Global Category Manager - IT h/w & s/w Licenses

The opportunity:

In this role, you will be a part of our Indian Operation Center. The unit is a part of the global Business unit Grid Automation in Hitachi Energy. It delivers to our Utility and Industrial customers a comprehensive range of automation products and solutions to improve grid reliability and efficiency and enable complete grid control of all power distribution networks, from the most basic to advanced, including renewable power integration and battery storage systems. Our ambitions are to professionalize and to increase our quality and capacity in Supply Chain Management. We seek a highly skilled and dedicated employee to strengthen our supply chain management function.

How you’ll make an impact:

• Develop deep expertise in IT hardware and software markets, understanding dynamics, trends, drivers, risks, and opportunities, serve as the internal expert, sharing actionable market insights with stakeholders across the organization.

• Build and maintain a comprehensive supplier mapping for IT hardware and software, identify and document which teams and entities require specific IT products/services.

• Consolidate and review global category spend to leverage key suppliers, consolidate and review global category spend and maintain detailed spend analysis down to product/service types.

• Work closely with R&D and HUBs to align sourcing strategies with evolving business needs, define, refine, defend, and maintain sourcing strategies for IT hardware and software, aligned with current and future business needs. Ensure strategies address supply security, quality, on time delivery (OTD), and competitiveness, provide a Supplier Orientation Chart for each category with the sourcing status for each supplier to ease strategy implementation.

• Proactively identify opportunities for product standardization and global sourcing initiatives across Grid Automation, act as the gatekeeper for supplier onboarding, ensuring that only supplier aligned with strategy are onboarded.

• Conduct Quarterly Business Reviews with Key suppliers, negotiate and maintain Global Frame Agreements in SAP Ariba, including periodic renewal of price lists and terms. Maintain Global Frame Agreements and communicate updates to all internal stakeholders.

• Ensure software license usage and ensure alignment with contractual documentation, provide contract templates or guidelines tailored to your category to product and hub SCMs. Support or lead, when relevant, contractual discussions.

• Actively support supplier risk management processes, addressing risks such as sole sourcing, financial exposure, capacity and cybersecurity.

• Responsible to ensure compliance with applicable external and internal regulations, procedures, and guidelines.

• Living Hitachi Energy’s core values of safety and integrity, which means taking responsibility for your own actions while caring for your colleagues and the business.

Your background:

• You hold a bachelor's degree.

• Expertise in IT hardware and software sourcing, supplier management, and contract negotiation.

• Experience with SAP Ariba or similar procurement platforms.

• Ability to work cross functionally and in a global, matrixed environment.

• Strong analytical, negotiation, and market research skills.

• Experience in spend analysis, risk management, and category strategy development.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.