Senior Global Category Manager – Indirect Procurement

Vantage Specialty Chemicals; Gurnee (IL); On-site; USD 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Vantage Specialty Chemicals in Illinois seeks a Senior Category Manager – Global Indirect Procurement to own a broad indirect-spend portfolio, including CapEx and OpEx, across the US, Germany, and Spain. The role combines strategic thinking with hands-on execution, requiring strong analytics and stakeholder influence.

You will lead a small team of 1–2 procurement professionals, drive category strategies, negotiations, and continuous improvement across global operations, delivering measurable

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive procurement/ sourcing experience.
• Experience managing large indirect-spend portfolios.
• Proven cost savings, value delivery, and supplier outcomes.
• Strong analytical capability using spend data and BI tools.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and collaborate internationally.
• Experience leading and developing a small team.

Responsibilities

• Lead global indirect-spend strategy and performance across categories.
• Lead strategic sourcing and commercial management from strategy to implementation.
• Use analytics to identify opportunities and guide decisions.
• Build trusted stakeholder partnerships and influence alignment.
• Develop supplier strategies and manage risk.
• Lead and develop a small procurement team.
• Drive initiatives from analysis through execution and continuous improvement.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Stakeholder influence

Leadership

Data-driven decisions

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Excel

ERP

Job description

Senior Category Manager – Global Indirect Procurement

We are seeking an experienced, highly analytical, and commercially driven Senior Category Manager – Global Indirect Procurement to take ownership of a broad and strategically important global indirect-spend portfolio.

Position Summary

This role will be responsible for developing and executing procurement strategies across Capital Expenditures (CapEx), Operating Expenditures (OpEx), professional and business services, and other third-party goods and services. The majority of the company's spend is in the United States, with additional spend and stakeholders across Germany and Spain.

This is a senior, hands-on category leadership role. The successful candidate will be expected to operate independently, analyze complex spend and business data, identify and prioritize opportunities, develop category strategies, influence stakeholders, lead negotiations, and drive initiatives through implementation and measurable results.

The role will also have direct responsibility for leading and developing a small team of 1-2 procurement professionals. The focus, however, remains on ownership of the category portfolio, strategic sourcing, commercial results, and business impact while also continuously improving the team's efficiency.

The ideal candidate combines strategic thinking with strong execution. They are comfortable working with big data, making decisions in ambiguous situations, challenging the status quo, influencing senior stakeholders, and moving quickly from identifying an opportunity to delivering results.

Key Responsibilities

• Global Category Ownership: Lead global indirect-spend strategy and performance across all categories while delivering value through cost, supplier, risk, and process improvements.
• Strategic Sourcing & Commercial Management: Lead strategic sourcing and commercial management from strategy development through negotiation, contracting, and implementation.
• Spend Analytics & Business Intelligence: Use analytics and business intelligence to identify opportunities, guide decisions, and measure category performance.
• Stakeholder Leadership & Influence: Build trusted stakeholder partnerships and influence alignment around procurement priorities, value, and commercial decisions.
• Supplier Management & Risk: Develop and manage supplier strategies that strengthen performance, value, innovation, and risk mitigation.
• Team Leadership & Development: Lead, develop, and hold a small procurement team accountable while building capability and continuous improvement.
• Execution & Continuous Improvement: Drive high-value initiatives from analysis through execution while improving procurement processes, governance, and ways of working globally.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Procurement, Business, Finance, Engineering, Economics, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, category management, or a related commercial function.
• Experience managing large, complex indirect-spend portfolios across relevant categories such as CapEx, OpEx, professional services, business services, facilities, MRO, or other third-party spend.
• Proven track record of delivering measurable cost savings, commercial value, and supplier negotiation outcomes.
• Strong analytical capability, including experience using spend data, Excel, ERP, procurement, or business intelligence tools to support decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and communicate clearly across business, supplier, and international teams.
• Experience leading and developing a small team.

About Vantage

Vantage provides natural solutions to our customers' technical performance and marketing needs through a unique combination of chemistry, application expertise and service. Underpinned by our broad portfolio of formulations, ingredients and actives that are built on a backbone of sustainable oils, fats and their derivatives, Vantage targets selected markets and applications including personal care, food, surface treatment, agriculture, pharma, and consumer and industrial performance. Vantage is headquartered in Deerfield, IL., operates in 11 countries worldwide and employs more than 1,000 talented professionals focused on delivering exceptional customer experiences with every interaction.