Category Manager Directs

Overview

Company Description
We are pleased to offer an exciting opportunity for a Category Manager (Directs) to Lead the Kumba portfolio of categories to maximise sustainable value and drive cost reduction for the business whilst developing holistic strategies and strategic partnerships that support our technical, sustainability and financial ambitions.

The team that makes it happen. Guided by our purpose and values. We enable high performance and purposeful action as we aim to “re-imagine mining to improve people’s lives," delivering the metals and minerals that make modern life possible.

Kumba Iron Ore
We produce high-grade iron ore, the key component in steel widely used in construction and manufacturing worldwide. Our activities include all aspects: exploration, mining, processing and blending, shipping, marketing, and selling. In South Africa, we have mining operations in the Northern Cape province, a head office in Gauteng, and a port operation in Saldanha Bay, Western Cape.

As a Category Manager (Directs) you will provide services as required, and your responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Ensure that regional category strategies, supplier selection criteria, and agreements clearly define safety, health, and sustainability performance standards and oversee their implementation and performance monitoring.
• Ensure that the Supplier Management approach incorporates Contractor Performance Management requirements to ensure that suppliers meet delivery expectations in a way that reduces safety-related incidents.
• Manage regional value creation strategies to deliver Anglo American’s safety and social performance requirements for contracting with responsible suppliers.
• Determine safety co-innovation partnering approaches and ensure that these are embedded into strategies as relevant.
• Performance and Delivery
• Strategic Category Leadership & Planning
• Translate business and Supply Chain strategies into forward-looking category strategies, plans, targets, budgets and risk-managed pipelines.
• Govern category performance through structured plans, risk registers, value dashboards and regular reporting.
• Ensure all category, sourcing, contracting and commercial planning activities (front loading, pipelines, materials planning alignment) are scheduled, resourced and executed on time.
• Provide strategic commercial insights to support executive decision-making.
• Cost Optimisation, Value Delivery & Continuous Improvement
• Drive cost-saving, value-optimisation and efficiency initiatives using market insights, demand management and commercial levers.
• Develop and implement total-cost-of-ownership, specification optimisation and waste-reduction strategies.
• Monitor value delivery against approved targets and proactively manage risks or deviations.
• Support sustainable value creation, integrating commercial, community, health, safety and environmental considerations.
• Sourcing, Contracting & Supplier Relationship Management
• Lead end-to-end sourcing, contracting, contract management and administration across the category portfolio.
• Negotiate and conclude agreements aligned to category strategies, ensuring seamless handover to site Supply Chain teams.
• Develop bespoke agreements with Group Legal, addressing innovation, IP, data governance, inclusive procurement and commercial/technical performance expectations.
• Manage strategic supplier relationships to support performance, innovation, long-term value and security of supply.
• Collaborate with internal and global stakeholders to develop innovative sourcing solutions.
• Supplier Diversification, LCC Sourcing & Alternative Supply
• Identify, assess and integrate alternative suppliers to strengthen supply resilience and commercial competitiveness.
• Develop and implement low-cost country sourcing strategies with appropriate quality, compliance and risk controls.
• Drive strong connectivity with materials management and warehousing to improve future demand alignment and address performance issues.
• Inclusive Procurement, Sustainability & Social Impact
• Embed inclusive procurement objectives, targets and initiatives across the category portfolio.
• Collaborate with Inclusive Procurement teams to incorporate community needs, local opportunities and supplier development initiatives.
• Ensure inclusive procurement expectations are reflected in commercial agreements and managed through performance tracking.
• Identify and implement sustainability and social initiatives supporting long-term community and environmental value.
• Stakeholder Engagement, Change & Capability Building
• Engage and influence cross-functional stakeholders to align category strategies with business priorities.
• Drive collaboration and alignment across regions on requirements, priorities and delivery plans.
• Build procurement capability through coaching, knowledge sharing, Communities of Practice and behavioural leadership.
• Support the adoption of Supply Chain Excellence standards, new ways of working and effective system utilisation.
• Governance,…