Head of Regional Direct Spend Europe

Are you ready to make an impact on a global scale? Vanderlande is seeking a dynamic and strategic leader to head our Regional Direct Spend operations in Europe, reporting directly to the CPO. In this critical role, you'll manage 350 million in regional and local direct spend, aligning procurement strategies with global objectives while addressing the unique needs of local markets. As a key member of the procurement leadership team, you'll drive innovation, optimize performance, and provide strategic input to enhance both regional and global procurement activities. Ready to lead and inspire? Join Vanderlande and shape the future of procurement in Europe!

Our global procurement organization enables our projects and business functions by maximizing value and minimizing risks via the procurement of goods and services in the most smart, cost-effective and sustainable way. We ensure a resilient and competitive supplier ecosystem and aim to advance towards best-in-class practices, and ensure the organization is efficient, effective, and future-proof. Furthermore, our procurement organization plays an important role in Vanderlande's transformation from an Engineer-to-Order (ETO) to a Configure-to-Order (CTO) business model. This new model aims at enhancing value for its customers through increased standardization, scalability, and more competitive solutions.

What will you be doing?

In your role as Head of Regional Direct Spend, you'll be a change champion, responsible for setting up a new organizational unit and leading the establishment of the Regional Direct Spend domain as a new entity within Vanderlande. You will oversee the regional procurement teams of the Europe region, ensuring that regional category strategies leverage synergies from the Configure-to-Order model to secure better prices and terms and conditions. Your regional team collaborates with the global direct spend team to maintain strategic cohesion and fostering a culture of excellence and accountability within your teams. Furthermore, the success of your team is integral to regional supplier relationships as well as identifying regional opportunities for cost savings and improving efficiency within the direct spend domain.

Your responsibilities

• Oversee the overall performance of the Regional Direct team and develop tailored regional procurement strategies that align with market dynamics, Vanderlande's objectives, and industry best practices

• Guide and cultivate a global and high-performing team, building category management capabilities, and fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement

• Provide strategic leadership to develop and implement regional direct spend strategies, ensuring that category strategies leverage synergies from the Configure-to-Order model to secure better prices and terms and conditions

• Maintain oversight of overall direct spend trends and market developments, including commodity price risk management (CPRM) and third-party manufacturing (TPM), to inform strategic procurement decisions

• Manage regional and local direct categories and spend, while providing input to the global Direct team for global and globally led categories

• Guide the management and enhancement of supplier relationships to ensure the reliability, quality, and cost-effectiveness of direct goods and services

• Serve as a key point of contact and support discussions and processes during negotiations or contentious situations with strategic suppliers

• Identify innovative solutions and cost-saving opportunities and guide procurement process optimization initiatives for regional direct categories to boost efficiency and value

• For your team, support the definition of KPIs, oversee budget management, and report on performance to ensure transparency and alignment with business objectives

• Proactively identify and manage risks associated with regional direct procurement, maintaining compliance and safeguarding operations

Your profile

To be successful in this role, you should have:

• Extensive experience (5 years) in regional procurement roles with a strong focus on managing direct spend in local markets, specifically within a project setting, for goods and services such as mechanical, electrical, and installation services (specific knowledge of the Europe region is preferable)

• Proven experience and willingness to build a new organizational unit with a global footprint, demonstrating entrepreneurial skills such as visionary thinking, adaptability, and problem-solving

• Exhibit strong leadership abilities, with a talent for managing and developing high-performing procurement teams

• Proven ability to develop and implement strategic procurement plans that not only address immediate regional needs but also contribute to long-term global objectives

• Proven expertise in supplier relationship management and regional compliance by showing strong negotiation and communication skills to manage diverse stakeholder interests

• Utilize an analytical mindset to drive data-informed decision-making and optimize procurement practices effectively

• Experience with defining KPIs for regional direct spend activities, oversee budget management, and report on performance to ensure transparency and alignment with business objectives

• Exceptional communication and negotiation skills to effectively manage relationships with external stakeholders such as suppliers, as well as internal stakeholders to promote the implementation of procurement best practices across other domains

About the team

The Regional Direct Spend team of the Europe region, consist of procurement professionals dedicated to customizing procurement strategies to fit local market dynamics. They manage supplier relationships, ensure regulatory compliance, and work collaboratively with demand management, procurement centers of excellence, and external suppliers to drive regional procurement performance and cost efficiencies. The Regional Direct Spend team also ensures that the Global Direct Spend team remains well-informed of regional activities to effectively execute global spend strategies.

Contact

Are you interested in the position of Head of Regional Direct Spend Europe? Then apply now!For more information about the position, please contact Michelle van der Schoot (Senior Recruiter).