The Regional Category Manager will provide procurement category input to the Global Procurement Category Manager and develop or enhance local/regional procurement category Strategies working closely with segment and divisional business partners, operations and other key stakeholders to deploy strategies that drive value and sustainability in GF supply chain.
Main Tasks:
• Develops and implements regional procurement category strategy in close alignment with the Global Procurement Category Manager (global categories) or Regional Head of Procurement (regional categories) and other Regional Procurement Category Managers
• Develops strong relationships and collaborates directly with internal stakeholders at all levels within the organization to understand requirements, manage buy-in
• Conducts market analysis on a regional level
• Leads local and regional negotiations and manages supplier relationships with key suppliers
• Supports major claims on a regional level in close alignment with regional and global Stakeholders
• Optimizes procurement category efficiency through product and process harmonization/ automation acting in close alignment with the Global Procurement Category Manager and Head of Procurement Excellence
• Reports regular global/ regional category results to the Global Procurement Category Manager
• Empowers procurement category teams in personnel and professional development
• Lead Supplier management strategy including supplier development, supply base consolidation and risk mitigation, cost reduction roadmaps and implementation of supplier segmentation plan.
Extensive leadership and communication skills:
• Aligns with Global Procurement Category Manager on global category strategy and results (e.g. supplier and price lists)
• Aligns with Regional Head of Procurement on region-specific category strategy
• Receives support in escalations of region-specific topics from Regional Head of Procurement
• Manages expectations and targets towards supplier negotiations for Sourcing Managers; ensures exchange of best practices with Sourcing Managers
• Manages supplier- and internal customer relationships on regional level; ensures sufficient sourcing/ supply
Job Requirements:
- Bachelor's Degree or equivalent work experience
- 5-10 years of procurement experience with at least 3 years in a category management role
- Analytical skills with the ability to use a structured approach to understand, analyze and solve complex problems / issues
- Strong written communication and excellent oral presentation skills, and the ability to present convincingly at senior levels
Please submit your application via the ‘Apply’ button.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience
- 5-10 years of procurement experience
- At least 3 years of category management experience
- Analytical skills using a structured approach to understand, analyze, and solve complex problems
- Strong written communication skills
- Excellent oral presentation skills
- Ability to present convincingly at senior levels
What We Do
GF – with its three divisions GF Piping Systems, GF Casting Solutions, and GF Machining Solutions – offers products and solutions that enable the safe transport of liquids and gases, as well as lightweight casting components and high-precision manufacturing technologies. As a sustainability and innovation leader, GF strives to achieve profitable growth while offering superior value to its customers for more than 200 years. Founded in 1802, the Corporation is headquartered in Switzerland and present in 34 countries with 138 companies, 60 of which are production companies with 83 facilities. GF’s 15’207 employees worldwide generated sales of CHF 3’998 million in 2022.
