Regional Category Manager, Chemicals

Company Description

Veolia is a global leader in environmental services, operating across all five continents with nearly 218,000 employees. Specializing in water, energy, and waste management, Veolia designs and implements innovative solutions for decarbonization, depollution, and resource regeneration, supporting communities and industries in their ecological transformation. Within this framework, Water Tech brings together a dedicated team of experienced professionals committed to tackling the world’s most complex challenges related to water scarcity, quality, productivity, and energy.

Together, we pursue a shared mission to create a more sustainable future.

The Regional Category Manager will be responsible for developing and implementing sourcing and procurement strategies in his/her region in alignment with the Global Category teams and Regional Business Lines. This role drives supplier performance, negotiates cost efficiencies, ensures supply continuity, and supports the company’s cost, quality, and sustainability objectives. The ideal candidate brings strong commercial acumen, deep industry knowledge in water treatment chemical markets, and:

• Develop and lead end-to-end sourcing strategies for chemical categories and key specialty and commodity raw materials.
• Strong commercial acumen, deep industry knowledge in chemical markets, and cross-functional leadership.
• Strategic thinker and able to work in a collaborative, matrixed, and multicultural environment.
• Perform total cost of ownership (TCO) analyses and market intelligence reviews to inform procurement decisions.
• Identify and qualify suppliers aligned with Veolia’s needs and environmental compliance standards.
• Manage strategic supplier relationships, including performance reviews, corrective actions, and innovation partnerships.
• Negotiate long-term agreements and mitigate supply risk through multi-sourcing or buffer strategies.
• Collaborate with Quality, Technical, and EHS teams to ensure supplier compliance with Veolia’s specifications and safety protocols.
• Partner with operations, production planning, and logistics to ensure seamless inbound supply of chemicals and raw materials.
• Monitor usage trends, coordinate with inventory teams, and proactively address supply-demand imbalances.
• Work closely with business lines and finance to ensure accurate price tracking and budget forecasting.
• Drive year-over-year savings targets through competitive bidding, value engineering, or alternate formulations.
• Lead or support cross-functional initiatives to improve procurement operations, sustainability, or product performance.
• Stay ahead of market trends in water treatment and chemical supply chains, including regulatory impacts (e.g., REACH, TSCA, EPA rules).
• Up to 10% travel

• Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering, Business, or similar field required, an MBA, Master's Degree and/or certification like CPSM, CPM, CPSCM is a plus
• A minimum of five (5) years experience in Procurement, Supply Chain function, or an equivalent function with knowledge of business strategy, procurement strategy & processes, category management and overall execution of procurement KPIs.
• Experience in negotiating and managing suppliers within the Chemical industry, preferably within the water treatment industry
• Strong technical expertise and subject matter expertise in chemical sourcing
• Experience in working in different cultures and environments in a matrixed organization

At Veolia, we realize diverse teams make smarter decisions, deliver better results, and build stronger communities. We’re an organization that champions diversity and inclusion at every rung of the ladder and are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. Because our people are our greatest assets, we

• Compensation - The salary range is tied to the market for similarly benchmarked roles. The range is not an absolute, but a guide, and offers will be based on the individual candidate’s knowledge, skills, experience, and market conditions, as well as internal peer equity. Depending upon all the preceding considerations for the final…