Company

Cox Communications, Inc.

Supply Chain

Sr Manager, Category Management

Sr Manager - People LeaderCan work remotely but need to live in the specified city, state, or region

No

Day

Compensation

Compensation includes a base salary of $117,300.00 - $195,500.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate’s knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.

Our goal in Corporate Supply Chain Management is to be the best in what we do – delivering innovative, end-to-end solutions that reflect the knowledge and expertise of a world class supply chain. At Cox, we focus on delivering on our commitments and being accountable for our results, while providing an excellent work environment with work/life balance. We are looking for a proven leader to join our team who has the skills, abilities and attitude to help us be the best sourcing organization in our industry. The Senior Manager of Category Management & Strategic Sourcing, Marketing and Sales is a management position that reports to the Senior Director of Category Management, Strategic Sourcing and Procurement, Marketing, Sales, Call Centers and Field Services. The right candidate must enjoy working in a fast-paced competitive and changing environment, while effectively collaborating and communicating in alignment with the Cox culture.

Purpose (Overall Accountability)

This individual will oversee all source-to-contract activity related to the Marketing and Sales categories across Cox Automotive, Cox Communications, and Cox Enterprises, including overseeing a Category Management and Sourcing team responsible for leading the creation and execution of category and sourcing strategies. The individual in this role is responsible for the development of strategic relationships with internal business stakeholders to support adoption of standard Supply Chain processes and policies across the entire enterprise, helps build project pipeline, and manages category performance. As part of this role, this individual will be responsible for driving win-win supplier relationships and helping to drive compliance across the categories.

This position is responsible for the delivery and execution of strategic sourcing projects in excess of $778M, 1,282 Vendors, and a shared Savings and Value target related to the Indirect Category. This includes defining category specific sourcing strategy plans and leading the sourcing process to include contract negotiations, market and baseline analysis, managing suppliers, developing and implementing strategies, performing supplier capability assessments, and continuous improvement and benchmarking that supports the Cox Communications, Cox Automotive, Cox Media and Cox Enterprises businesses including BrightFarms, the Atlanta Journal Constitution and our 2 In House Studios. Most importantly, the individual is responsible for leading a team of Marketing sourcing professionals.

A proven track record of strong leadership building, business acumen, and strategic thinking in conjunction with an history of driving results are essential. The ability to build influential stakeholder relationships at a senior level and excellent negotiating skills are an absolute must.

Primary Responsibilities and Essential Functions:

• Build strong business relationships allowing Supply Chain to increase its influence over the total category spend
• Develop an effective framework to govern the strategy, project pipeline and measure performance for the entire enterprise and across divisions
• Provide category and market expertise to create a strategic portfolio of initiatives to achieve savings targets
• Drive continuous improvement to achieve efficiencies and enhance the level of skills and capabilities of the team
• Lead the definition of category strategies and manage stakeholders through the execution the project lifecycle to address roadblocks or challenges
• Provide guidance to introduce new Supply Chain processes and technologies to become more effective and compliant to internal policies
• Consistently review category financial performance
• Provide expertise to support all activities related to the Contract Lifecycle Management (negotiation tactics, insights regarding contractual/Legal matters of significance to the organization etc.) and support escalation process as needed to resolve any compliance issues
• Manage supplier relationships and work with the business to ensure all SRM activities are executed effectively
• Promote diversity of the supply base and ensure that Supplier Responsibility initiatives are implemented
• Remain up to date with industry best practices through active participation in training and/or industry events
• Maintain knowledge of other initiatives / projects in the company that may interact with / affect performance and operations and collaborate with necessary stakeholders
• Work with the Contract Management teams to resolve any compliance issues
• Ensure processes and policies related to the Managed Service Provider (MSP) and Vendor Management System (VMS) are best-in-class and contribute to strong User Experience and financial accuracy across the company
• Establish a common vision with clear objectives for the team, recognizing performance and providing feedback to Category Managers and Sourcing professionals

• Collaborate with HR to attract, hire, and retain top talent to ensure appropriate succession planning

• Leads, coaches and develops direct reports to ensure strong performance and build high performing teams
• Develops and deploys organizational structure to support functional strategies
• Accountable for ensuring proper onboarding/offboarding, performance planning, coaching and evaluation of team resources

Qualifications:

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in business management, Supply Chain and Operations Management, Finance, or similar; and 8 years’ experience in a related field. The right candidate could also have a different combination, such as a master's degree and 6 years’ experience; a Ph.D. and 3 years’ experience in a related field; or 12 years’ experience in a related field.
• 3+ years’ experience in management or leadership role
• Previous Advertising Agency or Marketing (traditional and digital) experience required
• Understanding of end-to-end business functions and how source-to-contract fits within and supports the critical functions that partner with Supply Chain
• Strong business and financial acumen
• Deep Supply Chain experience with the proven ability to establish category management strategies, sourcing capabilities including business processes improvement, use of eSourcing tools to drive savings
• Highly collaborative individual, who has proven ability to work cross functionally and build strategic and mutually beneficial relationships at all levels of the organization
• Ability to influence key stakeholders and deliver insightful recommendations in a persuasive and thoughtful manner
• Ability to change the thinking of, or gain acceptance from others in sensitive situations, without damage to the relationship
• Ability to take initiatives, explore new opportunities and innovative ideas to improve business model
• Champion organizational changes, assume significant leadership role to implement new strategies
• Ability to create an environment to foster high performing teams
• Proven experience leading, directing and reviewing the work of a team of direct reports
• The ability to delegate duties and tasks recognizing the strengths and skillsets of team members
• Ability to solve problems that are difficult and vague, requiring consideration of other job areas and a greater diversity of issues addressed
• The ability to communicate and collaborate with other functions, regions and departments within the Cox family of companies in alignment with Cox values and culture
• The ability to convince / influence others with shared interests to adopt policies, practices, and procedures
• Strong negotiation and communication skills
• Exceptional planning and organizational skills
• Strong aptitude for customer service and stakeholder management

Preferred:

• Degree in related discipline strongly desired
• MBA or Masters degree preferred
• Project Management certification (PMP), Lean or Six Sigma training.
• Knowledge of managed service / outcome-based agreements
• Prior Advertising Agency or Marketing experience

The Company offers eligible employees the flexibility to take as much vacation with pay as they deem consistent with their duties, the company’s needs, and its obligations; seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year; and up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for their own wellness or that of family members. Employees are also eligible for additional paid time off in the form of bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, parental leave, and COVID-19 vaccination leave.Cox Communications is all about creating moments of real human connection; and for employees, that’s true both in the workplace and in the problems we solve for customers. From building advertising solutions to unleashing IoT technologies to creating an exceptional experience for customers in our retail locations and online, we’re creating a world that is smarter and more connected. Benefits of working at Cox may include health care insurance (medical, dental, vision), retirement planning (401(k)), and paid days off (sick leave, parental leave, flexible vacation/wellness days, and/or PTO). For more details on what benefits you may be offered, visit our benefits page. Cox is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer – All qualified applicants/employees will receive consideration for employment without regard to that individual’s age, race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, physical or mental disability, veteran status, genetic information, ethnicity, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by law. Cox provides reasonable accommodations when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with disability, unless such accommodations would cause an undue hardship.