Who we are looking for • An experienced professional in the media industry with a proven track record in driving value from media investments on an international level. Able to work independently, to coordinate own activities, to set priorities and to gather information from relevant parties regarding these priorities. You are communicative, accurate and able to work with challenging deadlines. Candidate must have a customer-oriented attitude and is be flexible with no 9-5 attitude.

ING seeks for an experienced Category Manager Media for the Marketing & Communications domain. As the professional within ING, he/she will be managing the Media buying category. This includes defining the procurement strategy, management of strategic supplier relationships, supporting local media buying teams, performance measurement / reporting and support driving Euro value from media investments.

• Develop and maintain overall relationships with Media suppliers of ING and provide supplier intelligence.
• Maintain relationships with sr marketers / media planners across ING’s businesses
• Negotiate with ING suppliers and business partners to develop and manage appropriate contracts
• Monitor industry and collect data to maintain awareness of current practices and future trends.
• Perform supplier qualification and segmentation and define strategies for ING suppliers.
• Manage established contracts and ensure contract governance during entire lifecycle of the contract.
• Track and report media buying performance
• Constantly challenge media costs and generate opportunities for increased cost efficiency
• Support sr marketing management in developing strategic high level media planning strategy
• Orchestrate knowledge sharing across countries by interaction and sharing best practices.

Key caracteristics
Problem analyses and judgment
As a Category Manager, one of your strengths is analyzing situations and issues. Hence, ‘problem analyses and judgment’ is an essential competence in this profile. You are able to understand the core of a problem and identify potential solutions, possibly incorporating ‘if-then’ scenarios. Furthermore, you are able to analyze market trends and perform supplier qualifications.

Relation Networks
Relation networks is an imperative competence for a senior Vendor Management Professional. You can easily approach others within and outside the company, and build up long-term relationships. Furthermore, you utilize your network to realize benefits for the company.

Persuasiveness
A successful Category Manager is ‘persuasive’. You are able to tune in to the interests or level of your discussion partner. You use arguments that appeal to the discussion partner; you present your arguments in measured doses at crucial moments. At the higher job levels a senior Vendor Management Professional is able to identify resistance, open it to discussion and turn it around.

Professional expertise / market focus
As a Category Manager, you have ‘professional expertise and market focus’. You monitor events in the industry, understand the dynamics of world markets and the opportunities it presents. You keep up with new trends and take future market developments into consideration when making decisions. At the higher job levels, this competence further develops into the entrepreneurship competence.

Perseverance
A Category Manager must have a certain level of ‘perseverance’. You are able to stick to your viewpoint, also when faced with resistance. For example: the (contracting) partner has other interests than the Category manager. In this case, as a Category Manager, it is essential that you stick to your viewpoint but without becoming dogmatic or rigid. At the higher job levels this competence further develops into the ‘empathy with the company’ (i.e. knowing who to approach for decision making) and entrepreneurship (setting challenging commercial goals using your own insight) competencies.

Entrepreneurship
A Category Manager is able to identify and grasp opportunities when it appears. You are creative and you set challenging goals to achieve. Your vision gives you drive for action.

Office location:
In principle this role is considered to be ‘flexible’ as it comes to workplace meaning that in mutual consent a working schedule will be agreed upon. Flexdesks are available at the marketing office in Amsterdam Z-O and the Procurement organisation in Hoofddorp.

Travelling:
From time to time this role will require travelling to the foreign business units of ING (mostly European countries).

Who we are looking for
• An experienced professional in the media industry with a proven track record in driving value from media investments on an international level. Able to work independently, to coordinate own activities, to set priorities and to gather information from relevant parties regarding these priorities. You are communicative, accurate and able to work with challenging deadlines. Candidate must have a customer-oriented attitude and is be flexible with no 9-5 attitude.