Category Manager – Indirect Materials Energy & Utilities

Zeppelin International AG; Steinhausen; On-site; CHF 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Zeppelin International AG is seeking a Category Manager Indirect Materials & Services to lead global sourcing for Energy & Utilities. You will drive supplier management, contract negotiations, and cost optimization across the Zeppelin Group, collaborating with stakeholders worldwide.

Lead strategic category strategies, develop KPI-based risk management, and coordinate with procurement, finance, and product teams to align with long-term corporate objectives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's in Business, Engineering, Economics or equivalent.
• 5+ years in strategic or project procurement.
• Strong negotiation, analytical, cost and risk management.
• Cross-functional collaboration in a global organization.
• Understanding technical requirements, project workflows, agile methods, and contract law.
• Fluency in English and German; willingness to travel.

Responsibilities

• Establish supplier relationships to ensure competitive terms and stable supply chain.
• Develop and implement sustainable category strategies for energy & utilities.
• Conduct market analyses to identify potential suppliers and technologies.
• Redesign and implement strategic supplier management.
• Design forecasting systems for suppliers based on S&OP processes.
• Prepare RFx, conduct bid comparisons, and lead price/terms negotiations.
• Draft and negotiate contracts; handle contract law communications.
• Establish sourcing specifications and KPI-based risk management.
• Coordinate interfaces between Operations Procurement, Master Data, and Finance & Controlling.

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Business, Engineering, Economics or equivalent

Job description

Location: Steinhausen (Switzerland) Reporting Line: Head of Category Management

Role Summary

As a Category Manager Indirect Materials & Services, you will be responsible for the global strategic management of the indirect spend categories "Energy & Utilities" across the Zeppelin Group. You will lead sourcing strategies, supplier management, contract negotiations, and cost optimization initiatives while collaborating closely with stakeholders and suppliers worldwide. The role ensures procurement activities support business requirements and long-term corporate objectives.

YOUR TASKS & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Establishing, maintaining, and managing supplier relationships to ensure competitive terms and a stable supply chain


• Developing and implementing sustainable category strategies to optimize the quality, cost structure, and availability of materials and services


• Conducting comprehensive market analyses to identify potential suppliers and technologies


• Redesigning and implementing strategic supplier management


• Designing and implementing forecasting systems for suppliers based on S&OP processes


• Preparing requests for proposals, conducting bid comparisons, and leading price and terms negotiations, including preparing corresponding framework agreements to leverage economies of scale


• Drafting and negotiating contracts, confidently handling contract law and correspondence with attorneys


• Establishing targeted sourcing specifications for materials and services and developing KPI-based risk management for the assigned category


• Coordinating interfaces between Operational Procurement, Master Data & Operations Planning, Product Management, Engineering, Logistics, Quality Management, and Finance & Controlling

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• A degree (Bachelor's or Master's) in Business, Engineering, Economics or equivalent qualification


• 5+ years of experience in strategic or project-specific procurement


• Strong negotiation skills, analytical abilities, and expertise in cost and risk management


• A strong service-oriented mindset and an awareness of working as a strategic procurement professional in a highly cross-functional organization


• Understanding technical requirements, project workflows, and agile working methods, as well as knowledge of contract law and negotiation skills


• Resilience, initiative, and the ability to take on responsibility in a dynamic and global environment


• Fluency in English and German, knowledge of further languages is a plus


• Willingness to travel

Why Join Zeppelin Procurement?

We are creating a procurement organization that moves beyond transactional purchasing, becomes a strategic business partner delivering measurable competitive advantage and generates measurable value and impact to our business. If you want to shape the strategic direction for indirect category management and drive lasting value creation across an international organization, we would like to hear from you.

The Zeppelin Group is a global sales and service provider with extensive industry expertise in the fields of construction, drive and energy. The company's success is built on its established brands Zeppelin Cat, Zeppelin Rental, and Zeppelin Power Systems as well as its plant engineering division, Zeppelin Systems. Zeppelin supports its customers with a comprehensive portfolio of services - ranging from consulting, engineering and sales to rental and project solutions as well as service, maintenance and digital solutions.

With approx. 12,000 employees in 29 countries, Zeppelin is a high-performing, globally positioned group. In the 2025 fiscal year, Zeppelin generated revenue of 4.4 billion euros. The holding company is Zeppelin GmbH, with its legal domicile in Friedrichshafen; the corporate headquarters are located in Garching near Munich. The Zeppelin Group is owned by the Zeppelin Foundation. For more information, visit http://zeppelin.com