Director, Strategic Procurement, Indirect Materials

Danish Crown A/S; Denmark; Remote; DKK 1,000,000 - 1,600,000; Full time

Job summary

Danish Crown A/S in Randers, Denmark, seeks a Director of Strategic Procurement for Indirect Materials to lead a global transformation and drive value across Europe. You will set category strategies, coach Category Managers and Specialists, and partner with senior stakeholders to deliver cost improvements and supplier excellence.

The role emphasizes leadership, talent development, and rigorous KPI delivery, while upholding the company’s leadership principles and cross-border collaboration, with

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 7+ years of strategic procurement experience.
• Deep category expertise in Indirect Materials: MRO, facility services, IT procurement, CAPEX, and professional services.
• Strong business acumen and strategic mindset with ability to translate market insights into actionable plans.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• People-first mindset with a passion for coaching and developing others.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of Category Managers and Specialists within Indirect Materials.
• Set and execute the strategic direction for your category in alignment with Danish Crown’s procurement strategy.
• Manage the full category spend and deliver on ambitious KPIs related to cost efficiency, supplier performance, and innovation.
• Partner with senior stakeholders across the business to ensure alignment and impact.
• Identify and develop talent within your team, fostering a culture of growth, collaboration, and accountability.
• Actively contribute to the Sourcing & Category Management leadership team.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Communication

Strategic procurement

People development

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Director, Strategic Procurement, Indirect Materials

Are you ready to lead a strategic procurement category in a global organization? Do you have deep expertise in category management and a passion for developing people and driving results? Then this opportunity at Danish Crown might be your next big step.

Join a Global Procurement Team on a Transformation Journey

You will become part of Group Procurement, a dynamic and professional team with 40 colleagues across our headquarters in Randers and our office in Krakow. We are entering an exciting transformation phase, and we are looking for a new colleague to take ownership of the Indirect Materials category.

Group Procurement plays a key role in optimizing our supply chain and strengthening supplier relationships. As Category Director, you will be instrumental in shaping the strategic direction of your category and leading a team of skilled procurement professionals.

A strategic Category Lead

We are looking for a skilled individual with extensive experience within the category and can set the strategic direction for the team to execute. We expect you to have insight into the market and standards to drive the category according to market / business needs and be compliant to our standards within Danish Crown.

You will be part of the Leadership team in Sourcing & Category Management, and lead initiatives such as supplier development, contract negotiations, and cost optimization projects that directly impact on our bottom line.

You will set KPI’s for your area and be responsible and accountable for delivering ambitious results to ensure cost-effective improvements and more.

The primary colleagues work and live in Denmark and Poland, and you engage with suppliers and stakeholders across Europe, with whom you communicate effortlessly in English, both verbally and in writing.

A People Manager living out our Leadership Principals

You will act as manager for all Category Managers and specialists within the category and be a core driver of living out our Leadership Principals, Totality, Trust, Ambition, Talent and Followership.

As you will have a key stake in the development of the employees and spotting high potentials to ensure a continuous pipeline, we expect you to have a people mindset and have a desire to coach/develop team members and be coached yourself to be an even better version of yourself.

You will embody Danish Crown’s Leadership Principles by fostering trust through transparent communication, driving ambition with bold category strategies, and nurturing talent through coaching and development.

Your Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of Category Managers and Specialists within Indirect Materials.
• Set and execute the strategic direction for your category in alignment with Danish Crown’s procurement strategy.
• Manage the full category spend and deliver on ambitious KPIs related to cost efficiency, supplier performance, and innovation.
• Partner with senior stakeholders across the business to ensure alignment and impact.
• Identify and develop talent within your team, fostering a culture of growth, collaboration, and accountability.
• Actively contribute to the Sourcing & Category Management leadership team.

What You Bring

• Proven leadership experience with a strong ability to create followership and drive team performance or a high motivation to showcase you leadership capabilities
• A bachelor’s degree and 7+ years of strategic procurement experience, preferably in multinational organizations.
• Deep category expertise in Indirect Materials: MRO, facility services, IT procurement, CAPEX, and professional services.
• Strong business acumen and strategic mindset, with the ability to translate market insights into actionable plans.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• A people-first mindset with a passion for coaching and developing others.

Appetite for more?

To learn more about the role, please contact Michael Jespersen, Head of Group Strategic Procurement at [phone].