Category Manager

Holland Colours; Apeldoorn; On-site; EUR 77,000 - 94,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Profit bonus

Holiday allowance

Year-end bonus

Vacation + ATV days

Training budget

Pension

Health insurance discount

Employability budget

Job summary

Holland Colours is seeking a Category Manager to own one strategic raw material segment—pigments, carriers, or additives—representing €15-20 million in annual spend. The role moves procurement from tactical to strategic, with a direct P&L impact and global supplier engagement.

You will develop and execute a concrete category plan, drive cost of ownership reductions, and build long-term partnerships with key suppliers while collaborating across Product Development, Color Design, Sales and Finance.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in procurement within plastics or paints & coatings.
• Hands-on experience in category management or strategic sourcing.
• Fluent in English; Dutch is a plus but not required.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a concrete strategic category plan for assigned categories.
• Drive year-on-year reduction in total cost of ownership.
• Build and maintain strategic, long-term partnerships with key global suppliers.
• Identify, qualify, and onboard alternative suppliers.
• Act as the market intelligence hub for geopolitical developments, price trends, and regulatory changes.
• Consolidate global demand forecasts in collaboration with the four plants.

Skills

Strategic procurement

Category management

Market intelligence

Supplier influence

English fluency

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

As Category Manager at Holland Colours, you take full responsibility for one strategic raw material segment: pigments, carriers, or additives, representing €15-20 million in annual spend. Sounds modest? The stakes are high. This scope means moving procurement activities from a tactical approach to a more strategic focus, and a direct P&L impact.

• The Netherlands
• Full-time
• Permanent
• Bachelor’s degree
• Salary: €85k

You don’t need an explanation that global sourcing in chemicals has become more complex. You’ve been managing volatility, compliance, and supplier risk for years. What makes this role different is the level of ownership.

About the job

Holland Colours is accelerating. As a leading specialist in color and additive masterbatch solutions, we have ambitious growth goals. Procurement plays an important role in enabling that momentum. Currently, the procurement function manages 14 categories across three major segments: pigments, carriers, and additives.

Much of the supplier base is sole-sourced, meaning limited alternatives and heightened risk. Top-tier materials often have only two or three suppliers, while the long tail includes dozens of smaller vendors requiring attention. The goal is to flip this dynamic: expand options at the top to increase flexibility and consolidate the tail to reduce complexity.

Your challenge

• You develop and execute a concrete strategic category plan for assigned categories.
• You drive year-on-year reduction in total cost of ownership.
• You build and maintain strategic, long-term partnerships with key global suppliers.
• You identify, qualify, and onboard alternative suppliers.
• You act as the market intelligence hub for your category, staying ahead of geopolitical developments, commodity price trends, and regulatory changes.
• You consolidate global demand forecasts in collaboration with the four plants.

The Team

You will be one of three Category Managers reporting to the Head of Global Procurement. He runs bi-weekly one-on-ones to stay aligned, but you won't need a calendar invite to ask a question or test a strategy. The two category management colleagues are experienced professionals in their early 50s, each responsible for their own segment. You operate independently on your category plans and collaborate where it makes sense: negotiating with shared suppliers, aligning global forecasts, and sharing what works (and what doesn't) in stakeholder management. Internally, you also partner with Product Development, Color Design, Sales, and Finance, to align business requirements with procurement strategies.

The culture? Transparent and collaborative, built on trust, not titles. We may be publicly listed, but our culture is anything but corporate. We value open dialogue and collaboration across all levels. If you bring initiative and forward-thinking ideas, you’ll find autonomy and support waiting for you.

What you’ll be doing

As Category Manager t Holland Colours, you lead through genuine curiosity and the ability to ask the right questions. You don’t accept ‘this is how we’ve always done it’. You dig deeper, challenge assumptions, and have a big appetite for learning. Most importantly, you're ready to own a category by guiding stakeholders across functions toward shared goals. Think this challenge fits your style? Here’s what sets you up for success:

• You bring a proven track record in procurement within plastics or paints & coatings.
• You have hands-on experience in category management or strategic sourcing.
• You're naturally commercially minded: you follow market trends, geopolitical developments, and industry news because you know they impact your strategy.
• You know how to influence global suppliers and senior leadership.
• You think strategically but act pragmatically, balancing long-term vision with the reality of limited resources.
• You're fluent in English and comfortable working in an international environment; Dutch is a plus for daily interactions but not required.

Our Offer

As Category Manager at Holland Colours, you operate at N-2 level from the Board, giving your decisions direct and visible impact on the business. With all employees participating as shareholders, you personally benefit from the value you help create. Looking ahead, we're planning to expand into indirect procurement, and category managers are the natural candidates to lead those new initiatives.

• You receive a salary that reflects your experience, up to €85k.
• You share in the company’s success with a profit bonus of up to 1.5 months’ salary per year.
• You will also receive 8% holiday allowance and a year-end bonus of up to €1.399,-.
• You have 24 vacation days + 6 ATV days.
• Training budget for courses, events, and seminars to keep your professional skills up to date.
• You enjoy a solid pension scheme, a discount on a collective health insurance plan, and a sustainable employability budget (€555,- per year).
• You start with a one-year contract, with the prospect of a permanent position.

About Holland Colours

Our employees are co-owners of the company. This is rooted in our culture: employees are engaged and in it for the long term. With this employee participation model, we are independent, and we can guarantee that we are living our purpose: helping our clients find a better way by working together. When things don’t go as planned, we always find new ways of working together.

Celebrating Excellence: A World-Class Workplace

We've won the prestigious "World Class Workplace" award. This shows our commitment to fostering a supportive, inclusive, and dynamic work environment.