TMS Global are a wholly owned subsidiary of DS Smith, together with International Paper, they are a global leader in sustainable packaging solutions and other fibre-based products. TMS Global specialise in the outsourcing of retail display, print and packaging for a variety of global customers and are active in 97 markets globally and we are made up of just over 300 people who are spread internationally across APAC, LATAM, EMEA and NA.
We have a fantastic opportunity for a Category Specialist to join our sourcing team. Working remotely, you will support our European sourcing requirements across key categories including 3D and 2D.
As a Category Specialist, you will act as a subject matter expert for your category, bringing deep knowledge of the supplier landscape and a strong understanding of stakeholder needs. You will align capabilities to current and future requirements, delivering commercial value and supporting our client contractual commitments.
You’ll play a key role in driving value through collaboration with client-facing teams and category support functions—identifying and delivering opportunities to improve cost, performance, and overall supply base effectiveness.
Key Responsibilities:
- Partner with the Global Category Lead to develop, implement, and continuously evolve the category sourcing strategy
- Build, manage, and strengthen supplier relationships
- Lead value delivery initiatives and competitive sourcing activities aligned to supplier and spend segmentation
- Deliver measurable cost savings through negotiation, total cost of ownership initiatives, and commercial strategy optimisation
- Support client-facing teams to maximise gross profit margins
- Stay informed on market trends, technology developments, and innovation within the category
- Provide category and product expertise to internal stakeholders
- Regularly benchmark and review the supplier base to ensure alignment with internal and client requirements
- Support tenders and RFQs for new business and contract renewals
- Ensure data integrity, auditability, and accurate tracking of savings in line with commercial strategy
- Work with Sourcing Operations to resolve supplier performance issues and escalations
- Identify and mitigate supply risks, ensuring continuity and resilience
About You
This role would suit someone who thrives in a fast-paced, matrix environment and enjoys collaborating across teams and geographies. You’ll bring strong analytical capability, attention to detail, and a proactive, solutions-focused mindset.
To be successful, you will have:
- A background in Manufacturing or Packaging, with Print experience essential (POS experience desirable)
- Proven experience managing internal and external stakeholders
- Demonstrated success in delivering cost savings and driving improvements within category management
- Strong project management capability
- Advanced Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel
If this role sounds like an exciting challenge and you feel you have the skills and experience to succeed, then please get it touch!
“To achieve our aim of being among the most successful, sustainable and responsible companies in the world, we aim to build a diverse, motivated, and engaged workforce. Our goal is to create a culture of inclusion where everyone is treated fairly, differences are valued, and everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed.
Our people come from diverse backgrounds, bring different perspectives, ideas and experiences to generate unique solutions focused on present and future sustainability challenges. We welcome all candidates to apply, even those not meeting all criteria.”
Skills Required
- Background in Manufacturing or Packaging with Print experience
- POS experience
- Proven experience managing internal and external stakeholders
- Demonstrated success delivering cost savings and driving category improvements
- Strong project management capability
- Advanced Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel
- Strong analytical capability and attention to detail
- Ability to work in a fast-paced matrix environment and collaborate across teams and geographies
DS Smith Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about DS Smith and has not been reviewed or approved by DS Smith.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is considered okay to good across many roles, with some plants indicating competitive or above‑market hourly rates for operators and similar positions. This supports a broadly fair perception of base pay even as experiences vary by site.
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Healthcare Strength — U.S. offerings include day‑one medical/vision and dental, employer HSA contributions, and 100% company‑paid life and short/long‑term disability, alongside an EAP. Some role descriptions also highlight mental‑health and fertility options.
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Retirement Support — Packages commonly reference a 401(k) with company match and, in some locations, pension eligibility or company‑funded retirement contributions. This positions retirement benefits as a meaningful component of total rewards.
DS Smith Insights
What We Do
DS Smith provides innovative packaging solutions, paper products and recycling services with a commitment to sustainability and a circular economy. Our core purpose is to Redefine Packaging for a Changing World, and our expert teams work closely with like-minded partners to incorporate renewable resources for products that minimize our environmental impact, reduce complexity and increase profitability through supply chain optimization
