Category Manager Strategic Procurement

V-ZUG Procurement ### The Procurement department is responsible for the strategic procurement of materials, components, and services along the entire value chain. As a Swiss premium manufacturer with its own production at the headquarters in Zug, we place high demands on our suppliers - and on ourselves. Our purchasing is accordingly professionally positioned: with clear category structures, an international supplier network, and the ambition not only to optimize costs, but to shape partnerships that last in the long term. What this position offers you ### • You develop and implement the product group and supplier strategy for your categories - not as an administrative task, but as a real task of shaping: You decide which suppliers will accompany V-ZUG in the long term, where new sources will be developed, and how the material supply remains stable even in a volatile market • You manage your supplier portfolio over the entire life cycle - from the selection of new partners through targeted further development to phase-out. Together with Supplier Quality Management, you ensure that ambition and reality match - through regular evaluations and audits that are more than just a mandatory program • You are responsible for contract management in your assigned product groups in the area of mechanics - from creation and negotiation to ongoing maintenance. You know what really counts in a contract and bring internal stakeholders to a common denominator • You conduct tenders, compare offers, and together with the specialist departments, develop sound award recommendations and decisions that optimally combine economic and technical requirements • You have control over the cost development of your pre-series and series items: You recognize potentials early on, use them consistently, and implement measures that have a sustainable effect • You are an integral part of projects, coordinate material requirements with suppliers, and ensure that samples, prototypes, and series materials are there when they are needed What you bring to the position ### • You have a completed degree in industrial engineering, business administration, supply chain management, or a comparable discipline • You bring several years of experience in purchasing and know how to take a confident position towards suppliers - with negotiating skills that do not have to be loud to be effective, and communication that resonates both internally and externally • You think strategically and analytically: You recognize market dynamics, derive concrete measures from them, and develop purchasing strategies that hold not just for today, but for tomorrow • You know what you stand for and bring the clarity, assertiveness, and persuasiveness to show it: in the internal project environment as well as in discussions with external partners • Confident handling of ERP systems, especially SAP, as well as digital tools is a matter of course for you - not an effort, but a basis of work • You communicate confidently in German and English - written as well as oral, clearly and with the right sense for what your counterpart needs