Procurement Category Manager - Indirect EMEA

Do you want to work for a world-leading manufacturer who strives to build a better future through sustainability and innovation? Are you looking for a new challenge in a stable, fast-growing sector?

Join us, and build your career by helping us build the future.

We are a global leader in sustainable products with more than 21,000 team members worldwide. From infinitely recyclable aluminium tins, cups and aerosol bottles, to aerospace solutions that enable our customers to have a deeper understanding of our planet and the universe. We produce all these incredible things with one unique purpose: crafting a better community, a better society, a better world.

Moreover, each of us has a deep commitment to diversity and inclusion, which is the foundation of our culture of belonging. And everyone at Ball is an everyday champion, making a difference by doing what we love.

We lead with our heads and our hearts and combine innovative thinking with a spirit of resiliency that keeps us moving forward in a relentless pursuit of new ways to make life, and the world, better. Whether we’re developing packaging that’s infinitely recyclable or aerospace innovations. Because what we create may change, but what we will always make is a difference.

A bit about the position itself...

The primary responsibility of the Regional Category Manager is manage and assure supply, lead the category management lifecycle process for regional categories and support the global-led strategies for global categories.  For regional categories, this role will develop the detailed supplier relationship management and business continuity plans as well as category management strategy, identify opportunities, own the category strategy implementation and execution activities, define the annual goals, and will be the primary owner of the management of the supplier relationship process.  For global categories, this role will work closely with their global counterparts and regional stakeholders to ensure that the global category strategies are executed to the benefit of the company.

This Regional Category Manager specific category responsibilities include: 

• A variety of Indirect EMEA procurement categories with an extremely high spend value.
• To be the subject matter expert for each category within their control and having responsibility for creating and being measured against financial budgets.
• Develops a comprehensive view of the balance between supply and demand and actively monitors market conditions on an ongoing basis in order to make informed decisions.
• Leads the full category management lifecycle process for regional categories including gathering, analyzing, and reporting on key market intelligence, developing a long-term, multi-year category strategy and development and evaluation of “go to market” strategies.
• Leverages multiple sources of market intelligence and data to make data-informed decisions.
• Has responsibility for the development and evaluation of “go to market” strategies for regional categories and can achieve creative commercial outcomes through negotiation planning and successful execution by directing cross functional teams of stakeholders.
• Able to work with and engage Global Category teams to facilitate positive outcomes for global categories.
• Leads the performance management process for regional suppliers, including regular business reviews.
• Proactively reports progress against regional sourcing goals/for the specified period.
• Supplier management - ensuring supplier performance and contract compliance. Ensure appropriate SLA, KPIs and control mechanisms are in place both internally and with suppliers.
• Develop effective senior level relationships with strategic suppliers.
• Ensure alignment with Group Legal on Standard Terms and Conditions of Purchase in all BCPEMEA translations.
• Preparation of budget and strategic plan inputs, then measure, deliver and track savings.
• Identify business opportunities; alternative sources of supply; continuous process improvement; quality improvement and audit existing suppliers to further enhance the overall procurement performance and total cost of ownership.

Your skills and experience...

• Bachelor’s degree with master’s degree or advanced certification (e.g., MBA, CPM, CPSM, CPSC, PMP) preferred
• A minimum of five (5) years of progressively increasing responsibility in Sourcing, Category Management, Supply Chain Management, Finance, Management Consulting, or business-related operations in a global environment.
• Previous experience managing indirect as a category
• Experience in managing the procurement function across multiple sites/locations, ideally Pan-European