Group Procurement Category Manager Media, Marketing & Sales

DescriptionWe are looking for a Group Procurement Category Manager Media, Marketing & Sales to join the Group Procurement team in the company’s Headquarter in Kilchberg, Switzerland. This new role will report directly to the Head Group Indirect Procurement.

This is a unique opportunity to further develop strategic procurement in Advertising Media at global level, and to establish fundamentals of strategic procurement across other key Marketing & Sales categories, as part of a wider Indirect Procurement Program.

Your main responsibilities will include:
Work with Group & local Procurement leadership, International & local Marketing, International & local Sales, to:
- Further develop Media procurement in US and Europe in close collaboration with Head Group Indirect Procurement and Head of International Media (e.g., support professional execution of regional / global / local media pitches, continuously improve Group and local media agreements, strengthen relationship management & performance monitoring of our Group media partners)
- Define regional / global sourcing strategies across other major Marketing & Sales categories (Creative / Design Agencies, Marketing Agencies, Market Research, POS Materials, Merchandising Agencies)
- Define and implement a multi-year roadmap of value delivery initiatives with the target of generating significant value for the Group, in close collaboration with local procurement
Lead regional / global sourcing projects, driving cross-functional teams across multiple countries towards a common objective
Define and lead other value delivery initiatives aimed at extracting value from service level / specification optimization and demand management levers
Establish strong relationship with key stakeholders across the relevant functions, promoting and demonstrating the value of Procurement in their areas
Design and negotiate master service agreements, in collaboration with the Group Legal department, establishing best-in-class commercial models
Provide insights into the latest regional / global market developments for the major spend categories
Provide expert support and guidance to Group and local stakeholders where required
Ensure relevant templates and tools are in place for all major categories and available for all Group and local stakeholders
Use e-sourcing tools or advanced sourcing solutions whenever appropriate
Organize and facilitate international workshops and meetings


Your profile:
University degree in business/ marketing / procurement or related fields
5+ years of professional experience in a global / regional procurement organization, preferably within FMCG or food industry
Consolidated procurement experience in Marketing procurement, with solid experience in:
- Advertising Media in Europe and US (traditional, digital and new media), including in particular executing multi-country media pitches, drafting & negotiating media contractual agreements, running media performance audits as well as contractual / financial compliance audits (supported by external partners), conducting media investment optimization initiatives, negotiating with media agencies as well as directly with media owners
- Leading regional / global sourcing projects across some of the other key categories in scope (Creative / Design Agencies, Marketing Agencies, Market Research, POS Materials, Merchandising Agencies)
Successful track record of designing and implementing sourcing strategies in a decentralised organisation, delivering sustainable year-on-year cost reductions without compromising service level
Proven track record in leading cross-functional teams on a change journey with discipline, transparency and authenticity
Strong project management experience and ability to deal with ambiguity
Specific experience in media in Europe and US required; within Europe, knowledge of media in the following markets is considered of advantage: Germany, Switzerland, Italy France, UK
Previous experience in Marketing or consulting background of advantage
Advanced negotiation skills, with experience in defining and negotiating different commercial models within the categories in scope
Experience in designing and negotiating master service agreements, in collaboration with the Legal department
Experience in extracting value from service level / specifications optimization, as well as demand management
Strong stakeholder management skills; obtaining buy-in from central and local senior management is critical for being successful in this position
Experience in e-sourcing and other advanced sourcing tools relevant for the categories in scope
Languages: fluent spoken and written English at business level; German, Italian or French – written & spoken – of advantage
Strong presentation and analytical skills
Travel Required: 20-30%