Procurement Director F&B NA

Symrise is a global supplier of fragrances and flavors, cosmetic active ingredients, and functional ingredients. Our customers include manufacturers in the perfume, cosmetics, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, dietary supplement, and pet food industries. With sales of around €5.0 billion in the 2025 financial year, Symrise is one of the world's leading providers. Headquartered in Holzminden, Germany, the Group operates over 100 locations across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the USA, and Latin America. We collaborate with customers to develop innovative, market-ready concepts for everyday products, integrating economic success with corporate responsibility.

About the role

The Procurement Director F&B NA will lead the regional procurement team and manage Direct Spend activities across North America. This role involves translating global category strategies into regional execution, partnering with business stakeholders, driving savings and value creation, supporting innovation, and improving procurement process effectiveness.

Responsibilities

• Regional Procurement Leadership
  • Lead and develop the NAM regional procurement team, building capabilities, ways of working, and accountability.
  • Act as the key procurement business partner for NAM stakeholders across Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, R&D, Finance, and Commercial teams.
  • Ensure regional procurement activities align with business priorities, global category strategies, and enterprise objectives.
  • Develop and execute the NAM regional category strategy.
• Global Category Strategy Implementation
  • Support the implementation of global category strategies within NAM, ensuring regional execution, supplier alignment, and business adoption.
  • Provide regional market insights, supplier intelligence, demand visibility, and operational input to global category teams.
  • Collaborate with global category leaders to reflect NAM requirements in sourcing strategies, supplier decisions, and risk management plans.
• Savings and Value Creation
  • Identify, lead, and deliver regional savings projects across direct spend categories.
  • Build and manage a pipeline of cost productivity, working capital, supply assurance, and value creation initiatives.
  • Partner with Finance to validate savings, track delivery, and ensure benefits are reflected in business results.
• Supplier Management and Innovation Support
  • Manage key regional supplier relationships in alignment with global category direction.
  • Support supplier-enabled innovation by connecting supplier capabilities with business and R&D needs.
  • Drive supplier performance improvement in quality, service, cost, resilience, and compliance.
• P2P Process and Operational Excellence
  • Manage and improve the procurement-to-pay process for direct spend in NAM, partnering with COE, Finance, Supply Chain, and Shared Services.
  • Identify opportunities to improve process efficiency, reduce manual work, strengthen compliance, and enhance stakeholder experience.
  • Support the implementation of procurement tools, data visibility, contract compliance, and standardized ways of working.
• Risk Management and Business Continuity
  • Monitor supply risks, market dynamics, supplier performance, and business continuity risks across NAM direct spend.
  • Support mitigation plans for supply disruption, inflation, capacity constraints, and regulatory or compliance risks.
  • Ensure procurement decisions protect the business while supporting growth and profitability.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Partner with Operations, Planning, Quality, R&D, Finance, and Commercial teams to embed procurement in key business decisions.
  • Support new product launches, reformulation, supplier qualification, and innovation projects from a procurement perspective.
  • Drive strong stakeholder engagement and ensure procurement is recognized as a trusted business partner.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Chemistry, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in procurement/purchasing, with 5+ years in the food & beverage and/or flavors ingredient industry.
• 5+ years of experience directly supervising staff.
• Strong negotiation, networking, communication, and relationship management skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams) and SAP; SAP project or rollout knowledge is an advantage.
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills, with the ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and manage multiple priorities.
• Experience with global sourcing, supplier management, and a demonstrated commitment to sustainability and ethical sourcing.
• Experience purchasing raw materials for the flavor, fragrance, and/or chemical industry is advantageous.
• Knowledge of regulatory requirements in the flavor and fragrance sector is desired.
• Experience with AI tools (e.g., Copilot, Claude) and data analysis tools (e.g., MicroStrategy, Power BI) is a plus.
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally approximately 20%-30% of the time (including ~2 international trips per year).

Benefits

Join our open and transparent culture, where you can flourish and contribute to the health and well-being of consumers in 160 countries. Symrise offers strong company growth above market rates, providing an excellent environment for career development.

Pay

The expected gross annual salary for this position is USD $145,000.00 – USD $175,000.00. Actual pay will be determined based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job-related factors permitted by law. A discretionary annual bonus may be available based on individual and company performance.