Global Category Buyer, Pulp

You have a choice of where you want to work. That’s why at Ahlstrom, we want to make it worth your time. We invite you along on our transformational journey to Purify and Protect, with Every Fiber, for a Sustainable World. We aim to attract, retain, and energize passionate people, like you, by investing in your professional development and providing challenging and rewarding opportunities for personal growth.

Do your values with ours? We value: Accountability, Growth mindset, One team and Care and we ensure our work environment is fair and inclusive for everyone, everywhere!

At Ahlstrom, we strive to meet the highest standards of corporate citizenship by protecting the health and safety of our team, safeguarding the environment, and creating a long-lasting, positive impact on the communities where we do business. Are you with us?!?

We are building the Procurement organization of the future!

We ae seeking a dynamic and experienced Global Category Buyer, Pulp to support Category Managers to ensure supply to the business at best possible total cost of ownership and service level. In this role, you will provide insights to the Category Manager(s) to support the development and implementation of the category strategy, support the execution of world class RFx aligned with category strategy and manage the overall business relationship with some supplier accounts. Reporting to the Head of Procurement, Pulp & Recycled Fibers youu be will part of the Global Procurement team.

This position can be based out any one of our AM locations in US.

In this role, your key responsibilities will include:

Supporting the global category strategy elaboration, implementation, and follow-up

• Provide inputs to the Category Manager to build the fact-based category analysis
• Support the Category Manager to evaluate procurement value levers and generate strategic options
• Lead some actions items form strategy implementation plan
• Deliver progress report on implementation status to Category Manager

Supporting or leading, upon delegation by Category Manager, the execution of RFx process

• Prepare RFx documentation and communication packages within boundaries set by Category Manager
• Evaluate incoming offers and provide feedback to suppliers and progress update to internal stakeholders
• Negotiate, upon delegation by Category Manger, final commercial package with short listed suppliers
• Submit recommendation for awarding the business to Category Manager for validation
• Establish contractual document involving Procurement Legal Business Partner and any other relevant stakeholders
• Communicate RFx outcomes to internal stakeholders (supplier awarded, new commercial terms / price list…) and implement the negotiated agreements

Supporting the supplier relationship management process

• Upon delegation from Category Manager, responsible for managing the overall business relationship with some supplier accounts
• Lead, in cooperation with business stakeholders, operational activities (deliveries, supply issue, volume forecast…) with supplier key accounts and back-office
• Contribute to supplier segmentation process
• Follow-up supplier performance with internal stakeholders, and implement corrective actions when needed
• Support, contribute to cooperation initiatives with strategic suppliers

Supporting the delivery of the yearly P&L impact for the category in scope

• Responsible for reporting and updating category performance in accordance with the Group saving convention
• Support implementation of corrective action when performance deviates from target
• Communicate performance to management and category stakeholders
• Work closely with business stakeholders to ensure procurement impacts are built into budgets and the annual plan

Supporting the relationship with category stakeholders

• Participate and/or lead upon Category Manager delegation cross-functional teams / category councils
• Support and/or lead upon Category Manager delegation project portfolio reviews and, remove roadblocks together with cross-functional teams
• Keep the category stakeholders updated on most relevant evolution, trends and events affecting A/M, suppliers, and competitors with Category Manager support
• Collect insights from the business / function and share with relevant Procurement team(s)
• Act as a key point of contact for the plants / functions on all operational aspects related to contract implementation, supplier terms & conditions, deliveries, supplier performance

Executing a risk management approach for the category in scope

• Support the supplier risk evaluation according to the established risk management framework
• Support the implementation of risk mitigation actions and report on progress to category manager / stakeholders

Actively contributing to the development of the Category organization

• Work with continuous improvement mindset to contribute to the journey toward Procurement Excellence
• Actively support process and digitalization improvement of the organization
• Document category information, analysis, and insights to ensure retention and diffusion of the knowledge across the organization

Our ideal candidate? We are looking for a self-driven and proactive individual with:

• A Bachelor’s Degree
• A minimum of 3 years of experience in category management or in other relevant strategic procurement functions
• Experience in raw materials is strongly preferred
• Experience in fibers, pulp and wood would be a plus
• Minimum business, commercial and financial acumen
• A 'Growth Mindset’
• Good negotiation skills
• Good communication and presentation skills
• Critical Thinking, Problem-solving and Analytical skills
• A collaborative and a true team player
• The ability to travel to all sites within the Ahlstrom Group and to supplier meetings, fairs, trade shows

Compensation and Benefits: Our company offers Competitive pay with Career Growth Opportunities and a Full Benefits Package.

View our benefits here: U.S. Non-Union Benefits

Ahlstrom is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Equal opportunity is a sound and just concept to which we are firmly bound. Ahlstrom will not engage in discrimination against, or harassment of, any person employed or seeking employment with our company based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, non-disqualifying disability, status as a protected veteran or other characteristics protected by law.

About Us. Ahlstrom is a global leader in combining fibers into sustainable specialty materials. Our purpose is to Purify and Protect, with Every Fiber, for a Sustainable World. Our vision is to be the Preferred Sustainable Specialty Materials Company for all our stakeholders.

We serve five growing and distinctive end markets, which form the basis for our five divisions: Filtration, Food & Consumer Packaging, Healthcare, Building Materials, and Technical Materials. Our pro forma net sales 2021 for continuing operations amounted to EUR 2.6 billion and we employ some 7,000 people. Learn more at www.ahlstrom.com