Global Category Manager(145380)

The Global Category Manager for Merchandise Goods owns the global category strategy and value-delivery agenda while being based in Asia. The role defines category direction, leads strategic supplier relationships, governs complex negotiations, establishes portfolio and sourcing standards, and ensures a competitive, resilient, and sustainable supplier base across regions.

The GCM is accountable for translating business priorities into a multi-year category roadmap and for aligning execution through Global Category Buyers, General Buyers, Procurement Technical Managers, Procurement Operations, Product Management, Supply Chain, Commercial teams, Finance, and other business stakeholders.

Role boundary. This is a Global Category Manager role, not a General Buyer or operational purchasing role. The GCM owns category strategy, global supplier governance, negotiation direction, and value delivery. Regional and local execution is assigned through the integrated category team and relevant procurement operations.

How You Will Do It

1) Global Category Strategy Ownership

- Develop, maintain, and periodically refresh the global Merchandise Goods category strategy and multi-year roadmap.

- Define category objectives, sourcing models, supplier architecture, regional execution priorities, value levers, risks, and implementation milestones.

- Integrate business

What We Look For

- Degree in Procurement, Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Chemistry, Materials, or a related discipline; an advanced qualification is advantageous.

- Substantial experience in procurement, category management, strategic sourcing, supplier relationship management, and complex commercial negotiations.

- Demonstrated experience developing category strategies and leading execution in a global or multi-regional matrix environment.

- Experience with merchandise goods, consumables, equipment, distribution, private-label products, or similarly fragmented portfolios is advantageous.

- Strong analytical capability and demonstrated ability to translate spend, market, margin, and supplier data into strategic decisions and implemented results.

- Working knowledge of procurement governance, contracting, supplier risk, sustainability, SAP processes, Excel, PowerPoint, and relevant analytics or reporting tools.

- Excellent written and spoken English; additional Asian or regional languages are an advantage.

- Strategic thinking and the ability to convert business priorities into category direction and executable plans.

- Commercial judgment, negotiation leadership, and executive supplier engagement.

- Functional leadership, coaching, influence without authority, and cross-cultural collaboration.

- Analytical problem-solving, decision quality, and disciplined prioritization.

- Change leadership, resilience, conflict resolution, and effective escalation.

- Integrity, transparency, accountability, and consistent role-model behavior.

What We Offer

- A global category leadership role based in Asia, with direct exposure to business leadership, strategic suppliers, regional procurement teams, and transformation initiatives.

- The opportunity to shape an evolving merchandise category and establish scalable global governance, sourcing, supplier, and portfolio-management practices.

- A collaborative international environment focused on strategy, negotiation excellence, professional growth, and measurable business value.

Continuous development through global procurement communities, market analytics, supplier innovation, category strategy, and digitalization.