Category Manager - Indirect Materials & Services

About the role

Zeppelin is looking for a Category Manager for Indirect Materials and Services in Steinhausen, Switzerland, reporting to the Head of Category Management Indirect Materials. You will manage the global strategic procurement of the indirect spend category "Professional Services (including Human Resources)" across the Zeppelin Group, covering sourcing strategies, supplier management, contract negotiations and cost optimisation.

Key responsibilities

• Manage supplier relationships to secure competitive terms and a stable supply chain
• Develop and implement sustainable category strategies to improve quality, cost structure and availability
• Analyse the market to identify suppliers and technologies
• Redesign supplier management and set up supplier forecasting systems based on S&OP processes
• Prepare requests for proposals, run bid comparisons and negotiate prices and terms, including framework agreements
• Draft and negotiate contracts, handling contract law and correspondence with attorneys
• Define sourcing specifications and develop KPI-based risk management for the category
• Coordinate interfaces with Operational Procurement, Master Data & Operations Planning, Product Management, Engineering, Logistics, Quality Management and Finance & Controlling

Required profile

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Business, Engineering, Economics or equivalent
• 5+ years of experience in strategic or project-specific procurement
• Fluent English and German; other languages are a plus
• Willingness to travel

Required skills

• Negotiation, analytical and cost and risk management expertise
• Knowledge of contract law and negotiation
• Understanding of technical requirements, project workflows and agile working methods