At TJX Europe, every day brings new opportunities for growth, exploration, and achievement. You’ll be part of our vibrant team that embraces diversity, fosters collaboration, and prioritises your development. Whether you’re working in our Distribution Centers, Corporate Offices, or Retail Stores—TK Maxx & Homesense, you’ll find abundant opportunities to learn, thrive, and make an impact. Come join our TJX team—a Fortune 100 company and the world’s leading off-price retailer.

Job Description:

Category Manager - HR and Travel

Job Profile

To manage the delivery and implementation of GS&P category strategies across TJX Europe. Through collaboration with the business and vendors alike, the Category Manager will ensure that the needs of the business achieved through the implementation of optimal sourcing solutions.

This role is pivotal in ensuring that HR and Travel related sourcing needs are met through innovative, cost-effective and compliant sourcing solutions. A key component of this role is the ability to build strategic relationships with business partners, management of supplier relationships, develop and execute sourcing strategies in line with business requirements and  to project manage and deliver a variety of end to end sourcing events.

This role is based in Watford with occasional travel overseas.

Key Responsibilities

Global Strategic Sourcing

• Executes global, international and national category plans via tools embedded in the strategic sourcing methodology and in collaboration with internal business partners.
• Embraces regional international and cross-functional multi-cultural teams in the execution of the strategic sourcing process and the implementation of the strategy.
• Develops and evolves product or service requirements across all TJX’s brands and geographies.
• Maximises opportunities to batch multi-divisional requirements to create larger pools of sourcing to increase savings to TJX.
• Prepares a regional negotiation plan and executes accordingly involving TJX legal, as necessary.
• Pro-actively uses automated sourcing processes including auctions, RFX’s, and relationship management systems.

Supplier Relationship

Management: Build strong relationships with HR and Travel service providers, negotiating optimal terms, cost optimization and fostering partnerships that deliver value and quality.

Process Improvement

Drive efficiencies through market intelligence and insights, process enhancements, and leveraging technology to support HR and Travel growth.

Regional Vendor Management

• Manages the commercial element of supplier relationships.
• Understands trade-offs of risk, quality, and cost, and be able to manage each area through supplier management, contracting, and negotiations.
• Maintains fair, courteous and productive relationships with all TJX international strategic vendors and reinforces TJXE’s positive brand image within the vendor community.
• Looks to identify or develop and incorporate innovative products, services, approaches such as off-shoring, out-sourcing, consortia development, best country sourcing to support TJXE low-cost producer strategy

Business Partner Collaboration

Partner with HR and Travel business leaders to understand needs and deliver tailored solutions that support areas of responsibility. Foster deep and trusting relationships with business partners, through regular communication, building influence and credibility within the category.

Contract compliance

• Ensure that appropriate contractual terms are in place.
• Prepares category reports for the Manager Of Category and the GSPLT

Innovation

• Raises market innovation for covered categories and brings applicable ideas to the business for testing, cost modelling and performance measurement.

People Management and Leadership

• Supports the optimization of TJXE £500 million indirect spend globally (6+ countries)
• On a category basis, undertakes annual sourcing initiatives delivering approx. £1m in yearly savings.
• Responsible and impacts up to £75+ million in indirect spend on an international basis.
• Manages key strategic and day to day operational regional supplier relationships by actively planning and delivering on action items through the management of regional and national account executives.
• Actively represents TJX within the global supplier community and the business world at large.
• Vendor management and the harvesting of innovation from our vendor community is an integral part of the job description.
• Recommends category initiative within portfolio of spend (10 to 20 initiatives per year)
• Decides on negotiation plan and executes accordingly.
• Recommendation for final vendor selection

Strategic Procurement

Develop and execute category strategies for HR and Travel services including Talent Acquisition and Recruitment, Employee Health & Wellbeing, Employee Benefits, Training, Travel and Fleet, ensuring alignment with business objectives and compliance requirements.

Key Skills, Knowledge & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree (preferred)
• Experience in managing HR or Travel categories
• Expertise in global strategic category sourcing
• Experience in global sourcing and Low-Cost Country Sourcing preferred.
• Multi-country negotiations and contracts
• Experience in managing multiple stakeholders
• Strong ability to manage priorities and good time management skills
• Oracle/SAP/Ariba or similar e-sourcing/P2P experience/knowledge
• Strong business, analytical and people management skills
• Excellent interpersonal relationship development skills
• Training & development skills
• Advanced Excel and PowerPoint.

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