At Cox, we’re forward-thinking innovators who put people first. Our award-winning workplace culture is centered on inclusion and kindness, and we’re looking for people to join our mission to be a force for good in the world. Come build a better future with us across automotive, communications, the environment and more.

We want to do everything we can to keep our employees safe and healthy. Therefore, where permitted by applicable law, you will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to be considered for this U.S.-based job. Reasonable accommodations for medical and religious objections will of course be considered.

Keep reading to learn more about this opportunity to join the Cox family of businesses.

Our goal in Corporate Supply Chain Management is to be the best in what we do – delivering innovative, end-to-end solutions that reflect the knowledge and expertise of a world class supply chain.  At Cox, we focus on delivering on our commitments and being accountable for our results, while providing an excellent work environment with work/life balance.  We are looking for a proven leader to join our team who has the skills, abilities and attitude to help us be the best sourcing organization in our industry.  The Category Manager of Strategic Sourcing is a management position that reports to the Director of Strategic Sourcing and Procurement.  The right candidate must enjoy working in a fast-paced competitive and changing environment, while effectively collaborating and communicating in alignment with the Cox culture.  Their primary responsibility will be to develop comprehensive category strategies into actionable projects for a variety of Professional Services categories & sub-categories.

Purpose (Overall Accountability)

 The Category Manager, Professional Services Categories, will be a high energy leader with excellent executive presence. The Category Manager is an ambassador for the new One Cox Supply Chain and our value proposition to business stakeholders and suppliers while also tactically executing the agreed upon sourcing strategies for their specific categories.  This role is responsible for leading programs within Enterprise Corporate functions such as, but not limited to, Human Resources and Legal with a portfolio that exceeds more that $130+M in annual spend.  In addition, this role will support new Cox Family business ventures as well as “green field” sub-categories that could benefit from or require sourcing engagement.  

 A proven track record of strong leadership, business acumen, and strategic thinking in conjunction with an history of driving results are essential. The ability to influence and build stakeholder relationships at a senior level and excellent negotiating skills are an absolute must.

 Primary Responsibilities and Essential Functions:

Engage with internal customers to understand their business context, define sourcing needs and build the portfolio of sourcing projects to be delivered by order of priority.

Strive for value creation and total cost of ownership sourcing approaches across the enterprise for owned categories, with core tenets of consolidating the supply base and leveraging enterprise-wide volumes to realize savings.

Focus on business partnerships, ensuring a deep collaborative and innovative relationship with internal customers and suppliers.

Provide expert knowledge in the Cox Supply Chain strategic sourcing process.

Prepare sourcing projects and define objectives, resources, timelines, specifications, supplier selection criteria, etc.

Manage key suppliers for continuous improvement through rigorous cost and value analysis.

Carry out supplier relationship management: analyze risks, set-up risk mitigation plans, and set up continuous improvement programs where relevant.

Ensure sourcing arrangements are fully compliant with process standards, diversity requirements, and risk frameworks.

Lead and develop relationships at the executive level.

Maintain awareness of macro-economic factors that directly impact responsible spend categories including services, compliance and labor cost. 

Stay abreast of industry trends for assigned category. Provide guidance and recommendations to business units in order to support margin and top line growth.

Work with the stakeholders and Cox Supply Chain leadership to identify improvement opportunities through industry leading practices, external benchmarks and internal best practice sharing.

Develop policies and standards in collaboration with legal, risk and key stakeholders to ensure controls are in place and monitored.

Build relationships with key stakeholders of the Business Units to intimately understand their strategy and goals and align sourcing strategies accordingly.

Manage supplier and Supply Chain performance measurements to monitor and improve results.

Prioritize and facilitate implementation of improvement opportunities.

Identify cost savings opportunities.

Work with the Contract Management teams to resolve any compliance issues.

Qualifications:

Required: 

Minimum 5 years of sourcing/procurement experience with 2+ years in a people management role.

Ability to identify opportunities and take necessary actions to continuously improve our value proposition for our customers.

Strong analytics, reporting and financial acumen skills.

Knowledge of key strategic sourcing processes & best practices.

Ability to solve problems that are difficult and vague, requiring consideration of other job areas and diversity of issues.

The ability to communicate and collaborate with other functions, regions and departments within the Cox Family of Companies in alignment with Cox values and culture.

The ability to influence / convince others with shared interests to adopt strategies, policies, practices, and procedures.

Strong negotiation, influence and communication skills.

Exceptional planning and organizational skills.

Strong aptitude for customer service and stakeholder management.

  Preferred:

University degree in Business, Supply Chain or related field.

Project Management certification (PMP), Lean or Six Sigma training.

Procurement, Supply Chain, or Contract Management certification(s).

Knowledge of Corporate Human Resources and Legal operations and associated professional services needs/requirements.

Who We Are

About Cox Communications

Cox Communications is committed to creating meaningful moments of human connection through broadband applications and services. The largest private telecom company in America, we proudly serve six million homes and businesses across 18 states. We're dedicated to empowering others to build a better future and celebrate diverse products, people, suppliers, communities and the characteristics that makes each one unique.

About Cox 

We are the Cox family of businesses. We’ve been making our mark since 1898 by building and evolving world-class businesses, staying true to our values, and encouraging top talent to always look for growth and impact while building a career with us.  Our primary divisions – Cox Communications and Cox Automotive – are driving a new wave of innovation, powering smart cities with powerhouse broadband communications and pioneering greener, more progressive transportation alternatives for individuals and fleet operators.  We’re also expanding into new spaces like cleantech and healthcare to rev up our momentum toward building a better future for the next generation.  We’re looking for the talent today who will be our leaders tomorrow. Sound intriguing? Learn more about where we are today, where we hope you’ll be going with us, and the common purpose that unites us at coxenterprises.com. 

Benefits of working at Cox may include health care insurance (medical, dental, vision), retirement planning (401(k)), and paid days off (sick leave, parental leave, flexible vacation/wellness days, and/or PTO).  For more details on what benefits you may be offered, visit our benefits page.  

Cox is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer – All qualified applicants/employees will receive consideration for employment without regard to that individual’s age, race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, physical or mental disability, veteran status, genetic information, ethnicity, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Statement to ALL Third-Party Agencies and Similar Organizations:  Cox accepts resumes only from agencies with which we formally engage their services.   Please do not forward resumes to our applicant tracking system, Cox employees, Cox hiring manager, or send to any Cox facility. Cox is not responsible for any fees or charges associated with unsolicited resumes.