European Category Manager Indirect

Griffith Foods is the caring, creative product development partner helping food companies meet the evolving needs of consumers while sustaining the planet. As a family business founded in 1919 and headquartered in Alsip, Illinois USA, Griffith Foods is known for true, collaborative innovation guided by their Purpose of "We Blend Care and Creativity to Nourish the World". The company's product capabilities range from seasonings and marinades to coating systems and sauces that are better for people and better for the planet. For more information, visit www.griffithfoods.com.

Purpose of the Role

Direct responsibility for sourcing and negotiating multiple indirect and capital spend categories for Griffith Foods Europe.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

• Developing and managing supplier relationships in conjunction with internal stakeholders (for example Manufacturing, HR, IT, Engineering and Finance).
• Negotiating and managing strategic contracts that include an emphasis on sustainability, quality, service, total costs and continuous improvement.
• Development and management of the budgetary process and the associated savings by category / project.
• Communicate with internal stakeholders on indirect and capital topics, developing strategies to address indirect and capital spend.
• Follow a sourcing process that includes internal needs analysis, industry and supplier analysis, supplier development, negotiation strategy, sustainability strategies.
• Work closely with cross-functional internal stakeholders to assure an optimized cost of use for all indirect categories.
• Develop supplier and/or category strategies with a focus on risk management, cost optimization and sustainability.
• Proactively communicate supply or service issues to internal and external channels and coordinate solution implementation.
• Integrate and manage Indirect purchasing and ordering process into our ERP system.
• Ensure compliance for all suppliers to Griffith's quality, regulatory, and legal documentation expectations.
• Work cross functionally and across all EU sites to collect and analyze spend data to identify potential savings opportunities / possible risks in indirect categories.
• Work closely with the Global Category Manager - Indirect on Global supplier approval and driving through the implementation of Global strategies in EU.

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Purchasing or Supply Chain or equivalent relevant experience.
• Master's (MBA) degree and/or Professional certification would be valuable.
• Proven relevant experience in Indirect Purchasing required. Knowledge of Energy markets would be beneficial.
• Demonstrable experience negotiating contracts autonomously with a wide range in spend, > 20 million €'s.
• Fluent Level English is required. Additional languages preferred (Dutch or Spanish would be valuable).
• Solid understanding of Strategic Sourcing processes within Indirect spend.
• Strong communication, project management and presentation skills.
• Proven ability to lead projects and collaborate with peers around the world.
• Highly self-motivated self-starter with excellent negotiation skills.
• Ability to understand, influence and work with cross functional and multi-cultural internal customers to ensure their needs are met.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics D365 would be an advantage.
• European travel required (25-30%).