Category Manager - Business Travel

Stevenage

Do you have an interest in Business Travel ? Do you have prior procurement experience in this Category?  Do you want a new opportunity or to join a diverse international team that believes in nurturing talent and developing people to their full potential?

Salary: Circa £50-60k depending on experience

Dynamic (hybrid) working: 2-3 days per week on-site due to workload classification

Security Clearance: British Citizen or a Dual UK national with British citizenship.

Restrictions and/or limitations relating to nationality and/or rights to work may apply. As a minimum and after offer stage, all successful candidates will need to undergo HMG Basic Personnel Security Standard checks (BPSS), which are managed by the MBDA Personnel Security Team.

What we can offer you:

• Company Bonus: Bonus of up to 21% of base salary
• Pension: maximum total (employer and employee) contribution of up to 14%
• Flexible working: We welcome applicants who are looking for flexible working arrangements
• Enhanced parental leave: offers up to 26 weeks for maternity, adoption and shared parental leave -enhancements are available for paternity leave, neonatal leave and fertility testing and treatments
• Facilities: Fantastic site facilities including subsidised meals, free car parking and much more…

Location: Stevenage / Bolton (We may be able to offer a relocation package for this role)

The opportunity:

Do you have an interest in Business Travel ? Do you have prior procurement experience in this Category?  Do you want a new opportunity or to join a diverse international team that believes in nurturing talent and developing people to their full potential?

Welcome to Travel and Communications procurement team at MBDA!

• We lead all aspects of Travel and Communication spend across the Group
• This role is specialised in Business Travel and also includes elements of communication.

If you have skills in Business Travel, or are looking to move into Business Travel procurement then we would be please to discuss how you might best fit within the team! We are looking for someone who:

• Either is an established Business Travel procurement practitioner or
• Someone willing to learn and develop procurement skills who already has a strong experience and expertise in Business Travel in other roles (sales, marketing)

Travel: MBDA has extensive and geographically diverse travel needs across Europe as well as the Americas, Middle and Far East. You will be an integral partner within our Business Travel Manager community, liaising with our Travel Management Company and Online Booking Tool providers, car rental firms, airlines, hotel chains, providers but also venue finding agencies. Our goal is to ensure the needs of our business travellers are meet whilst also considering how to develop our Environmental, Social and Governance commitments.

Communications: MBDA's communications include print and digital communications as well as trade shows and exhibitions or corporate events management both nationally and internationally. You would act as an extension to the MBDA Communications teams working with various suppliers commodities: photographic and video, goodies and mock-up, digital media and event management, international exhibitions related activities.

More importantly, we are looking for someone:

• Comfortable working in an international context 
• Builds internal and international relationships
• Develop indepth market knowledge (suppliers, services, technologies, business models, capabilities, innovation), taking into account risks / market opportunities and MBDA background and specificities
• Analyze and challenge the expectations of the stakeholders, the needs of the company and the forecasts of development
• Prospecting supplier, evaluate new solutions and recommend them to internal clients 
• Develop and propose the strategy of the categories entrusted
• Manage and implement the policy implementation plan
• Renew and optimize the supplier panel
• Identify and implement cost optimization plan

The team:

Digital and Mobility Services is an international team based in Stevenage, Bolton, Paris and Rome. Our stakeholders are similarly based nationally and internationally. You would be working in partnership with our internal collaborators, championing supplier relationships, and delivering the best procurement outcomes for MBDA.

The Business Travel & Communication Procurement team consists of three Buyers. This team is part of Digital and Mobility Services, a wider team of forty Group Category Managers, Buyers and Early Careers Professionals. We sit within a wider Indirect family of eighty people.  

What we're looking for from you:

• Someone who knows Business Travel, or is comfortable with learning and developing these skills within procurement area
• Soft and communication skills
• Travel and international working is part of the role
  • There are regular Bi-annual team meetings that rotate between our sites in the UK, Rome or Paris
  • For specific projects there may also be travel required for stakeholder or supplier meetings in these Natco's

Ideally we would like someone willing to or working towards MCIPS qualification. We do offer routes towards MCIPS qualification.

Our company: Peace is not a given, Freedom is not a given, Sovereignty is not a given

MBDA is a leading defence organisation.  We are proud of the role we play in supporting the Armed Forces who protect our nations. We partner with governments to work together towards a common goal, defending our freedom.

We are proud of our employee-led networks, examples include: Gender Equality, Pride, Menopause Matters, Parents and Carers, Armed Forces, Ethnic Diversity, Neurodiversity and more…

We recognise that everyone is unique, and we encourage you to speak to us should you require any advice, support or adjustments throughout our recruitment process.

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