Group Procurement Manager
1 day ago
Barcelona
Customer: Our customer is a well-established international industrial group with a diversified manufacturing footprint and ambitious growth plans. The company is undergoing a significant transformation, strengthening leadership and moving towards a more integrated operating model across its international businesses. Operating across multiple production sites and a global supply network, the organization combines engineering excellence, operational expertise and strong customer focus, while investing in process improvement, digitalisation and sustainable growth. To support international expansion, the company is building an integrated Group Supply Chain function connecting commercial demand, operations, procurement, planning and logistics. The role offers the opportunity to play a key part in this transformation and work closely with executive leadership to build a best-in-class Supply Chain organization. Role purpose: We are seeking a hands-on Group Procurement Manager to establish and professionalise Group Procurement across an international, multi-site manufacturing organisation. Working closely with the Group Supply Chain Director, regional leadership, plant management and local procurement teams, the role will bring greater coordination and control to a decentralised procurement environment, capture Group-wide synergies and strengthen supplier and contract governance. This is not a purely transactional purchasing role. It combines sourcing and negotiation expertise, commercial judgement, supplier-market knowledge and hands-on execution to build robust procurement foundations while supporting growth, resilience and profitability. Key priorities include cross-site purchasing synergies, key supplier and contract management, sourcing governance, outsourcing initiatives and strategic categories such as energy. Key Responsibilities: Group Procurement Foundations & Governance • Establish the foundations of Group Procurement and a pragmatic framework aligned with business and supply chain objectives., • Develop a roadmap from local purchasing to a coordinated Group model, with clear execution priorities., • Define what stays local and where Group-level sourcing, negotiation, category management or contract ownershipadds value., • Implement clear governance, responsibilities, decision rights, controls and escalation processes. Strategic Sourcing & Category Management • Lead strategic sourcing across key direct and indirect spend categories., • Analyse the Group’s supplier landscape, spend and category opportunities., • Develop sourcing strategies for direct materials, metal components, packaging, energy and services., • Consolidate volumes across sites to unlock economies of scale and better commercial terms., • Lead major tenders, supplier selections and negotiations, including Group-level energy negotiations. Cost Competitiveness & Procurement Synergies • Identify and deliver cross-site procurement synergies and sustainable improvements in total acquisition cost., • Challenge historical sourcing and pursue supplier consolidation, specification harmonisation, alternative sourcing, volume bundling, contractual improvements and improved payment/commercial conditions., • Work with Finance and Operations to translate initiatives into measurable P&L and cash-flow impact. Supplier Strategy & Relationship Management • Build strategic supplier management and segment suppliers by criticality, value, risk and strategic importance., • Develop long-term partnerships while maintaining commercial tension and competitiveness., • Lead negotiations with strategically important suppliers., • Implement supplier performance reviews covering cost, quality, delivery, innovation, responsiveness and risk. Supply Resilience & Risk Management • Strengthen supply-base resilience and reduce exposure to critical single-source or geographically concentrated suppliers., • Support dual sourcing, alternative materials, supplier development and contingency planning., • Work with Supply Chain, Operations and Quality to balance cost competitiveness with reliability, quality and continuity of supply. Procurement Organisation & Operating Model • Assess existing procurement capabilities and determine the most effective future operating model., • Build collaboration between local buyers, plant management and Group functions without relying on direct hierarchical authority., • Clarify roles between Group Procurement and local/site purchasing organisations., • Develop consistent procurement standards, policies, processes and tools., • Recommend organisational changes and additional capabilities required for future scale. Group Contracts & Commercial Governance • Strengthen the Group’s approach to supplier contracting, sourcing control and commercial governance., • Ensure strategically important supplier relationships and sourcing activities have appropriate contractual frameworks, approvals and controls., • Improve visibility/control of contractual obligations, NDAs, pricing mechanisms, indexation, payment terms, service expectations, qualification requirements and renewal dates., • Partner with Legal, Finance, Quality and R&D on complex agreements, supplier qualification and negotiations. Procurement Data, Systems & Analytics • Establish transparency around spend, suppliers, pricing and procurement performance., • Develop reliable procurement reporting and KPIs., • Integrate procurement data with the wider Group Supply Chain systems and planning environment., • Use data and market intelligence for negotiations, category decisions and supplier strategies., • Improve procurement data, tools and digital capabilities over time; major ERP harmonisation is not an immediate priority. Outsourcing, Growth & Integration • Support and accelerate use of external manufacturing and outsourcing partners, including suppliers delivering finished products or components., • Establish robust commercial and contractual frameworks for outsourced production and coordinate supplier qualification with Operations, Quality and R&D., • Increase outsourcing flexibility, capacity and supply resilience where commercially attractive., • Support acquisitions, integrations, new products and capacity-growth initiatives by assessing supplier bases, contracts, purchasing conditions and procurement synergies. Cross-Functional Partnership • Partner closely with the Group Supply Chain Director and broader Operations organisation., • Collaborate with Plant Directors, Supply Chain Managers, Finance, Quality, Engineering, R&D and Commercial teams., • Understand operational/customer requirements before developing sourcing strategies. Key Deliverables The successful candidate will progressively establish: • Establish a practical Group Procurement framework with clear governance and responsibilities., • Create transparency of spend, suppliers and opportunities., • Implement Group-wide sourcing for direct materials, packaging and energy., • Build a measurable procurement savings pipeline using group negotiations and volume leverage., • Strengthen outsourcing and external production strategies., • Establish professional strategic supplier management., • Standardise procurement processes, governance and performance measurement., • Strengthen collaboration between Group Procurement and local purchasing teams. Requirements Experience & Background • Significant experience in strategic procurement, sourcing or category management in international industrial/manufacturing environments., • Proven experience across multiple sites, countries or business units., • Track record of savings and commercial improvements through sourcing and negotiations., • Strong direct-material procurement experience, ideally raw materials, metal components, packaging and/or energy., • Experience developing supplier strategies and managing complex supplier relationships., • Strong understanding of contracts, commercial terms and procurement risks., • Experience building, centralising or transforming procurement functions., • Ability to align decentralised teams and influence stakeholders without formal authority., • Strong project management, analytical and financial skills, including understanding P&L and cash impact. Preferred Experience • Experience establishing Group-level procurement or category management structures., • Procurement integration after acquisitions or restructuring., • Supplier consolidation, alternative sourcing and supply-risk mitigation., • Experience with spend analytics, procurement data and digital sourcing tools; systems transformation is a plus., • Background in fast-growing or transformation-focused industrial organisation. Leadership & Personal Profile • Commercially sharp – strong negotiator with a broad business perspective., • Analytical and data-driven – confident with spend data and market intelligence., • Hands-on and execution-focused – builds frameworks while driving negotiations, contracts and sourcing., • Entrepreneurial and proactive – actively identifies and pursues opportunities., • Influential and pragmatic – aligns teams without direct authority and focuses on real business value., • Confident challenger – comfortable questioning the status quo and handling difficult negotiations., • Energetic and ambitious – motivated to build Group Procurement from the ground up and deliver visible results. Languages • Fluent English is essential., • Additional European languages are an advantage. Benefits • Competitive compensation package reflecting the international scope and responsibility., • Performance-based annual bonus linked to business and transformation objectives., • High degree of autonomy and ownership within an international industrial group undergoing transformation., • Significant career runway as the Group scales, with opportunity to shape Procurement and potentially take on broader responsibility., • International working environment with exposure to executive leadership and strategic business initiatives., • Highly visible Group role within a rapidly growing international industrial organisation committed to operational excellence and sustainable growth.