Head of Strategic Procurement & Cost Optimization (Detergant Manufacturing - Istanbul, Europe)

Nizmara Consulting & Executive Search; Fatih; On-site; TRY 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Nizmara Consulting & Executive Search is seeking a Chief Procurement/Head of Strategic Procurement & Cost Optimization to transform purchasing into a strategic value creator in a large Turkish manufacturing environment.

The role requires 15+ years of direct-material procurement experience, senior leadership background, and strong expertise in cost reduction, supplier development, and analytics to improve margins, supply security, and sustainability across the portfolio.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related technical field.
• Minimum 15 years of progressive procurement experience.
• At least 5 years in a senior procurement leadership role within manufacturing.
• Engineering background strongly preferred.
• Experience in FMCG, Home Care, Personal Care, Chemicals or Consumer Products.
• Expertise in Strategic Sourcing, Category Management, Raw Material & Packaging Procurement, Supplier Development, Cost Optimization, Value Engineering, and Procurement Analytics.
• Proven ability to deliver measurable cost reductions and margin improvements.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute long-term procurement and cost optimization strategy.
• Own sourcing strategy for direct materials including raw materials and packaging.
• Analyze product cost structures to improve gross margins.
• Lead cost-reduction initiatives through value engineering and supplier innovation.
• Monitor global commodity markets, currency movements, and geopolitical developments to anticipate risks.
• Develop financial and operational models to evaluate sourcing scenarios.
• Build predictive procurement strategies aligned with market conditions.
• Lead supplier negotiations and establish long-term partnerships.
• Collaborate with R&D, Manufacturing, Operations, Finance and Commercial teams to optimize formulations and costs.
• Develop dashboards and KPI frameworks for executive decision making.

Skills

Strategic Sourcing

Category Management

Raw Material Procurement

Packaging Procurement

Supplier Development

Cost Optimization

Value Engineering

Procurement Analytics

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Master's degree (advantage)

Job description

Nizmara is a trusted executive search and talent acquisition partner serving organizations across Turkey, the Middle East, and Europe. We combine deep sector expertise with real business experience to deliver high-impact recruitment solutions for leadership and mission-critical roles.

Our consultants bring senior-level industry backgrounds and a consultative mindset, enabling us to understand both the strategic and operational priorities of our clients. This allows us to go beyond traditional recruitment and act as true advisors throughout the talent acquisition journey.

We specialize in key sectors including Technology, Financial Services, Banking & Insurance, Healthcare & Life Sciences, E-commerce & Retail, Construction, Engineering, and Manufacturing. Through tailored search strategies, strong networks, and a results-driven approach, we connect exceptional talent with forward-thinking organizations to drive sustainable business success.

About the Company

Our client is a well-established manufacturing company operating in the Home Care and Personal Care sectors. With a strong presence in private label manufacturing and partnerships with leading retail and international brands, the company is embarking on a transformation journey to strengthen profitability, optimize its supply chain, and enhance procurement excellence.

We are looking for a commercially minded procurement leader who can transform procurement from an operational function into a strategic value creation partner.

Position Summary

This role goes far beyond traditional purchasing.

The Head of Strategic Procurement & Cost Optimization will be responsible for maximizing profitability through strategic sourcing, engineering-driven cost optimization, supplier strategy, commodity intelligence, and data-driven decision making.

The successful candidate must possess strong commercial acumen, advanced analytical capabilities, and the ability to translate complex market dynamics into actionable procurement strategies. They will continuously evaluate product cost structures, monitor global commodity markets, anticipate economic and geopolitical developments, and proactively implement initiatives that improve margins while ensuring quality, supply continuity, and long-term sustainability.

This role requires a leader who naturally thinks in numbers, challenges assumptions, models different scenarios, and makes strategic decisions based on data rather than intuition.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the company's long-term procurement and cost optimization strategy.
• Own the sourcing strategy for all direct materials, including raw materials, packaging and production-related categories.
• Analyze product cost structures and identify opportunities to improve gross margins across the portfolio.
• Drive engineering-based cost reduction initiatives through value engineering, material optimization, supplier innovation and specification improvements.
• Continuously monitor global commodity markets, raw material trends, currency movements, inflation, freight costs and geopolitical developments to anticipate risks and identify commercial opportunities.
• Develop financial and operational models to evaluate different sourcing scenarios, supplier strategies and pricing alternatives.
• Build predictive procurement strategies that respond proactively to changing market conditions rather than reacting after cost increases occur.
• Lead strategic supplier negotiations and establish long-term partnerships that create sustainable competitive advantage.
• Collaborate closely with R&D, Manufacturing, Operations, Finance and Commercial teams to optimize formulations, packaging, product specifications and total product cost.
• Develop alternative sourcing strategies and supplier diversification plans to strengthen supply resilience.
• Build procurement dashboards, cost models and KPI frameworks that support executive decision making.
• Lead procurement transformation initiatives and develop a high-performing procurement organization.

Candidate Profile

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Supply Chain, Economics or a related technical discipline. A Master's degree is considered an advantage.
• Minimum 15 years of progressive procurement experience, primarily focused on direct materials procurement.
• At least 5 years in a senior procurement leadership role within manufacturing industries.
• Engineering background is highly preferred.
• Proven experience in FMCG, Home Care, Personal Care, Chemicals or Consumer Products manufacturing.
• Strong expertise in Strategic Sourcing, Category Management, Raw Material Procurement, Packaging Procurement, Supplier Development, Cost Optimization, Value Engineering, Procurement Analytics
• Demonstrated success in delivering measurable cost reductions, productivity improvements and margin enhancement initiatives.
• Demonstrated success delivering measurable procurement savings and margin improvement.
• Strong commercial acumen combined with analytical thinking.
• Experience managing high-value supplier negotiations.