Associate Category Manager – R&D Sampling

Job Summary

Are you a sourcing expert passionate about accelerating innovation? Join Scent Procurement team as a Category Manager focused first on strategic supplier discovery and sample orchestration. You'll be the single point of contact driving fast, transparent sampling cycles—then grow into broader strategic category management responsibilities, shaping supplier strategy, cost, and portfolio performance across EMEA.

At IFF, we make joy through science, creativity, and heart. As a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients, health, and biosciences, we partner with customers to create differentiated products that delight consumers and deliver value. We're looking for a customer-centric, highly organized sourcing professional to help accelerate innovation by transforming sampling into a fast, reliable, and insight-driven engine for R&D.

Join our Scent Procurement team as a Associate Category Manager – R&D Sampling Supplier Discovery (EMEA). This is a newly created role based in Asturias on a hybrid model, designed to be the single point of contact between Procurement and R&D / Creation Centers for fast, transparent, and compliant sampling cycles—handling roughly 200 sampling requests per year. Where you will be serving as the primary sourcing interface between Procurement and R&D, owning the end-to-end sample supply chain: strategic supplier scouting, qualification, negotiation, compliant onboarding, logistics coordination, and feedback loops. As efficiency and expertise scale, transition into strategic category management responsibilities to optimize supplier strategies, portfolio mix, cost, and risk

Where You'll Make a Difference

Sampling Excellence:

• Act as single point of contact for R&D sampling requests; convert briefs into sourcing actions and timelines.
• Source, qualify, and negotiate with suppliers for new/exotic materials; secure sample quantities, prices, lead times, and compliance documents.
• Orchestrate sample logistics end-to-end (order, ship, receive, track), maintaining a sample ledger and cycle-time KPIs.
• Build visibility dashboards and define SLAs for each step of the sampling workflow; escalate risks early and drive on-time, in-full performance.

Strategic Supplier Discovery & Innovation Support:

• Continuously scout suppliers and materials aligned to innovation briefs; run structured RFx/mini-bids for samples where appropriate.
• Negotiate sample terms and implement NDAs; ensure regulatory and quality compliance with internal stakeholders.
• Partner with Category Managers to strategically position suppliers in the portfolio; document supplier performance and readiness for scale-up.

Strategic Category Management Growth:

• Develop expertise in assigned categories and take on strategic category tasks: supplier negotiations, portfolio strategy input, cost optimization, and risk mitigation.
• Contribute to annual category plans (cost outlook, should-costs, dual sourcing, contracting calendar) and business cases for innovation.

What Makes You the Right Fit

• Proven experience in procurement operations / purchasing / transactional buying or sourcing roles with strong execution discipline and service mindset.
• Track record of managing multiple stakeholders and delivering results in a high-volume, fast-paced request environment.
• Strong capabilities in process creation, tracking, and performance management (KPIs, dashboards, cycle time, SLAs).
• Solid supplier engagement skills: qualification, negotiation, documentation management, and structured follow-up.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management—able to partner effectively with technical and non-technical teams.

How Would You Stand Out?

• Experience supporting R&D/innovation workflows, ideally in fragrances, ingredients, chemicals, or regulated environments.
• Strong aptitude for relationship management, change management, and organizational intelligence (navigating complex stakeholder landscapes with trust and influence).
• Demonstrated ability to build scalable operating models (e.g., intake process, prioritization, governance, supplier pipeline).
• Exceptional active listening, curiosity, and proactive problem-solving—able to anticipate needs and remove friction.
• Comfort working with ambiguity in a newly created role and shaping it as the function matures.

Why Choose Us?

• Attractive employment conditions within a stable, global organization with strong industry reputation
• Collaborative and respectful working environment, where Procurement and R&D partner closely to accelerate innovation
• High‑exposure role with daily interaction across Creation Centers and cross‑functional stakeholders.
• Autonomy and ownership in a newly created position, with the opportunity to shape processes from the ground up
• Meaningful impact, directly enabling innovation, speed‑to‑market, and future‑ready supplier strategies
• Supportive culture that values trust, accountability, active listening, and continuous improvement

IFF is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Read more about our commitment to diversity and inclusion:

We are a global leader in taste, scent, and nutrition, offering our customers a broader range of natural solutions and accelerating our growth strategy. At IFF, we believe that your uniqueness unleashes our potential. We value the diverse mosaic of the ethnicity, national origin, race, age, sex, or veteran status. We strive for an inclusive workplace that allows each of our colleagues to bring their authentic self to work regardless of their religion, gender identity & expression, sexual orientation, or disability.

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