Category Manager – Logistics (East Africa)

Key Responsibilities

Lead, mentor, and develop category management professionals responsible for shared procurement categories across the East African market.
Foster a high-performance culture through coaching, continuous learning, and performance development initiatives.
Promote collaboration across markets by working closely with Global Category Managers and global procurement communities.

Take full ownership of assigned procurement categories to maximize value across the business.
Apply market intelligence, procurement best practices, stakeholder engagement, and global expertise to optimize category performance.

Build and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders, suppliers, and strategic partners.
Provide procurement expertise and strategic advice that enhances value creation while leveraging global capabilities within the local market.

Lead the execution of category strategies within the market, including those developed by Global Category Managers.
Monitor implementation progress, ensure alignment with global procurement objectives, and resolve cross-market challenges where necessary.

Contribute to the design and continuous improvement of procurement category strategies by incorporating market insights, business priorities, and supply market analysis.
Act as the primary source of local market expertise during strategy formulation.

Conduct internal and external benchmarking to identify cost-saving opportunities and improve procurement performance.
Develop analytical models and cost scenarios to support supplier negotiations and strategic sourcing decisions.

Lead sourcing initiatives for market-specific and regional procurement categories using established procurement methodologies.
Negotiate favorable commercial agreements and ensure contracts align with approved procurement strategies.
Collaborate with global procurement centers to support sourcing activities and share market intelligence.
Ensure contracts reflect local business requirements while complying with organizational standards.

Identify procurement-related risks during sourcing and category planning and implement appropriate mitigation measures.
Apply procurement governance frameworks, best practices, and continuous improvement approaches to strengthen risk management.

Develop long-term partnerships with strategic suppliers that encourage trust, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Establish supplier performance indicators, monitor delivery against agreed standards, and address recurring performance concerns.
Partner with suppliers to identify innovation opportunities that support future business growth.

Bachelor's degree or an equivalent qualification in a relevant field.
Membership in a recognized professional procurement body such as CIPS.
At least five (5) years of experience in Procurement, Finance, FMCG Commercial, or a related discipline.
Demonstrated expertise in procurement strategy development, supplier negotiations, category management, and project leadership.
Strong financial and analytical skills with a solid understanding of budgeting, value creation, and business planning.
Experience influencing senior stakeholders, managing cross-functional or regional teams, and delivering strategic initiatives.
Excellent communication, presentation, interpersonal, and relationship management skills.
Proven record of delivering consistent business results.

Support financial planning activities for the Supply Chain function, including annual budgets, long-range financial plans, forecasts, and periodic re-forecasting.
Prepare monthly cost center reports and conduct expenditure reviews with departmental managers.
Monitor waste levels and facilitate discussions on corrective actions to improve operational efficiency.
Track repair and maintenance expenditure and collaborate with engineering teams to manage budget performance.
Participate in monthly business performance reviews by analyzing cost drivers and providing financial insights.
Prepare management reports that support informed decision-making.
Review, evaluate, and interpret product costing information to ensure costing accuracy.
Gain a thorough understanding of manufacturing processes through regular engagement with production teams and factory operations.
Verify production data and update product costing where necessary.
Support continuous improvement initiatives throughout the supply chain.
Serve as a financial business partner by promoting collaboration across departments and improving reporting processes and information flow.
Strengthen financial awareness among non-finance teams, including supporting effective use of SAP.
Perform additional projects and assignments as directed by the Head of Supply Finance.

Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, or a related discipline.
Professional accounting qualification such as CPA(K) or ACCA.
A minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience in a similar finance role.
Experience in manufacturing finance, management accounting, and product costing.
Advanced proficiency in SAP and financial analysis tools.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and reporting skills.