Category Manager Indirect Spend

BDR Thermea Group; Bassano del Grappa; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

BDR Thermea Group is seeking a Category Manager to lead indirect procurement across multiple sites in Europe. You will drive supplier strategies, manage end-to-end procurement of capital equipment and services, and raise supplier performance while aligning with internal stakeholders to deliver value and cost efficiency.

The role requires 5+ years in procurement, strong negotiation and data-analysis capabilities, and the ability to travel within the EU for plant and supplier visits.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of procurement experience in Marketing, HR, Consultancy services and engineering services; manufacturing/engineering environments preferred.
• Strong commercial acumen and experience managing large contracts and complex suppliers.
• Confident communicator with credibility to influence technical and operational stakeholders.
• Proactive, down-to-earth approach with adaptability in a transformational environment.
• Ability to collaborate across multi-functional matrix teams in a multicultural group.
• Proficient in collecting, handling, analysing and presenting data.
• Strong presentation and influencing skills.
• Ability to travel across the EU for plant and supplier visits.

Responsibilities

• Procurement ownership of delivering high-value, business-critical projects.
• Partner with functional stakeholders to deliver best value procurement solutions.
• Refine a toolkit to support future purchases.
• Lead end-to-end procurement of products, services, and site projects.
• Build strong supplier partnerships to ensure TCO, innovation, value, and reliability.
• Negotiate high-value, complex contracts with service providers.
• Align closely with stakeholders to anticipate needs and deliver best-in-class solutions.
• Support local Buyers and teams to negotiate and strategize to procure goods and services, ensuring value for money.
• Provide guidance on best practices between Procurement, functions and finance.
• Develop a preferred supplier list with terms, schedules and KPI measurements.
• Own the supply strategy and cost-down plans for the Category area.
• Establish service level agreements with end users and key stakeholders in each location.
• Monitor supplier performance and escalate concerns to senior management.
• Enforce an ethical and sustainable supplier selection process.
• Work with internal stakeholders to create annual budget planning and risk assessment.

Skills

Commercial acumen

Stakeholder influence

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Data analysis

Presentation skills

Travel availability

Job description

The Category Manager role reports to the Global Procurement Manager - Indirect and will work with internal and external stakeholders across the group (Site Management Team, Site Procurement Teams, functional experts) to develop a coherent future-proofed supplier base strategy. They will work to support all sites across the Group, to develop, imbed and practise effective procurement techniques and strategies for the purchase of capital equipment. They will drive supplier performance improvement and develop Group Supplier strategies moving away from a local selection strategy. This will involve managing the relationships with Group Suppliers on behalf of BDR Thermea, as well as drive cost down and ownership of performance improvement.

There will also be the opportunity to set in place supplier strategies in collaboration with internal stakeholders. Build performance metrics, and performance against key costs, developing budgets, sustainability and performance related KPI's.

Daily you'll be responsible for, but not limited to:

Procurement ownership of delivering high-value, business-critical projects while gaining exceptional exposure to senior stakeholders.

• Work with functional stakeholders to understand business needs and partnering to deliver best value Procurement solutions for BDR.
• Refine a toolkit to support all future purchases.
• Lead end-to-end procurement of products and services, and site projects from supplier selection to contract management.
• Build strong supplier partnerships to ensure TCO, innovation, value, and long-term reliability.
• Negotiate high-value, complex contracts with service providers.
• Align closely with functional stakeholders to anticipate needs and deliver best-in-class solutions.
• Support local Buyers and teams to negotiate and strategize to procure good and servies, ensure "should be" cost mentality and awareness of key drivers of costs to ensure value for money for all externally purchases.
• Provide guidance on best practise between the Procurement team, funcations and finance.
• Develop a preferred supplier list for specific categories of responsibility, with agreed terms, schedules and measurement criteria/KPI's
• Owns the supply strategy and cost down plans for the Category area
• Establishes service level agreements with end users, and key stakeholders in each location.
• Monitors supplier performance against milestones, informs relevant stakeholders about this performance and supports escalation of concerns if and when needed to Seniors within supplier.
• Enforces an ethical and sustainable supplier selection process considering key criteria to support business goals.
• Work with relevant internal stakeholder to create an annual budget planning preferred suppliers, timing, risk and resource.

About you:

We want to make sure you’re set up for success in your mission therefore required Experience is as follows:

• 5+ years' procurement experience in categories Marketing, HR, Consultancy services and engineering services. Experience across manufacturing and engineering environments preferable.
• Strong commercial acumen and experience managing large contracts and complex high power suppliers.
• Confident communicator with the credibility to influence technical and operational stakeholders.
• Proactive, down-to-earth approach with the adaptability to thrive in a transformational environment.
• Able to collaborate and communicate across multi-functional matrix teams across the multi-cultural Group
• Proficient in collecting, handling, analysing and presenting various types of data.
• Strong presentation and influencing skills
• Ability to travel across EU for plant and supplier visits.