Job Description

Shape & Create - And make it happen!

The Villeroy & Boch Group with its Ideal Standard brand is one of the world's leading manufacturers in the ceramics and lifestyle sector. With our innovative and stylish products from the Dining & Lifestyle and Bath & Wellness segments, we have been creating moments and rooms to feel good in since 1748. Our success is based on the passion, design expertise and innovative strength of our more than 13,000 employees in 42 countries.

Want to become part of us? #shapeandcreate

The Category Manager is responsible for developing and executing category strategies across assigned indirect spend areas, driving value creation, risk management, and operational excellence. The role acts as a key connector between business stakeholders, strategic buyers, and operational procurement, ensuring alignment, capability building, and consistent delivery of category objectives.

• Develop and execute category strategies aligned with business priorities, driving value creation and long-term impact
• Lead high value/high impact sourcing projects with excellence
• Drive spend end-to-end and demand management, ensuring cost discipline and optimization of consumption.
• Manage and optimize the supplier portfolio, including leading performance, rationalization, and strategic partnerships.
• Embed risk management and compliance practices to ensure supply continuity and resilience.
• Act as a key business partner for the category, connecting internal needs with external market solutions.
• Serve as a category expert, educating and guiding strategic buyers and operational procurement teams.
• Drive process efficiency, improve user experience and digital adoption (e.g., COUPA) to enhance visibility, compliance, and speed.
• Identify cross-divisional synergies and support high-impact initiatives, new buying channels, catalogues, negotiations, and escalations

Your tasks :

• Category Strategy Development & Execution: Define, maintain, and drive execution of category strategies aligned with business priorities and company targets
• Stakeholder Business Partnering :Engage with stakeholders to understand needs, align priorities, and translate business requirements into procurement actions.
• Spend & Demand ManagementAnalyze spend, challenge demand, bring out-side market intelligence and drive cost and consumption optimization across the category
• Key Sourcing Initiatives & Negotiations: Lead critical sourcing projects and negotiations to secure optimal commercial and contractual outcomes through digital tools such as Coupa, e-auctions.
• Supplier Portfolio & Performance Management : Manage supplier relationships, performance, and rationalization, including development of strategic partnerships.
• Risk Management & Compliance: Educate, guide, and upskill strategic buyers, stakeholder and operational procurement to ensure consistent execution of procurement policy, category strategies, buying channels. Proactively identify and mitigate supplier and market risks, ensuring compliance and supply continuity.
• Digitalization & Process Improvement : Drive adoption of procurement tools (e.g., COUPA), enhancing visibility, proactive contract management, efficiency, and streamline time-to-contract

Your profile :

• 3-5 years experience in similar role, in an international FMCG environment
• Category strategy development
• Market intelligence and benchmarking
• Strategic sourcing & supplier relationship management
• Process optimization and digital tools
• Project management
• Storytelling and change management
• Negotiation and influencing
• Adaptability and resilience
• Agile Mindset
• Situational leadership
• Diversity and leadership
• Risk management
• Advanced level of English, other languages are a plus.

Think outside the box with us! #shapeandcreate