Direct Procurement Consultant
Location: Amsterdam (Hybrid: 3 days/week on-site)
Contract Type: Freelance/Contractor, Full-Time (40 hours/week)
Duration: 6 months (potential to extend)
Start Date: ASAP
Sector: Food & Beverage (global manufacturer)
Key Responsibilities
- Plan and execute sourcing strategies for one or more direct categories (e.g., dairy/plant proteins, flavors, sweeteners, cocoa/sugar, caps/closures, PET, paperboard).
- Run RFP/RFQ/eAuctions; evaluate total cost of ownership; lead commercial and contractual negotiations (pricing, SLAs, service levels, risk clauses).
- Qualify, onboard, and manage suppliers; implement SRM routines (QBRs, scorecards, continuous improvement roadmaps).
- Deliver year‑on‑year productivity (PPV avoidance, mix/complexity reduction, value engineering, should‑costing).
- Embed ESG targets (e.g., recycled content, deforestation‑free, regenerative/agri sourcing) into category strategies and supplier contracts.
- Align with Plant Ops, Supply Planning, R&D/NPD on material readiness, MOQ/lead‑time constraints, and trials.
- Draft/redline supply agreements, SOWs, quality addenda; maintain accurate data in ERP/S2P (e.g., SAP/Oracle, Ariba/Coupa), and ensure PO and pricing integrity.
- Track and report savings, inflation/deflation, OTIF/material service, and compliance KPIs.
Required Experience & Skills
- 5-8+ years in direct materials procurement within FMCG / Food & Beverage or adjacent process manufacturing.
- Proven delivery in category management and supplier negotiations for ingredients and/or packaging at regional scale.
- Commercial acumen with cost modeling, indexation mechanisms, and TCO analysis; comfort with volatile commodity environments.
- Strong grasp of food safety, quality, and regulatory considerations (e.g., allergen controls, spec management, CoAs, audits).
- Hands‑on with S2P/ERP tools (preferably SAP + Ariba or Coupa) and advanced Excel/Power BI for analytics.
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication across Supply Chain, Finance, R&D, and Plant operations.
- Languages: Fluent English required; Dutch is a plus.
- Right to work in the Netherlands.
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