EMEA Indirect Sourcing Manager - German speaker

Eastman is a global specialty materials company focused on innovation, safety, and sustainability.

The Role

This EMEA-based role emphasizes the development of in-depth market insights, driving continuous cost reductions while ensuring product quality and supplier service levels are maintained or enhanced. Additionally, the Sourcing Manager will focus on improving cash flow and will be tasked with evaluating risks and formulating effective mitigation strategies aligned with business objectives.

Our company policy is office presence from Monday - Thursday with Friday optional working from home.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with key stakeholders to ensure that strategies are aligned with the business's requirements.
• Lead negotiations with suppliers to secure favorable terms, prices, and contracts, requiring a deep understanding of market conditions and supplier capabilities.
• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess supplier performance and the effectiveness of sourcing strategies, building into contract agreements.
• Stay informed about industry trends and best practices, implementing continuous improvement initiatives to enhance sourcing processes.
• Ensure that the products and services sourced meet the required quality standards, working closely with quality assurance teams.
• Monitor and control procurement costs to ensure they align with the budget, identifying opportunities for cost reduction and efficiency improvements while mitigating hidden costs and risk.
• Identify, evaluate, and select suppliers based on quality, cost, and delivery capabilities, while building and maintaining strong relationships with suppliers.
• Look for synergies and efficiency opportunities for regional category management.

Category Management

Develop and implement regional category strategies across indirect spend areas, leveraging market intelligence, demand aggregation, and supplier collaboration to deliver value, resilience, and standardization across the EMEA region.

• Create and ensure compliance with contracts in line with Eastman’s Icertis framework.
• Interface with key stakeholders to align sourcing strategies with business needs.
• Maintain clear communication and effective management of sourcing activities.
• Keep the ServiceNow system updated to reflect live data and actual workloads.
• Develop and implement sourcing strategies that align with the company's goals and objectives, including market analysis and trend forecasting.

Qualifications

• Business university degree, comparable qualification in the economic or technical field, or a comparable qualification with several years of professional experience in strategic sourcing.
• English and German preferred; one additional EMEA language would be advantageous.

Technical

• Capable of understanding sourcing process and management.
• Strong negotiation skills.
• Ability to gain mastery of SAP tools.
• Ability to gain mastery of Microsoft Office tools.
• Ideally knowledge in Ariba or other sourcing tools.
• Contract management proficiency.
• Data analysis skills.
• Risk management knowledge.