How do you plan and manage your career path as a category manager in procurement?

To plan and manage my career path as a category manager in procurement, I adopt a strategic approach focused on continuous learning and skill development. I start by setting clear short-term and long-term goals, outlining the skills and experiences I need to achieve them. I actively seek out training opportunities, certifications, and networking events to expand my knowledge of procurement practices and industry trends. Additionally, I proactively seek feedback from mentors and supervisors to identify areas for improvement and address any gaps in my skill set. I stay informed about advancements in procurement technology and best practices to remain competitive in the field.

Although SWOT analysis for individuals is not the famous way to analyze your situation, for me it's always a good choice. You need to be aware of your strengths, weaknesses, your possible opportunities, and your threats in this field.

Planning and managing a career path as a category manager in procurement requires a strategic approach. Focus on developing deep expertise in specific spend categories while also broadening your understanding of the entire procurement function. Continuously update your knowledge of market trends, supplier landscapes, and emerging technologies relevant to your categories. Seek opportunities to lead cross-functional projects and demonstrate your ability to drive value beyond cost savings. Invest in developing soft skills like negotiation, stakeholder management, and strategic thinking. Pursue relevant certifications and consider advanced degrees to enhance your credibility.

In my experience, typical important skills and competencies for category managers (over and above foundation-level procurement and contracting skills) include the proper understanding of what the applicable category domains equate to in practice and how they relate to market trends, also having a strategic mindset, be able to build and maintain relations and influence outcomes, and the ability to create meaningful and value for money synergies across related sub-categories.

Ultimately, the success of category management centres on the ability to effectively influence and engage a wide range of stakeholders, each with their own priorities and expectations. Through strategic collaboration, clear communication, and ongoing education, category managers can create a dynamic and responsive procurement environment that delivers sustained value to the organisation and its internal customers.

Typical important skills and competencies for category managers (over and above foundation-level procurement and contracting skills) include a proper understanding of what the applicable category domains mean in practice and how they relate to market trends, having a strategic mindset, be able to build and maintain relations and influence outcomes in this area, and the ability to create meaningful and value for money synergies across related sub-categories.

360-degree collaboration, influencing, communication, training & education, as relevant: Business users, business management and sponsors, supplier relations and delivery, prospective suppliers, your own team, and other category managers.

It's also a great idea to have a mentor. This could be in your current organisation or externally, but pick someone who you trust, respect and can really work with. It might also help to identify a few individuals who you admire that are further ahead in their career than you. Talk to them, watch what they do and how they communicate or perform.

One way to think about your learning is to broaden the scope of your role, for example if you're a category manager why not think you're actually the commercial director for your category. By thinking broader you can create opportunities to deepen your knowledge and experience by taking ownership and accountability for adjacent functions, such as pricing, supply chain or marketing.

It is becoming more and more important to understand how ESG outcomes relate to the applicable category domain areas. Ask yourself- What do these important elements actually mean in practice, as each category has its own set of dynamics, inputs and outputs? Another learning and development opportunity is to understand how to take your stakeholders on a journey, by avoiding domain or SME jargon and engaging in a language that can be understood.

Monitoring and evaluation can include how your category areas of focus measures compare with stated KPIs and objectives; the degree to which your internal stakeholders receive value in these categories, how your category outputs relate to market benchmark indicators, peer review and your manager’s input and feedback.

In summary, while foundational procurement and contracting skills are essential, the most effective category managers possess a deep understanding of category domains, a strategic mindset, strong relationship management and influence skills, and the ability to create synergies across sub-categories. These competencies enable them to drive significant value and achieve superior outcomes in the dynamic field of category management.

You need to work on two sets of skills: Set 1: (1) Market: Know the supplier market (2) Money: It's very important (3) Material: your focus area (4) Method: The technical process Set 2: (1) Communicate: If you don't, they won't consider you (2) Collaborate: key to grow (3) Delegate : to build your sustainable team Go for it!

A key part of career path planning is succession planning. Succession planning can provide you with better opportunity to grow and advance your career, whilst your department is better equipped to address unexpected events. Developing and promoting from within could also lead to a higher team motivation level and higher retention rates.

One thing I have found helpful is focusing on 360-degree collaboration, influencing, communication, training & education, as relevant pertaining to each important stakeholder area. These may include business unit users, business management and senior sponsors, supplier relations and delivery, prospective suppliers, your own team, and other category managers.

To succeed as a category manager in procurement: 1. Set clear goals 2. Identify required skills 3. Seek continuous learning 4. Build a professional network 5. Seek challenging assignments 6. Seek feedback 7. Develop leadership skills 8. Stay flexible 9. Regularly assess and update your career plan Stay updated with industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies, and consider pursuing certifications like CIPS qualifications.

In conclusion, the combination of advanced subject matter skills, strategic thinking, relationship management, creating synergies across sub-categories, and effective succession planning can significantly elevate the role of category managers. These competencies ensure that they are not only capable of managing their current portfolios successfully but are also prepared to ensure their department is better equipped to address unexpected events.