Category Sourcing Manager Ocean Freight (all genders)

Philips International; Eindhoven; On-site; EUR 78,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and well‑being programs

Career growth

Annual leave: 25 days (plus options)

Financial incentive: annual bonus

Pension and health insurance package

Employee share purchase program

Job summary

Philips in the Netherlands is seeking a Category Sourcing Manager Ocean Freight to own and shape the global ocean freight category, aligning strategy with supply chain priorities and leading cross‑regional initiatives.

You will negotiate major contracts with shipping lines and providers, manage supplier relationships, monitor market dynamics, and drive cost optimization, network efficiencies, and risk management while communicating effectively with senior stakeholders in Europe, the Americas,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Strong ocean freight category and market knowledge.
• Minimum 5 years negotiating major commercial contracts.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and translate strategy into execution.
• Fluent English in business environments.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute global ocean freight category strategies aligned with business and supply chain priorities.
• Lead major sourcing programs, commercial negotiations, and contract management activities with shipping lines, freight forwarders, and logistics providers.
• Manage strategic supplier relationships and governance programs to drive performance, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Monitor market dynamics, capacity trends, geopolitical developments, and cost drivers to identify risks and opportunities.
• Deliver measurable value through cost optimization, process improvement, network efficiencies, and supplier performance management.
• Partner with cross‑functional stakeholders on business‑critical initiatives, including network optimization, sustainability programs, and New Product Introduction (NPI) projects.
• Support supply chain resilience through proactive risk management and strategic capacity planning.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on logistics market developments and procurement strategy.

Skills

Ocean freight knowledge

Contract negotiations

Stakeholder influence

Excel skills

International experience

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Excel

Job description

Job Title Category Sourcing Manager Ocean Freight

Job Description

Take global ownership of Philips' Ocean Freight category and help shape how our supply chain moves across regions. In this strategic role, you will combine category strategy with hands‑on execution, lead major sourcing and negotiation programs, and influence senior stakeholders and regional colleagues across Europe, the Americas, and APAC. You will work in a global category environment. The direct team is based in Europe, with category representatives in the Americas and APAC operating through a dotted‑line structure. This role has no direct reports, but you will guide and coordinate colleagues across regions and engage a broad group of senior and cross‑functional stakeholders.

Your role:

• Develop and execute global ocean freight category strategies aligned with business and supply chain priorities.
• Lead major sourcing programs, commercial negotiations, and contract management activities with shipping lines, freight forwarders, and logistics providers.
• Manage strategic supplier relationships and governance programs to drive performance, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Monitor market dynamics, capacity trends, geopolitical developments, and cost drivers to identify risks and opportunities.
• Deliver measurable value through cost optimization, process improvement, network efficiencies, and supplier performance management.
• Partner with cross‑functional stakeholders on business‑critical initiatives, including network optimization, sustainability programs, and New Product Introduction (NPI) projects.
• Support supply chain resilience through proactive risk management and strategic capacity planning.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on logistics market developments and procurement strategy.

You're the right fit if:

• You hold at least a Bachelor's degree;
• You have strong ocean freight category and market knowledge, including an understanding of how the market operates.
• You have proven min 5 years of experience negotiating major commercial contracts.
• You can contribute original ideas to category strategy and translate strategy into effective execution.
• You communicate and present confidently to a broad range of senior stakeholders and can clearly defend your recommendations.
• You can influence and persuade stakeholders whose priorities may not always be aligned, including without direct authority.
• You work independently, define your own approach, drive activities forward, and require minimal supervision.
• You are ambitious, confident, and comfortable guiding colleagues across Europe, the Americas, and APAC through a dotted‑line model.
• You bring international and multicultural experience and can work effectively in English as the common business language.
• You ideally bring game theory or Nego/negotiation-excellence knowledge, strong analytical and Excel capabilities, tender experience, logistics experience, or additional regional market exposure.

Compensation & Benefits

Doing meaningful work should come with fair, transparent rewards. The base salary range for this role is €78,187.00– €130,312.00. We determine pay within the range using objective factors, like the skills the role requires, your relevant experience and the responsibility you'll have in this role, alongside internal equity and local market considerations. This role is eligible for annual incentive, with your rewards linked to KPIs/company results. We’ll share the full approach with you during the interview process, so you can make a clear, informed decision.

Benefits include:

• Health and well‑being programs: to support you mentally and physically, allowing you to stay energized and be your best at work and beyond;
• Career growth: access to a wide range of tools and resources to further your career, including a personal development budget, training and coaching;
• Annual leave: 25 days with the option of purchasing up to 20 extra days per year;
• Financial incentive: individual bonus based on personal performance and/or Philips' annual results;
• Additional benefits: solid company pension scheme, attractive collective health insurance package and opportunity to buy Philips shares and products with a discount.

How we work together

We believe that we are better together than apart. For our office‑based teams, this means working in‑person at least 3 days per week. Onsite roles require full‑time presence in the company’s facilities. Field roles are most effectively done outside of the company’s main facilities, generally at the customers’ or suppliers’ locations.

About Philips

Are you ready to do the work of your life to help the lives of others? Learn more about our business, discover our rich and exciting history and learn more about our purpose. You may still be the right candidate for this or other opportunities at Philips. Learn more about our culture of impact with care. #LI-EU #LI-OFFICE #EOS

At Philips, we believe that every human matters. As a global health‑tech leader, we focus on improving people’s health and wellbeing through meaningful innovation. The people who work here share our passion and are motivated to bring this purpose to life. For more than 130 years, we have been creating technologies and innovations that improve people’s lives and support healthcare practitioners. Headquartered in the Netherlands and operating in more than 100 countries globally, we focus our advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights on Precision Diagnosis, Image Guided Therapy, Enterprise Informatics, Monitoring/ Connected Care, Sleep & Respiratory Care and Personal Health. Together, we deliver better care for more people because we believe that every human matters. That's why we're taking steps to create an environment where we acknowledge and embrace our differences and uniqueness and listen to and value each other's views. When people feel cared for and listened to, they bring their best qualities to work, leading to better collaboration, communication, innovation and success.

It is the policy of Philips to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy/childbirth or related medical conditions, age, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical or mental disability, genetic information, citizenship status, veteran or military status, marital or domestic partner status or any other characteristic protected by law. As an equal opportunity employer, Philips is committed to fostering a culture where all are treated with respect and professionalism. To ensure reasonable accommodations for individuals protected by Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Veterans' Readjustment Act of 1974 and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, applicants that require accommodation in the job application process may contact 888-367-7223, option 5, for assistance. Philips is an Equal Employment and Opportunity Employer including Disability/Vets and maintains a drug‑free workplace. Know Your Rights