Manager - Purchasing - job 3 of 3

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With the right backing, people and businesses have the power to progress in incredible ways. When you join Team Amex, you become part of a global and diverse community of colleagues with an unwavering commitment to back our customers, communities and each other. Here, you’ll learn and grow as we help you create a career journey that’s unique and meaningful to you with benefits, programs, and flexibility that support you personally and professionally.

At American Express, you’ll be recognized for your contributions, leadership, and impact—every colleague has the opportunity to share in the company’s success. Together, we’ll win as a team, striving to uphold our company values and powerful backing promise to provide the world’s best customer experience every day. And we’ll do it with the utmost integrity, and in an environment where everyone is seen, heard and feels like they belong.

Join Team Amex and let's lead the way together.

About Global Supply Management

Global Supply Management (GSM) is responsible for helping Amex maximize the purchasing power of over $10B annual third party spend. We provide strategic consultation to the business and provide end to end procurement services. We maximize the purchasing power of the Company to drive the best value from our supplier base which then frees up investment capacity for the Blue Box. GSM, together with our business partners, manages the supplier strategy for the Company, identifying and on-boarding new suppliers, realizing significant cost saves in addition to revenue generation relating to working with Global Commercial Services and Global Merchant Services to increase billings and merchant coverage and ensuring an optimal user experience for Amex colleagues and suppliers.

Position Summary:

Global Supply Management (GSM) is responsible for helping American Express maximize its purchasing power. The Category Manager role is to develop and grow relationships with business partners to understand objectives, key priorities, and opportunities. Additionally, they will develop strategic, forward thinking plans with multi-year value generating initiatives to enable business success. This is a global role supporting all American Express customer segments across multiple sub-categories such as facilities management, construction, design, and airport lounge.

Your mission:

Develop and grow relationships with business partners to understand objectives, key priorities, and opportunities while leading a cross-functional team to develop strategic, forward-thinking strategies with multi-year value generating initiatives to enable business success.  

Responsibilities, at a high level, include:

• Lead cross-functional teams to develop global category management plans to meet business and enterprise objectives, understand spend profiles, leverage benchmarking, and prepare business cases and presentations for business leaders
• Partner with business leaders and Source to Contract team to develop sourcing strategies and plans, negotiate key deals and contracts and complete supplier assessments and selections through RFx activities
• Develop and grow strong relationships with business and Real Estate Services partners to understand key business strategies, annual goals/objectives, and identify issues, economic challenges, and potential opportunities (e.g., influence requirements, advise business how to capture the most value from supplier relations); with a customer first mindset and strategy
• Lead through strategic thinking, financial analytics, external marketplace focus and partnering closely with business units to influence and help drive key, strategic business decisions
• Develop strategic, forward thinking global category plans with multi-year value generating sourcing initiatives to enable the business success
• Bring external insights, innovative ideas, and an enterprise view on market trends, competitive landscape value generation and strategic sourcing opportunities
• Development of category and sourcing strategies leveraging best practices around supplier and services based on both internal conditions and plans as well as industry trends.  This includes but is not limited to price, scope, performance, and optimal sourcing approach
• Build strong partnership with select strategic suppliers and manage them effectively
• Develop a category review cycle to refresh strategy and ensure alignment with business partners on a regular basis
• Monitor total spend across the business to leverage global spend where applicable
• Act as a point of contact for select business partners
• Ability to travel 10%

Required Skills:

• Strategic thinker – strategic and creative thinker who likes to solve business and operational problems and identify clear action plans and drive resolution
• Customer focus – customer-first mindset with knowledge of procurement/sourcing process
• Strong collaborator – collaborative partner with strong cross-functional leadership and influence management skills with global experience
• Excellent communicator – excellent oral and written communication skills with comfort presenting ideas to leaders at all levels
• Procurement – strong general manager, including strategic thinking, financial acumen, and negotiation skills with a deep understanding of market opportunities and broader business issues; real estate, construction, catering/cafeteria management services or consulting a plus.
• Analytical – results-driven mindset with the ability to synthesize data into actionable insights and strategic recommendations while balancing multiple priorities
• Comfort with white space – ability to navigate white space and bring structure
• Adaptable – ability to manage day-to-day business priorities along with long-term strategic deliverables with a positive attitude and the flexibility to deal with ambiguity and rapid change

Salary Range: $80,000.00 to $155,000.00 annually + bonus + benefits

The above represents the expected salary range for this job requisition. Ultimately, in determining your pay, we’ll consider your location, experience, and other job-related factors.

We back our colleagues and their loved ones with benefits and programs that support their holistic well-being. That means we prioritize their physical, financial, and mental health through each stage of life. Benefits include:

• Competitive base salaries 
• Bonus incentives 
• 6% Company Match on retirement savings plan 
• Free financial coaching and financial well-being support 
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability benefits 
• Flexible working model with hybrid, onsite or virtual arrangements depending on role and business need 
• 20+ weeks paid parental leave for all parents, regardless of gender, offered for pregnancy, adoption or surrogacy 
• Free access to global on-site wellness centers staffed with nurses and doctors (depending on location) 
• Free and confidential counseling support through our Healthy Minds program 
• Career development and training opportunities

For a full list of Team Amex benefits, visit our Colleague Benefits Site.

American Express is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status, age, or any other status protected by law. American Express will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with arrest or conviction records, in accordance with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including, but not limited to, the California Fair Chance Act, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. For positions covered by federal and/or state banking regulations, American Express will comply with such regulations as it relates to the consideration of applicants with criminal convictions.

We back our colleagues with the support they need to thrive, professionally and personally. That's why we have Amex Flex, our enterprise working model that provides greater flexibility to colleagues while ensuring we preserve the important aspects of our unique in-person culture. Depending on role and business needs, colleagues will either work onsite, in a hybrid model (combination of in-office and virtual days) or fully virtually.

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Employment eligibility to work with American Express in the U.S. is required as the company will not pursue visa sponsorship for these positions.