Strategic Buyer – Technical Procurement & Category Management
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Are you a procurement professional with experience in technical purchasing, MRO, engineering equipment, or indirect spend categories within a manufacturing environment?
We're partnering with a global industrial manufacturer to recruit a Strategic Buyer who will play a key role in developing procurement capability, driving supplier performance, and supporting the evolution of procurement from transactional purchasing towards strategic category management.
This is an excellent opportunity for an ambitious procurement professional looking to expand their exposure across technical categories, strategic sourcing, supplier management, procurement analytics, and future category ownership.
The Opportunity
Joining a lean and highly visible procurement team, you will work closely with engineering, maintenance, production, laboratory, and operations stakeholders to manage critical spend categories that support a complex manufacturing site.
The role offers a clear pathway into broader strategic procurement responsibilities, including category management, supplier strategy, cost optimisation, procurement analytics, and energy sourcing.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Procurement & MRO
* Mechanical spare parts
* Pumps, valves, motors and rotating equipment
* Maintenance consumables
* Industrial tools and production support materials
* Technical equipment procurement
* Engineering and operational site requirements
Indirect Procurement
* Maintenance and operational spend
* Laboratory equipment and consumables
* Site services and support materials
* Contract and supplier management
* Procurement process improvements
Strategic Sourcing & Category Management
* Develop sourcing strategies
* Lead supplier negotiations
* Drive cost reduction initiatives
* Conduct market analysis and benchmarking
* Support supplier consolidation projects
* Improve supplier performance and risk management
Procurement Analytics
* Spend analysis and reporting
* Supplier performance metrics
* Procurement dashboards and KPI tracking
* Market intelligence activities
* Cost modelling and data-driven decision making
Candidate Profile
We're interested in speaking with professionals who have experience in:
* Strategic Buying
* Technical Purchasing
* Category Management
* Procurement
* Sourcing
* Supply Chain
within industries such as:
* Chemicals
* Petrochemicals
* Manufacturing
Requirements
* Experience purchasing technical equipment, MRO, maintenance, engineering, or indirect categories
* Supplier management and negotiation experience
* Strong commercial mindset
* Experience operating within a manufacturing or industrial environment
* ERP experience (SAP preferred)
* Ability to engage confidently with technical stakeholders
Highly Desirable
* Category management experience
* Strategic xphnsxz sourcing expertise
* Procurement analytics or Power BI exposure
* Energy procurement experience
* Chemical or process manufacturing background
What's on Offer
* Opportunity to shape procurement strategy within a global manufacturing organisation
* Broad exposure across technical and indirect categories
* Career progression into strategic procurement and category management
* Significant stakeholder visibility
* Long-term development opportunities
* Stable and growing industrial environment
Location & Languages
East Flanders Area, Flemish Region, Belgium (On-Site)
Candidates based within commuting distance are strongly preferred.
Languages:
* Dutch (essential)
* English (professional level)
* French (nice-to-have)
If you're looking to move beyond transactional purchasing and build a long-term career in strategic procurement within a complex manufacturing environment, we'd love to hear from you.