Category Manager (m/f/d)

Overview

BayWa r.e. is the home for change makers. We r.e.think energy – how it is produced, stored and can be best used to enable the global renewable energy transition that is essential to the future of our planet. At BayWa r.e. we effect change globally. With locations in 30 countries, we have over 4,500 people already working across the world, collaborating with local businesses to proactively shape the future of the energy sector.

At BayWa r.e. Solar Trade, we are proud to play a part in the solar energy revolution, with our global supplier relations, we supply installers with high-quality solar components and offer a level of customer service that is unrivaled within the solar wholesale industry. Our global and local expertise means we understand the breadth of challenges that solar installers face.

About the role

We are looking to hire a Category Manager to define and own the strategy for one of our strategic procurement categories (Solar panels, Inverters and storage, Commodities) and steer the category team centrally and locally to achieve our performance goals aligned with our business and sales strategy. Reporting to VP Global Procurement & Supply Chain.

Responsibilities

• You are responsible for developing and owning the strategy for one of our strategic procurement categories (solar panels, inverters/storage, or commodities) aligned with our sales and business strategy
• You develop our supplier portfolio design and vendor lifecycle decisions, reflecting global market trends, local market need while assuring global efficiency
• You develop performance in your category around key performance metrics centered in cost of supply and agility, while taking a holistic view on business, sales and customer needs
• You are leading the annual category strategy meeting to set the strategy and targets based on inputs from the markets and all relevant stakeholders, business functions and local entities
• You steer a high-performance procurement team and allocate resources to manage our strategic suppliers well aligned across central and local resources
• You implement framework agreements and develop relationship with our top suppliers on a strategic level
• You steer and guide central and local procurement teams in negotiation strategies and commercial opportunities, while also managing urgent pricing issues and opportunities
• You monitor and manage category performance based on KPI’s, supplier updates and market trends, and addressing deviations proactively
• You review category performance with Managing Directors and Entities to monitor targets and alignment with Sales and our local Legal Entities and Sales
• You develop the category procurement team, building capabilities, and fostering collaboration across local and central teams

Who we are looking for

• You bring strong expertise in category management, including strategy development, supplier relationships and contract management
• You have advanced negotiation skills and experience in strategic sourcing, particularly in working with key suppliers and leading procurement initiatives
• You possess strong analytical capabilities, especially in budgeting, tracking savings and measuring performance across procurement activities
• You have proven leadership experience, including managing cross-functional teams and driving optimization initiatives across departments
• You have experience in managing relationships on senior management and C-Level
• You hold a Master’s degree (or equivalent) and have at least 5–7 years of experience in category management or strategic procurement, ideally within international organizations. Experience in renewable energy or distribution sectors is a strong plus. fluency in English is required and German is a plus

What you can look forward to

• We care about you: if there are any problems, we will do everything we can to support you – no one is left out in the cold with us
• Our kununu score of 4.5 reflects our appreciative and friendly corporate culture
• Further training opportunities via internal and external training courses
• Flexible working hours, mobile working and modern workplace equipment
• Discounted online shopping
• Last but not least: you are driving forward the energy transition as part of a great team and ensuring that our future becomes a little greener
• Do you want to change the future with us? Great! Then apply now.

Your contact person

We look forward to receiving your application! Please contact us if you have any questions about the job advertisement.

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