Procurement Category Manager - Transportation (Europe)

Procurement Category Manager – Transportation (Europe)
Pertemps Network Group Birmingham, England, United Kingdom (On-site)
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Category Manager – European Transportation & Freight Payment ( Onsite)
Location: Kitts Green
Salary : £70,000 - £80,000
Contract: Permanent

This role is responsible for shaping and executing the European transportation strategy while advancing transportation operations across multiple locations.
The position requires an innovative, analytical, and process-driven professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment.

The successful candidate will deliver creative solutions that improve transparency, optimize processes, ensure compliance, and drive cost savings while strengthening service levels for stakeholders and customers.

Key Responsibilities
Strategic Category Management
• Develop and execute category and sourcing strategies aligned with business objectives and market dynamics.
• Support plant transportation teams with competitive bid processes and sourcing events.
• Manage European transportation activities across all modes including Truckload, LTL, Small Parcel, Ocean, Air, and Rail, as well as related services such as warehousing and transloading.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key and transactional suppliers to ensure performance, compliance, and cost efficiency.
• Lead contract negotiations to secure favourable commercial terms and mitigate operational and financial risks.
• Provide market-driven forecasts and insights to support budgeting and strategic planning.
• Collaborate with global category managers on negotiations and sourcing initiatives involving European suppliers.

Mode Optimization
• Partner with internal stakeholders to regularly evaluate transportation modes across lanes, sites, and customer routes.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce cost, and enhance service through optimized mode and equipment selection.
• Freight Payment Leadership

• Lead the Freight Payment Team in managing the accounts payable process for European freight operations.
• Oversee carrier freight invoice processing to ensure accurate and timely payment disbursement.
• Ensure compliance with contractual agreements and proactively resolve discrepancies related to rates, surcharges, and accessorial charges.
• Analyze recurring variances, identify root causes, and implement effective corrective actions.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives within freight audit and payment processes to increase accuracy and strengthen internal controls.
• Maintain proactive communication with carriers to ensure timely receipt of freight invoices and supporting documentation.
• Monitor workloads across data entry and audit teams to maintain efficient and consistent processing.
• Develop and maintain process documentation and establish KPIs to monitor performance and improve transparency.

Additional Responsibilities
• Deliver procurement targets including cost savings, innovation, quality, and supplier performance improvements.
• Develop and implement procurement strategies to achieve best total value solutions.
• Lead or support operational improvement initiatives such as Kaizen workshops and working capital or inventory projects.
• Drive measurable improvements in cost savings, supplier performance, and transportation service optimization.

Basic Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, Engineering, Supply Chain, or Logistics.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in transportation category management.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to collaborate across multiple organizational levels.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and prioritization capabilities.
• Fluency in English.
• Preferred Qualifications
• International work experience and strong intercultural communication skills.
• MBA or PMP certification.
• Experience leading initiatives within complex transportation organizations.
• Experience working with Transportation Management Systems (TMS).
• Hungarian language knowledge is considered an advantage.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and decision-making skills.
• Strategic mindset with an innovative and solution-oriented approach.
Travel Requirements
• Approximately 25% travel, primarily within Europe, with occasional international travel.