Category Manager (Mobile Fleet & OEM) | 6-Month Contract with Possibility of Extension | Dubai

Introduction Our client, a leading consulting company in the EPCM space is looking to appoint a Category Manager (Mobile Fleet & OEM) to join their team on a 6-month contract based in Dubai, with the possibility of extension. The Category Manager (Mobile Fleet & OEM) will own the end-to-end commercial strategy, negotiation and post-award management of the site’s prime original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreements for mobile fleet and heavy equipment.

The role responsible for ensuring that contract cover is in place ahead of every fleet readiness milestone, that pricing mechanisms across supply, parts and labour are durable and defensible over the life of the fleet, and that the operation is never exposed to an equipment or component supply gap arising from a lapsed, unpriced or unapproved agreement.

Duties & Responsibilities Category strategy

Develop, gain approval for and maintain category strategies covering OEM equipment supply, parts, labour and service agreements. Establish and defend the sourcing position for each package — maintenance and repair contract (MARC) versus transactional supply, dealer versus factory-direct, single versus multiple source. Build and maintain a rolling 24-month contract pipeline aligned to fleet replacement, rebuild and expansion plans. Undertake total-cost-of-ownership and cost-per-operating-hour analysis to support sourcing recommendations.

Sourcing and negotiation

Lead negotiations on new agreements, renewals, extensions, amendments and variations with OEMs and their regional dealer networks. Negotiate commercial terms including price escalation and rise-and-fall mechanisms, fixed-price parts baskets, exchange rate and freight risk allocation, lead-time commitments, warranty terms and reliability or availability guarantees. Secure working capital improvements where available — consignment and vendor-managed inventory, component exchange programmes, extended payment terms. Run competitive processes where the category strategy supports it, including retenders of incumbent scopes.

Governance and approvals

Prepare recommendation-to-award papers, evaluation reports and executive approval submissions in the approved house format. Secure approvals in accordance with the Delegation of Authority framework prior to any commitment of spend. Ensure every package has an executed instrument in place before goods or services are received.

Contract and supplier management

Manage the post-award lifecycle — performance regimes, KPI reporting, rate reviews, price adjustments, claims and variations. Initiate renewal or retender activity no later than six months prior to expiry. Own the OEM relationship at both dealer and principal level, including structured business reviews and defined escalation paths. Manage supplier performance issues to resolution, including remediation plans and, where warranted, termination.

Readiness and reporting

Own the readiness dependency for each package: monitor target dates, escalate slippage early, and ensure no mobilisation, restart or expansion activity is exposed to a gap in contract cover. Maintain the commercial dependencies register as the single source of truth for package status, target date, required action and commercial lead. Report monthly into the readiness governance forum on status, risk and forward pipeline.

Desired Experience & Qualification Essential:

Minimum 8 years’ experience in procurement, category management or contract management, of which at least 4 years in mining, heavy industry or resources. Demonstrated ownership of high-value OEM equipment and parts and labour agreements, such as MARC, long-term service agreements or dealer supply agreements. Proven track record negotiating directly with global OEMs and their regional dealer networks. Working knowledge of mining fleet maintenance economics — component life, rebuild strategies and cost-per-operating-hour modelling. Sound understanding of contract law and the practical application of commercial terms, indemnities, liability caps and price adjustment mechanisms. Demonstrated ability to prepare approval submissions to executive level under a formal Delegation of Authority framework.

Desirable:

CIPS, MCIPS or equivalent professional accreditation. Experience operating in African jurisdictions, including import, customs, foreign exchange and local content requirements. Exposure to fleet replacement or expansion programmes and the associated capital procurement cycle. Experience with SAP, Ariba, Coupa or equivalent source-to-contract systems. Second language relevant to the operating environment.

Interested? Suitable candidates are encouraged to send their updated CV to lebo(at)kwena(dot)net for consideration.