Global Category Manager Travel, Fleet and HR

Danone; Hoofddorp; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Yearly bonus

Premium-free pension

30 days annual leave

Healthcare allowance

Gym discounts

Wellbeing initiatives

Job summary

Danone in the Netherlands is seeking a Global Category Manager Travel, Fleet and HR to lead the global procurement strategy across Travel, Fleet, Compensation & Benefits, International Mobility and Learning.

You will shape category roadmaps, drive sourcing projects, negotiate with suppliers, and build partnerships across a complex matrix organization. The role demands 5+ years in indirect procurement and fluency in English.

Qualifications

• At least 5 years of experience in indirect procurement or category management.
• Experience within Travel, Fleet, HR, Compensation & Benefits, Professional Services, or similar indirect spend categories.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, including working with senior leaders.
• Structured, governance-oriented mindset with ability to create alignment and accountability.
• Strong commercial acumen and analytical capabilities.
• Experience leading transformation initiatives and delivering measurable business results.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, international, matrixed environment.
• Bachelor's degree; Master's degree is a plus.
• Fluency in English.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute global category strategies for Travel, Fleet, Compensation & Benefits, International Mobility, and Learning-related spend.
• Drive sourcing projects, supplier selection, negotiations, and contract management to deliver sustainable value and business impact.
• Build strong partnerships with global and local stakeholders, influencing decisions and aligning priorities across a complex matrix organization.
• Monitor supplier performance, identify innovation opportunities, and foster continuous improvement.
• Lead cost optimization and productivity initiatives while ensuring quality, compliance, and risk management.
• Promote procurement best practices, governance, and process excellence across the organization.
• Coordinate and develop a global network of procurement professionals supporting the categories in scope.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Strategic procurement

Analytical capabilities

Global matrix environment

Change management

AI-powered analytics

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Master's degree (plus)

Job description

As Global Category Manager Travel, Fleet and HR, you will lead the global procurement strategy across a diverse and high-impact portfolio: Travel, Fleet and Compensation & Benefits, International Mobility and Learning.

• Netherlands
• Hoofddorp
• Hybrid
• Permanent
• Full-Time

About the job

Working closely with Global HR, Finance, Procurement teams, and regional stakeholders, you will shape category roadmaps, drive business performance, and support the transformation of complex, high-visibility spend areas. You will manage spend over € 500k.

In this role, you will:

• Define and execute global category strategies for Travel, Fleet, Compensation & Benefits, International Mobility, and Learning-related spend.
• Drive sourcing projects, supplier selection, negotiations, and contract management to deliver sustainable value and business impact.
• Build strong partnerships with global and local stakeholders, influencing decisions and aligning priorities across a complex matrix organization.
• Monitor supplier performance, identify innovation opportunities, and foster continuous improvement.
• Lead cost optimization and productivity initiatives while ensuring quality, compliance, and risk management.
• Promote procurement best practices, governance, and process excellence across the organization.
• Coordinate and develop a global network of procurement professionals supporting the categories in scope.

Meet your future manager! You will report to Monique Beerends, Global Sourcing Manager Travel, Fleet & Compensation & Benefits.

About you

You are a strategic procurement professional who enjoys transforming complexity into clarity. You are comfortable operating in a global environment, influencing senior stakeholders, and driving change across multiple functions and geographies.

You bring:

• At least 5 years of experience in indirect procurement or category management.
• Experience within Travel, Fleet, HR, Compensation & Benefits, Professional Services, or similar indirect spend categories.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, including working with senior leaders.
• A structured, governance-oriented mindset with the ability to create alignment and accountability.
• Strong commercial acumen and analytical capabilities.
• Experience leading transformation initiatives and delivering measurable business results.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, international, and matrixed environment.
• A Bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification. A Master's degree is a plus.
• Fluency in English.

Key skills&competencies:

• Highly collaborative with the ability to work effectively with multiple teams and cultures, and to engage and challenge higher business stakeholders.
• Innovative and proactive in problem-solving and solution implementation.
• Strategic mindset and the ability to see the big picture.
• Strong getting things done mentality and strong networker.
• Forward and strategic thinker to influence user-centric design.
• Ability to influence stakeholders across seniority levels, to attract, mentor, and inspire talents.
• Ability to challenge the status quo, strive for continuous improvement.
• Proficient in leveraging AI-powered analytics tools to enhance procurement insights and decision-making.

About Danone

Cycles & Procurement is right at the heart of making the Danone vision One Planet. Through what and how we source, we shape the world in which we operate & we build the future for Danone. With our Cycles we protect and secure our key resources (Milk, Water and Plastic) & we take a strategic approach to Procurement to support the business and social agenda of Danone. We secure competitive, sustainable resources, seek innovative solutions, and partner up with suppliers aligned to our vision.

We offer:

The salary range for this role is € 90.000- €110.000 gross annually (including 8% holiday allowance). Your final offer will reflect your skills and experience while also ensuring alignment with our internal equity and salary framework.

• a yearly bonus
• a premium-free pension
• 30 days of annual leave with the option to purchase more
• a monthly healthcare allowance
• gym discounts
• initiatives focused on physical, mental, and financial health