Procurement Category Manager - Transportation; Europe

Procurement Category Manager - Transportation (Europe)

Location:

Kitts Green, Birmingham, England, United Kingdom (On-site)

Salary: £70,000 - £80,000

Contract:

Permanent

• Develop and execute category and sourcing strategies aligned with business objectives and market dynamics.
• Support plant transportation teams with competitive bid processes and sourcing events.
• Manage European transportation activities across all modes including Truckload, LTL, Small Parcel, Ocean, Air, and Rail, as well as related services such as warehousing and transloading.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key and transactional suppliers to ensure performance, compliance, and cost efficiency.
• Lead contract negotiations to secure favourable commercial terms and mitigate operational and financial risks.
• Provide market-driven forecasts and insights to support budgeting and strategic planning.
• Collaborate with global category managers on negotiations and sourcing initiatives involving European suppliers.

• Partner with internal stakeholders to regularly evaluate transportation modes across lanes, sites, and customer routes.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce cost, and enhance service through optimized mode and equipment selection.

• Lead the Freight Payment Team in managing the accounts payable process for European freight operations.
• Oversee carrier freight invoice processing to ensure accurate and timely payment disbursement.
• Ensure compliance with contractual agreements and proactively resolve discrepancies related to rates, surcharges, and accessorial charges.
• Analyze recurring variances, identify root causes, and implement effective corrective actions.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives within freight audit and payment processes to increase accuracy and strengthen internal controls.
• Maintain proactive communication with carriers to ensure timely receipt of freight invoices and supporting documentation.
• Monitor workloads across data entry and audit teams to maintain efficient and consistent processing.
• Develop and maintain process documentation and establish KPIs to monitor performance and improve transparency.

• Deliver procurement targets including cost savings, innovation, quality, and supplier performance improvements.
• Develop and implement procurement strategies to achieve best total value solutions.
• Lead or support operational improvement initiatives such as Kaizen workshops and working capital or inventory projects.
• Drive measurable improvements in cost savings, supplier performance, and transportation service optimization.

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, Engineering, Supply Chain, or Logistics.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in transportation category management.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to collaborate across multiple organizational levels.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and prioritization capabilities.
• Fluency in English.

• International work experience and strong intercultural communication skills.
• MBA or PMP certification.
• Experience leading initiatives within complex transportation organizations.
• Experience working with Transportation Management Systems (TMS).
• Hungarian language knowledge is considered an advantage.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and decision-making skills.
• Strategic mindset with an innovative and solution-oriented approach.

Approximately 25% travel, primarily within Europe, with occasional international travel.