Global Category Manager

About Kerry

Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world. Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.

About the role

• This position will have accountability for the Flavour Chemical and Hydrocolloid categories. Reporting to the Global Category Director based in Ireland.
• Primarily responsible for sourcing and supply, supplier relationship management, business connect, driving cost savings initiatives and working cross-functionally to deliver on the category strategies.

Key responsibilities

• Lead global negotiations and selection processes for designated categories.
• Development of global strategies for the same in conjunction with key stakeholders. 
• Partner with regional and global functions to implement the strategies agreed.
• Ensure the optimal contracting models are used for each category to ensure required cost and service level targets are met.
• Monitor market trends and provide formal market report to key stakeholders on a monthly basis.
• Work closely with the regional teams to identify purchase opportunities and consolidate raw material spending to achieve the best price possible.
• Tender via Coupa, evaluate vendor quotations, and adopt the appropriate negotiation and purchasing techniques to ensure quality, price, delivery, and service ensuring that selected vendors can meet our requirements and Service Level Agreements.
• Identify innovation opportunities in this ever-evolving space.
• Identify and document cost saving opportunities and ensure implementation takes place on a timely basis.
• Lead a cross functional global category council to ensure that any issues in terms of cost or performance of selected global or regional suppliers is reviewed and to monitor implementation of global and regional cost saving initiatives.
• Conduct key global supplier service and performance level reviews on a regular basis.
• Ensures all procurement within the categories is in line with Kerry’s sustainability strategy.
• Travel regularly to the regions in order to develop and maintain strong supplier relationships.

Qualifications and skills

• In Kerry we understand that people have very different career trajectories and experiences. In order to be successful in this role we would be looking for the right competencies and aptitudes as well as your proven track record of success as a Global Buyer for similar categories of spend.
• These include:
  • A minimum of 5 years of purchasing experience with an impressive track record of accomplishments and continuous improvements.
  • Excellent interpersonal communication, relationship management and good influencing and stakeholder management skills to be able work across all levels within an organization.
  • Someone who is self-motivated and career driven with strong sense of enthusiasm and commitment.
  • Ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines. Acts with drive, determination and resilience.
  • Focused, results-oriented and able to challenge the status quo to achieve both the medium term to long-term KPI level and implement the global strategy.
  • Someone who is able to plan and manages projects through to completion.
  • Excellent problem solving and analytical skills.
  • Excellent Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint skills.
  • Fluent English.
  • Travel: Minimum 20% of the time.