Associate Category Manager
16 hours ago
Alcobendas
TITLE: Associate Category Manager DEPARTMENT: Procurement REPORTING TO: Strategic Sourcing Manager OFFICE LOCATION: Madrid, Spain ROLE TYPE: Hybrid, Full-time IPC is a fintech company that focuses on the human element. With a global presence, we support local markets with our advanced cloud-based trading communications and managed connectivity solutions. Through our portfolio of communications and connectivity solutions, we focus on solving business challenges and adapting to regulatory changes in the fast-paced global financial markets. This enables our clients to maintain consistent market access, a strong competitive advantage, and enhanced operational efficiency. Join a team that is dedicated to delivering groundbreaking products and making a significant impact on our clients success. _ Overview of the Team The procurement team operates as a globally centralised, highly collaborative function, partnering closely with stakeholders across all regions and business units. The team is led by a Senior Director based in our India office, supported by a Strategic Sourcing Manager in New York, and experienced procurement professionals located in Madrid, Spain, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and rolls into the Chief Administrative Officer, based in London. Together, we work as a high‑performance, globally aligned team, focused on driving enterprise‑wide value, strengthening supplier partnerships, and delivering operational excellence across the entire procurement lifecycle. Role Overview: The Associate Category Manageris responsible for the effective execution of day-to-day procurement activities, ensuring that purchasing transactions, supplier onboarding, and contract administration are completed accurately, efficiently, and in compliance with company policies. This role supports strategic sourcing managers by managing operational procurement processes, including purchase order creation, vendor setup and documentation, contract tracking, contingent worker administration, and coordination with Finance and Accounts Payable. The Procurement Specialist serves as a key point of contact for stakeholders, helping guide them through procurement processes while maintaining governance and data integrity. While primarily operational in nature, the role contributes to cost control and process improvement by identifying inefficiencies, supporting reporting requirements, and ensuring adherence to preferred supplier and contracting frameworks. In short, the Associate Category Managerensures procurement runs smoothly, compliantly, and consistently, enabling the broader team to focus on strategic value creation. Key Responsibilities: Procure‑to‑Pay & Operational Execution • Manage the end-to-end P2P process for assigned categories, including PO creation, approval routing, and supplier onboarding., • Ensure compliance with procurement policies, contracting frameworks, and preferred supplier programs., • Own operational procurement outputs for assigned categories under guidance from senior team members. Supplier & Category Support • Identify, evaluate, and select suppliers aligned with approved sourcing strategies., • Maintain supplier relationships, gather market intelligence, and monitor supplier performance., • Support and participate in supplier performance reviews and business review meetings. Contracting & Governance • Partner with Legal to support contract administration, ensuring commercial accuracy and alignment with business requirements., • Track contract status, expirations, renewals, and documentation., • Maintain strong data integrity across procurement systems and records. Reporting & Continuous Improvement • Publish and maintain monthly procurement KPIs (e.g., savings, compliance, delivery performance, spend under management)., • Identify improvement opportunities to enhance process efficiency and stakeholder experience., • Contribute to annual cost‑saving initiatives and process enhancement projects., • Track, document, and report realized savings and cost‑avoidance outcomes. How You Will Make an Impact: • Accelerate business decisions by turning purchasing needs into clean, on‑time POs, ensuring stakeholders have what they need to execute with speed and certainty., • Raise procurement standards by embedding policy compliance and preferred‑supplier usage into day‑to‑day operations—improving control, audit readiness, and risk coverage., • Unlock measurable savings by supporting sourcing events and tracking realized benefits—translating negotiations and demand shaping into tangible P&L impact., • Strengthen supplier performance by feeding the team with reliable data and insights, enabling better SLAs, delivery reliability, and service quality in business reviews., • Improve the stakeholder experience through clear guidance, responsive support, and predictable cycle times—making procurement a trusted, easy‑to‑use partner., • Protect commercial outcomes by ensuring contracts reflect what the business really needs (scope, pricing, terms)—lowering leakage and preventing surprises post‑signature., • Make data a strategic asset by maintaining high integrity across systems (vendors, contracts, POs, KPIs), enabling accurate reporting and smarter decisions., • Drive continuous improvement by spotting process bottlenecks and proposing practical fixes that shorten lead times, reduce rework, and scale across regions., • Enable global consistency by aligning with colleagues in NA/EMEA/APAC, helping standardize ways of working and amplifying best practices across the function., • De‑risk operations by coordinating clean handovers, documentation, and SOPs that ensure business continuity even as priorities shift. Essential Skills and Experience to be Successful in this Role: Professional Experience • 3+ years of experience in procurement or sourcing roles., • Experience managing categories such as electronics, servers, networking equipment, cabling, software, licenses, hardware/software maintenance, installation, consulting, and similar services., • Demonstrated negotiation experience with suppliers. Technical Skills • Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel and general digital tools., • Experience with Oracle ERP (highly desirable)., • Familiarity with P2P systems, contract lifecycle workflows, and vendor management tools. Interpersonal Skills • Strong verbal and written English communication skills., • Excellent stakeholder‑management capabilities across multiple levels., • Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with the ability to close tasks independently., • High level of organization, attention to detail, and ability to operate in a fast‑paced global environment., • Proactive, self‑starter mindset with the ability to work under minimal supervision., • Collaborative team player comfortable working across NA, EMEA and/or APAC. Education & Certifications • Bachelor’s degree in Procurement, International Trade, Business, Supply Chain, Compliance, or related field., • Professional certifications (e.g., CIPS, CPSM) are strongly preferred. What’s in It for You? At IPC, your compensation is only part of the package. We are committed to investing in a range of programs and initiatives to improve the overall experience of our employees. In addition to a collaborative, high-performing team environment, we’re pleased to offer benefits including: Competitive Base Salaries • Benefits package: Private Health Insurance + Pluxee Transport Pass + Pluxee Restaurant Pass, • Additional Time off for Charity Work and Volunteering, • Tuition Reimbursement, • Certification Bonus Program, • Access to “IPC University” our Internal E-Learning Platform, • Access to LinkedIn Learning, • Structured Onboarding Training and Peer Mentor Support, • Wellness Program, • Employee Referral Scheme Further information about your benefits will be provided during your onboarding process. Additional Information: At IPC, we believe that hybrid working creates an inclusive, flexible environment where employees can perform at their best, and teams can collaborate, innovate, and celebrate successes together. We spend around 60% of our time in the office and around 40% of our time working remotely. Some employees may be required to work from the office or client sites more than 60% of the time, if required by their role and/or client needs. Your precise work schedule will be determined by you and your Line Manager before commencement of employment with IPC. You can explore more about our culture, offerings and commitment on and . IPC’s Work Culture: The IPC work culture is one that fosters inclusion, prioritizes innovation, and maximizes potential. We are a global ecosystem, full of diverse people that together made IPC what it is today. Our strength as an organization is the sum of our different backgrounds, perspectives, skills and geographies; supported by an ironclad commitment to constructive dialogue and open-mindedness. We live and breathe our commitment to innovation by embracing bold ideas, seizing new opportunities and striving for excellence. Our people have continued to deliver ground-breaking solutions to our clients for over 50 years.
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