Senior Lead - Distribution Procurement Category Manager

Responsibilities

• Category Leadership: Develop and execute comprehensive category strategies specifically for warehousing and distribution services globally.
• Sourcing & RFP Management: Lead complex RFPs and sourcing events for 3PL providers, ensuring all decisions are supported by rigorous financial and operational analysis.
• Commercial Negotiation: Drive end-to-end contract negotiations, focusing on total cost of ownership (TCO), service levels (SLAs), and long-term scalability.
• Warehouse Operational Design: Support the procurement of automation and technology solutions (e.g., MHE, robotics) to drive distribution center efficiency.
• Network Optimization: Collaborate on business case creation for new node entries, facility expansions, or site relocations within the EMEA and global network.
• Vendor Excellence: Establish robust SRM (Supplier Relationship Management) frameworks to drive accountability and continuous improvement with our logistics partners.
• Labor & Consumables Strategy: Manage the procurement of indirect warehouse needs, including temporary labor contracts and packaging/consumables strategy.
• Operational Visibility: Create and maintain standardized reporting tools to track category spend, vendor performance, and contract compliance.
• Stakeholder Alignment: Facilitate regular strategic alignment meetings with Supply Chain, Finance, and IT leadership to ensure procurement goals support the broader business roadmap.
• Continuous Improvement: Proactively identify value-engineering opportunities to optimize our distribution footprint and drive sustainable cost savings.

Requirements

• Subject Matter Expertise: Deep understanding of the warehousing and 3PL landscape, including cost models, operational drivers, and industry benchmarks.
• Strategic Influence: Skill to quickly build credibility and trust with executive-level stakeholders and external partners.
• Analytical Precision: Ability to build data-driven business cases and perform complex root cause analysis to support sourcing recommendations.
• Process Discipline: Strong knowledge of procurement best practices, contract law, and project management methodologies.
• Accountability: Ability to serve as the ‘single source of truth’ for the distribution category, managing complex dependencies across the global network.
• Resilience: Capacity to act as a change agent, navigating market volatility and high-pressure negotiations with tact and diplomacy.

Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s degree (a combination of college education and related work experience may be used as a substitute).
• Minimum 5 years of experience in strategic procurement, category management, or a specialized logistics role in a fast-paced environment.
• Expert knowledge and proficiency with MS Office applications and experience with sourcing tools (e.g., Ariba, Coupa, etc).