Associate Director International Procurement

&lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The role&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;As an Associate Director, Procurement, you will report to the Procurement Director and own the strategy, performance, and people development for your category cluster. This is a 12-month fixed-term position. You will lead a team of Category Managers, set the direction for supplier relationships and commercial outcomes, and operate as the senior point of escalation across operational and strategic procurement challenges.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;This is a role for a procurement professional who is equally comfortable in a negotiation room with a strategic supplier, a governance forum with senior cross-functional leaders, and a development conversation with a direct report. You will act as a connector between your team&#39;s day-to-day work and the broader supply chain strategy and as a builder of capability, process, and relationships that outlast the current planning cycle.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What you’ll do&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Strategy &amp;amp; Category Leadership&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Define and own the multi-year category strategy for your cluster sourcing model, supplier segmentation, risk posture, and cost ambition and present that strategy coherently to Director-level stakeholders.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Translate market intelligence (commodity dynamics, seasonality, geopolitical risk, supply constraints) into actionable procurement decisions and communicate them with clarity and confidence.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Lead cross-category standardization and process improvement initiatives, identifying leverage across the broader portfolio where applicable.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Supplier Relationships &amp;amp; Partnerships&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Build and steward the most strategically important supplier relationships in your cluster, including joint investment plans, multi-year contracts, and structured partnership governance.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Lead or oversee tender processes end-to-end — from strategy and data-pack through to award, contract, and supplier briefing at pace and to a high standard of documentation.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Act as the senior escalation point for supply disruptions, quality issues, and commercial disputes, resolving with a mix of supplier accountability and operational pragmatism.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Develop new or alternative suppliers to strengthen resilience and competitiveness across your category network.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Performance, Data &amp;amp; Commercial Delivery&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Take full commercial accountability for your cluster&#39;s cost performance, savings targets, and COGS variance — ensuring outcomes are tracked, explained, and acted upon.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Drive a data-first culture within your team: category reviews, investment cases, and supplier performance assessments should be grounded in robust analysis and structured decision-making.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Contribute to seasonality planning, static pricing rounds, and volume S&amp;amp;OP processes with the rigour and cross-functional coordination those forums require.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Oversee cost reporting, invoice validation and supplier database quality for your cluster.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Team Leadership &amp;amp; Development&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Lead, coach and develop a team of Category Managers, creating a high-performance environment that is psychologically safe, commercially ambitious, and genuinely invested in its people.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Shift progressively from doing to enabling: your job is to build the capability of your team, not to be their best individual contributor.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Own team capacity planning, workload prioritization, and performance development including calibration, promotion cases, and succession thinking.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Foster a culture of continuous improvement, clear communication, and accountability without micromanagement.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stakeholder &amp;amp; Cross-functional Leadership&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Build and maintain strong working relationships with Product, Supply Chain Operations, FSQA, Finance, and Legal representing Procurement credibly and influencing decisions in cross-functional forums.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Represent GRO Strategic Procurement at Director-level planning and governance meetings as appropriate, contributing with the strategic perspective expected at that level.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Manage upward effectively — keeping the Procurement Director informed, flagging risks early, and bringing well-framed recommendations rather than unresolved problems.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What you’ll bring&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Experience&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;7+/9+ years in strategic procurement, supply chain, or a closely related commercial discipline ideally in FMCG, or food ingredients, though we care more about the quality of thinking than the specific category.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Demonstrated track record of building supplier relationships at a strategic level, including contract negotiation, partnership governance, and managing through disruption.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Experience setting and executing category strategy across a meaningful portfolio ideally managing a cluster of subcategories or a team.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Proven ability to lead and develop others, whether as a formal team lead or through mentoring, cross-functional project leadership, or stepping up in an interim capacity.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Skills &amp;amp; Mindset&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Strategically confident: you can connect day-to-day procurement decisions to a longer-term commercial and supply chain vision, and you communicate that narrative clearly to senior audiences.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Data-driven: comfortable building investment cases, analyzing COGS variance, and driving evidence-based decision-making within your team.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;A natural relationship-builder inside the business and with suppliers who can hold a firm commercial position while maintaining the trust and goodwill the relationship depends on.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Coach rather than doer: you instinctively look to develop the person next to you rather than solve the problem yourself.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Operationally resilient: you stay focused and solution-oriented in a fast-paced, supply-volatile environment, and you bring that steadiness to your team.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Proactive and accountable you take ownership, raise risks early, and bring solutions rather than problems.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What we offer&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Elevate your lifestyle! Join one of Europe&#39;s fastest-growing tech powerhouses in a dynamic phase of expansion.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Immerse yourself in a diverse global community of 90+ nationalities.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Enjoy a competitive compensation package that goes beyond the norm, with perks like a HelloFresh- subsidized Pension Scheme, Berlin relocation support, and a Hybrid working model.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Elevate your lifestyle with exclusive discounts on your weekly HelloFresh box and office meals.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Invest in your growth with an annual learning &amp;amp; development budget, German language learning budget, and access to the HelloFresh Academy.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Plus, we&#39;ve got your well-being covered with mental health support, transportation perks, and working-parent-friendly benefits. From our 24/7 gym access, wellbeing platforms like Headspace and Spill, to sabbatical leave options, HelloFresh is not just a workplace; it&#39;s a lifestyle of perks and possibilities!&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Are you up for the challenge?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Please submit your complete application below including your salary expectations and earliest starting date.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;After submitting an application our team will review this and get back to you within 5 business days.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;<p>Find more <a href="https://www.arbeitnow.com/english-speaking-jobs">English Speaking Jobs in Germany</a> on Arbeitnow</a>