Regional Category Manager

Job Summary

Looking for an opportunity to lead strategic sourcing initiatives, manage a high-impact portfolio, and help shape the future of our Health & Biosciences business?

Job Summary

Looking for an opportunity to lead strategic sourcing initiatives, manage a high-impact portfolio, and help shape the future of our Health & Biosciences business?

IFF is a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients and health & biosciences, we deliver sustainable innovations that elevate everyday products.

Health & Biosciences: Channeling our passion for nature and bioscience into sustainable, life enhancing technologies that power innovative solutions across healthcare, food, consumer and industrial markets.

This is a hybrid role can be based out of our office in Asturias OR Barcelona, Spain. Join a collaborative, innovative, and solution-oriented team where your expertise contributes to meaningful products used around the world. Your potential is our inspiration

We are excited to welcome a new Regional Category Manager for Grains and sweeteners Raw Materials to our team, and we hope it is you In a highly dynamic and transforming market, the future Category Manager (CM) will develop and execute sourcing strategies aiming to source, secure and optimize IFF Raw material (:65 Mio) for all relevant manufacturing plants in the most important region for IFF Europe. The Category Manager will prepare, negotiate, manage, and coordinate assigned raw material categories across the EMEA region for the Health & Biosciences business unit. In the future, the Category Manager will also oversaw the Yeast Extracts, Enzymes, and Dairy categories (:€35 million).

The Portfolio Will Include the Following Products

• Starches and derivatives
• Commodity grains
• Sugar
• In Future Yeast, Enzymes and Dairy

The CM is accountable for the management and performance of this full portfolio, including establishing sourcing strategies, setting strategic objectives, optimizing products and supplier’s portfolio and executing strategic transformative projects. The CM will manage relationships with key suppliers, ensure alignment with IFF business objectives. The job function requires international external interactions with suppliers and raw material market/network knowledge. In addition, it requires extensive internal interaction with key functions including Operations, Business teams, Quality, Commercial, and Technical Program leads.

The key value axis of IFF sourcing strategy are the following

• Drive cost competitiveness through TCO and cash optimization, with a cross-functional vision (that will include rationalization, specs optimization, etc.)
• Develop Category strategy for the respective portfolio’s
• Drive IFF CO2 footprint reduction on the category, playing a key role in IFF sustainability agenda.
• Ensure a robust market risk management together with business lead and execute accordingly.
• Identify technological innovations and support business growth.

Where You'll Make a Difference

• Develop regional category strategies for assigned categories and sub-categories to ensure Raw material supply, manage costs and capture saving. Implement strategies within the region, driving results and achieving strategic objectives.
• Execute a disciplined application of IFF’s strategic sourcing methodology: Perform continually spend analysis on assigned categories and sub-categories, assess market intelligence, and develop full market analysis,
• Understand and apply the principals of SRM within the category and region: Develop new and existing supplier partnerships and collaboration to support growth strategy with market risk, innovation, sustainability and technology, support technology buying by accessing supplier capabilities.
• Provide continuous impactful communication to stakeholders. Be the advocate of the regional spend.
• Develops and negotiate contracts that capture an advantage for Health and Bioscience Business and minimize risks. Manages contract implementation and supplier performance; involved in supporting resolving operational issues.
• Develops a partnership with business/operations, functional or operational leadership to drive common objectives.
• Identifies and drives continuous improvement and productivity gains.
• Understands market dynamics and total cost of ownership factors.

What Makes You The Right Fit

• Bachelor, or master’s degree in business (preferred), Economics, science/engineering, supply chain or equivalent experience
• Related experience in the raw materials procurement, supplier relationship management (ideally > 4 years)
• CPSM or SPSM or related certification in supply chain or procurement excellence