Global Category Manager

Ready to take a fresh step in your career?

Company: Perfetti Van Melle

For more than a hundred years, we have been inventing, producing, and selling candies under the family name Perfetti Van Melle. We do this with more than 19,000 colleagues worldwide.

Together, we make sure you can enjoy well-known brands every day, such as Mentos, Fruittella, Klene, Look-O-Look, Chupa Chups, Stimorol, Bubblicious, Smint and Frisk.

Our colleagues in Group Procurement are eager to team up with you to ensure everyone can enjoy our freshmakers and sweets every single day.

Contract: Permanent, full-time (100%)

Working model: Hybrid (3 days on-site, 2 days remote)

Team: Group Procurement – Direct Materials

Where we need you

The Group Procurement team is a global function based in Amsterdam, accountable for Direct Material spend across 16 operating companies worldwide. This role sits within Raw Materials Procurement and plays a key part in a broader organizational re-design, with scope transitioning from Packaging and partially from Shanghai to Amsterdam. You will combine operational excellence and strategic thinking, owning high-impact categories and leading a visible global transformation project.

Your core responsibilities at a glance

• Own global procurement for High-Intensity Sweeteners
• Lead a Global Distributor Optimization Project across multiple raw material categories
• Define and execute global sourcing and category strategies
• Drive cost optimization, supplier performance, and risk management (price, supply, financial)
• Lead cross-functional sourcing and project teams (Supply Chain, R&D, Manufacturing, Finance)
• Conduct supplier negotiations and develop allocation strategies
• Improve processes, ways of working, and global scorecard tracking
• Contribute to sustainability goals within Raw Materials sourcing

The ingredients of Perfetti Van Melle – is this your flavor?

What makes us unique:

• Empowering – Growth and development opportunities tailored to you
• Fun – A family-like culture, team events, and yes… a candy company!
• Innovation – Active engagement in sustainability, health, and food safety
• Dynamic – A truly global organization with operations in 30+ countries

The ideal recipe for our new Global Category Manager

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree (Procurement qualification is a strong plus)
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in strategic procurement (FMCG; Food & Beverages)
• Experience with Food Raw Materials and supplier negotiations
• Strong project management and change leadership skills
• Hands-on, entrepreneurial mindset with strong stakeholder management skills
• Comfortable working in a family-owned, entrepreneurial organization
• Fluent in English (additional languages are a plus)
• Willingness to travel internationally as per business needs
• Willingness to work full-time, 5 days per week, in a hybrid setup

We offer

• Competitive fixed salary recognizing your value
• Collective bonus system tied to organizational, market/channel and individual results
• Attractive pension scheme (2/3 paid by PVM)
• Five weeks of vacation + option to buy additional leave
• Training opportunities to support your growth
• Discounted gym membership via Bedrijfsfitness Nederland
• Attractive bike plan for commuting and private use
• Collective health insurance discount
• A bi-monthly candy package and access to our internal candy store