Procurement Manager Direct Material - EMEA

The purpose of this position is the strategic sourcing of direct materials– packaging and raw materials within defined categories – to ensure an economical, transparent and demand-oriented supply for the organization. Overall responsibility for the strategic direction, performance and governance of the assigned direct procurement area.

• Disciplinary leadership responsibility for the assigned procurement team
• Functional leadership and development of category buyers
• Responsibility for team performance, development and target achievement
• Responsibility for own categories, projects and results

• Steering, prioritization and coordination of all procurement activities within the assigned team
• Accountability for overall category performance, savings delivery and cashflow impact
• Review and approval of category strategies, supplier selections and negotiation outcomes
• Escalation management and resolution of critical supplier or stakeholder issues
• Alignment of regional activities with global procurement strategy and governance requirements
• Development and implementation of sourcing and category strategies for packaging and raw materials
• Identification, evaluation and implementation of cost‑saving potentials as well as measures to improve cashflow in line with defined targets
• Independent management of regional sourcing and savings projects as well as situational assumption of responsibility in global initiatives
• Execution of negotiations related to prices, contracts, service levels, claims and scopes of service
• Benchmarking, market and supplier analyses to drive cost optimisation, supplier development and the strategic advancement of the supplier portfolio
• Planning, execution and evaluation of tenders and e‑auctions
• Close collaboration with Production, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain and other functional areas
• Management and development of supplier relationships to ensure quality, reliability and continuous improvement
• Conclusion, maintenance and optimisation of framework, service and supply contracts, including the maintenance of agreed pricing and commercial terms
• Support of the standardisation, harmonisation and continuous improvement of procurement processes
• Preparation and analysis of reports, KPIs and management information for Procurement Management
• Ensuring compliance as well as contractual and process adherence within the assigned categories
• Participation in ordering processes (review and approval)

• Achievement of team targets and overall procurement performance
• Development and performance improvement of team members
• Identify out‑of‑the‑box opportunities
• Achievement of defined cost‑saving targets
• Cashflow‑effective measures (liquidity impact)
• Development and implementation of category strategies
• High level of contract coverage and compliance
• Timely delivery of services and outputs
• Contribution to standardisation initiatives
• Compliance‑compliant way of working

• Completed commercial education with relevant further training or a Bachelor’s degree in a business‑related field
• Leadership experience in procurement

• 10+ years of professional experience in strategic raw material procurement in an industrial environment, ideally chemical, automotive or plant and mechanical engineering industries
• Proven experience in leading teams or managing cross‑functional projects

• Proven experience in strategic direct material procurement
• Solid technical understanding of raw materials, chemicals, packaging and direct materials in an industrial environment
• Proven delivery of cost‑saving and cost optimisation initiatives
• Experience in steering performance via KPIs and reporting structures
• Professional working with international stakeholders and global procurement organisations
• Confident use of ERP systems (SAP MM, JDE) and MS Office, especially Excel (mandatory)
• Strong understanding of compliance, governance, approval process and audit requirements in procurement

• Strong leadership and team development skills
• Ability to set priorities and make decisions in a complex environment
• High level of accountability and…