Strategic Category Manager_Purchasing

Continental is a leading tire manufacturer and industry specialist. Founded in 1871, the company generated sales of €39.7 billion in 2024 and currently employs around 95,000 people in 54 countries and markets.

Tire solutions from the Tires group sector make mobility safer, smarter, and more sustainable. Its premium portfolio encompasses car, truck, bus, two-wheel, and specialty tires as well as smart solutions and services for fleets and tire retailers. Continental has been delivering top performance for more than 150 years and is one of the world’s largest tire manufacturers. In fiscal 2024, the Tires group sector generated sales of 13.9 billion euros. Continental's tire division employs more than 57,000 people worldwide and has 20 production and 16 development sites.

Stakeholder Partnership

• Act as interface and represent the interests of Continental and the Purchasing Community towards all internal and external stakeholders (e.g. Engineering, Plants, Suppliers)
• Understands the business and purchasing strategy to derive actions for own managed category
• Guide, support and train local and central stakeholders to execute with the right tools, methods and processes

Category Management

• Develop and sustain (supplier) strategy for respective integrated category in alignment with all relevant stakeholders and supervisors (e.g. Engineering, Regions, Plants) and in compliance with all relevant purchasing processes, guidelines and procedures
• Understand multiple data management systems and manage data analytics for the respective integrated category (identify spend profile and concentration, estimate / predict demand etc.)
• Turns strategy into concrete actions and tangible goals as well as defining, monitoring and reporting relevant KPIs to track progress where applicable
• Ensures stakeholder satisfaction through transparent and early communication / involvement

Supply Management

• Analysis of the global supplier market and conduction of benchmark analysis to derive actions for the global supplier portfolio
• Implements and maintains sustainable supplier relationship and conducts Strategic Supplier Meetings to deploy the global integrated category strategy
• Responsible for steering the annual supplier evaluation and derives development programs where needed
• Performs annual and regular negotiations to constantly improve the cost situation for respective integrated category, actively drives improvement or Total Cost of Ownership programs with suppliers
• Monitor if supplier acts in line with Continentals Business Partner Code of Conduct (BPCoC), responsible value chain (RVC) rules and processes and takes actions accordingly
• Initiates the New Supplier Introduction Process

Source to Contract

• Autonomous preparation, conduction and finalization of international negotiations for own integrated category including supplier decisions compliant with the relevant internal policies (incl. audit-compliant documentation) with the target to achieve the defined goals and a special focus on highest value creation (e.g. with support of Terms & Conditions (TCO) analysis)
• Drives make or buy scenarios, optimizes bundling effects and initiates Value-Engineering projects
• Conduct complaint and claim negotiations with special strategic interest which can’t be performed independently by the local units
• Effective management of contract lifecycle for both existing and new contract agreements - compliant with the relevant internal policies (incl. audit-compliant documentation) - in order to ensure performance, financial and operational success

Project Management

• Lead or participate in projects with relevance for owned category or within the purchasing organization

• Academic degree in economics, engineering or equivalent qualification
• Proper experience of the MS Office 365 programs as well as other relevant IT tools
• Fluent skills in English language, written and oral, further languages skills are beneficial (i.e. German, Spanish, etc.)
• Several years of relevant professional experience in Purchasing (or similar functions) in an international environment
• Advanced experience in project management and working in projects with an international scope / environment
• Good experience in conducting negotiations with a global responsibility
• Knowledge on purchasing processes (and/or relevant to the field) description and optimization
• International and intercultural competency as well as several years of work experience in an international environment required
• Working experience in negotiating and operating with different cultures and international teams (e.g. on purchasing issues)

Ready to drive with Continental? Take the first step and fill in the online application.