Strategic Raw Materials Category Lead

e7 Group; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 250,000 - 420,000; Full time

Job summary

e7 Group in the United Arab Emirates is seeking an experienced Category Manager - Raw Material to lead strategic procurement for direct production materials. The role focuses on cost competitiveness, quality, supply continuity, and resilience through category management, sourcing, supplier partnerships, and negotiations.

The candidate will develop category strategies, evaluate markets and supplier capabilities, and lead negotiations to secure favorable terms while ensuring uninterrupted supply

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field (supply chain, procurement, business, engineering, finance).
• 8–10 years in procurement, strategic sourcing, or category management.
• 3–5 years category management in large industrial, manufacturing, or multinational org.
• Proven experience in supplier negotiations, contract management, and cost optimization.
• Strong knowledge of spend analysis, benchmarking, TCO, and commodity risk management.
• Understanding of procurement policies, governance, and regulatory requirements.
• Excellent stakeholder management, influencing, negotiation, and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Manage the raw material portfolio to ensure uninterrupted supply.
• Develop and execute category strategies to optimize cost, quality, service, and supplier performance.
• Evaluate markets, supplier capabilities, pricing trends, and risks to support decisions.
• Lead commercial negotiations for competitive pricing and favorable terms.
• Conduct spend analysis, benchmarking, should-cost, and TCO assessments.
• Monitor commodity price fluctuations and mitigation measures for risks.
• Build strategic supplier relationships and monitor KPIs, quality, and contracts.
• Collaborate with Production, Planning, Quality, Engineering, Warehouse, and Finance to support schedules and inventory.
• Provide procurement expertise for new product development and supplier selection.

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Category management

Supplier negotiations

Spend analysis

Risk management

Cross-functional collaboration

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management

Job description

e7 Group in the United Arab Emirates is seeking an experienced Category Manager - Raw Material to lead strategic procurement for direct production materials. The role focuses on cost competitiveness, quality, supply continuity, and resilience through category management, sourcing, supplier partnerships, and negotiations.

The candidate will develop category strategies, evaluate markets and supplier capabilities, and lead negotiations to secure favorable terms while ensuring uninterrupted supply