Job Vacancy

Job Title: EU Procurement Manager

Reports To: Supply Chain Director

Salary: Depending on skills and experience

Location: Wilrijk, Belgium

Closing Date: 31 January 2024

James Walker Sealing Products & Services Limited are looking to recruit an EU Procurement Manager based at
Wilrijk, Belgium working within the Supply Chain Team.

Main duties of this role will include:

 Managing the operational procurement activities in Europe through a team of operational

buyers.
 Providing a commercially focused procurement service through effective liaisons with all internal
and external stakeholders ensuring improvement in price, quality and delivery performance.
 Creating and implementing sourcing plans for a number of product categories sourced in Europe
through detailed supplier selection and negotiation processes delivering year on year cost
savings.
 Responsible for improving the inventory levels in line with the targets set globally for the
European Sites.
 Driving change management processes as a result of the Keystone CSI roll-out throughout
Europe.

Key Responsibilities:

 Day to Day management of operational buyers

 Driving procurement savings in line with targets set centrally through bidding, negotiations and
consolidation of suppliers and sourcing initiatives
 Driving Category Line strategy for a number of product categories sourced in Europe. Lead supplier
selection within these categories and reduce overall number of suppliers
 Conduct strategic sourcing initiatives, including fact based negotiations (supplier and industry
analyses, benchmarks, cost structure analyses) ensuring process compliance and high level of
customer satisfaction. Deliver year on year cost savings.
 Develop mechanisms and metrics to hold suppliers accountable for performance and delivery. Driving
results through methods that include competitive bidding, negotiating and analysing data and market
trends for the categories. Create supplier scorecards to measure and track supplier performance.
 Identify and quantify supplier risk areas and implement risk mitigation actions to avoid any disruption
to customer satisfaction.
 Track supplier performance in terms of delivery, quality and costs and manage suppliers based on
performance and scorecards.
 Responsible for driving inventory improvements within Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Norway in
line with global targets set.
 Responsible for implementing CSI procurement functionality throughout Europe and vendor portals
 for Key suppliers.
 In cooperation with the Supply Chain Director to create annual commodity line strategy for those
commodities sourced in Europe.
 Provide procurement budget and forecast for third party products sourced in Europe.
 Conduct supplier tender processes and complete contractual documentation with the suppliers.
 Contribute to regional and global sourcing activities. Reduce number of suppliers used.
 Ensure compliance to and implementation of Group supply agreements and contracts.
 Implement e-procurement and vendor portals if and when applicable.
 Support James Walker Technical teams with New Product Introduction (NPI) and customer quality
concerns relating to material supplies.
 Achieve supplier OTIF level of 98% on key suppliers.

The successful candidate must have:

Essential Preferred

 Strong leadership and management  Knowledge of the different industries James

experience leading and motivating high Walker operates
performing operational buyers  Understanding of sealing technology and
 Customer focused with exceptional customer applications across a broad section of industries
service ethos  Multi-Lingual (Dutch, English and French)
 Credible, professional and emotionally
intelligent
 Strategic awareness, with excellent
commercial and analytical skills
 Excellent presentation and influencing skills at
various levels of a business
 Ability to problem solve and make focused
and considered decisions
 Adaptable to change and able to lead others
through periods of change
 Ability to build excellent relationships
 Excellent IT and advanced Excel Skills
 Must be comfortable in working with large
amount of numerical data
 Knowledge of engineering terminology
 Ability to lead projects and work
independently on own initiatives
 Long term thinker that can drive multiple
initiatives at the same time
 Willingness to travel
 Qualifications
Essential Preferred

 Minimum qualification in Maths and English • University degree in business

qualification (e.g. GCSE, Baccalaureate, administration or equivalent
US High School Diploma)
 CIPS 5 or equivalent and APICS

Experience

Essential Preferred

 Experience of leading and managing  Ability to demonstrate an excellent working

procurement teams knowledge of James Walker, its products
 Managing and building competent and and the different industry sectors
capable teams  An understanding and application of project
 Contractual exposure within a procurement management methodology
role, with an understanding of terms and  System experience – CSI
conditions  Understanding of operating and working
 Experience of developing and managing with different cultures
budgets
 Strong history of network development and
management at multiple business levels
 Management of large, complex cross
functional supplier change projects
 Strong change management and
implementation experience
 Track record for delivering sustainable and
consistent cost saving projects
 Experience of working in an engineering
and/or manufacturing environment

For further information regarding this role, and to apply, please contact Lisa Dover (HR Administrator) by email:
lisa.dover@jameswalker.biz with a covering letter and CV.