading and developing cross-functional project teams.

• Strong analytical skills and action focussed to capitalise on identified opportunities

• Robust understanding of Contract law and contract drafting for different types of Product / Services.

• Appreciation of cost saving methodologies such as should-be cost modelling, value engineering, and logistics optimisation.

• Strong commercial acumen and data presentation skills with an ability to influence and persuade stakeholders

• Excellent knowledge of Excel and other Microsoft office packages

• Experience and understanding of Contract Lifecycle Management tools (preferably Bravo Solutions)

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level

• Member of Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS), or Institute of Supply Management (CPSM, or CPM) or another appropriate professional institute or relevant experience.

What we offer

We value the importance of all of our employees, if you would like to join our fantastic organisation you could be entitled to:

• Competitive salary

• Annual Performance bonus paid on discretionary basis.

• 25 days holiday

• Pension scheme with contributions up to 9%

• Private medical insurance

• Personal Accident insurance

• Group Income protection

• Group Life Insurance

• Employee Assistance Programme

We also offer additional perks for you to choose from within a flexible plan that will meet your specific needs and lifestyle.

#LI-GF1

Thank you for your interest in Hitachi Rail. If your application is of interest, we will be in contact. Please do not hesitate to discover more about us and our latest jobs at https://www.hitachirail.com/careers .

At Hitachi Rail, there is a place for everyone. We welcome and value differences in background, age, gender, sexuality, family status, disability, race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, and world view. It is our commitment to create an inclusive environment - we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

We would be delighted if you would be one of our followers at https://www.linkedin.com/company/hitachirail