EMEA Professional Services Category Buyer

• Develop and maintain the long-term EMEA category strategy and Category Business Plan, aligned with Global IPU strategy and business requirements.

• Support local buyers and stakeholders across EMEA in defining requirements and Statements of Work and in selecting the right sourcing approach and suppliers.

• Lead strategic sourcing, supplier selection and commercial negotiations to deliver competitive total cost, quality, service and contractual coverage.

• Drive savings, cost avoidance, supplier consolidation and other value-improvement opportunities against agreed category targets.

• Ensure sourcing and supplier-management activities comply with applicable Autoliv purchasing processes and requirements.

• Create and deploy the EMEA Professional Services Category Strategy and Category Business Plan in close cooperation with EMEA stakeholders, local buyers and relevant Global IPU Category teams.

• Execute EMEA category initiatives and support execution of relevant Global IPU strategies and global sourcing initiatives within EMEA, ensuring regional requirements are represented.

• Build and maintain the category sourcing pipeline based on spend, demand, contract, supplier and market analysis.

• Conduct supply-market intelligence, supplier benchmarking and commercial analysis, including rate cards, cost structures and total-cost evaluation, to support sourcing and negotiation decisions.

• Lead or support RFI/RFP/RFQ processes, bid evaluation, supplier selection, negotiations, Sourcing Board preparation and contracting in cooperation with stakeholders and local buyers.

• Coordinate the supplier registration, qualification and onboarding process for newly selected suppliers, ensuring required purchasing documentation, approvals and system setup are completed before implementation.

• Lead negotiations on pricing and commercial models, payment terms, indexation and other key commercial conditions, ensuring alignment with applicable legal and contractual requirements.

• Manage the EMEA supplier portfolio, including preferred-supplier development, consolidation, alternative-source qualification, supplier performance reviews and phase-out of non-strategic suppliers where appropriate.

• Establish regular engagement with EMEA stakeholders and local buyers to capture future demand, challenge requirements, improve Statements of Work and identify opportunities for demand optimization and standardization.

• Coordinate with Global IPU Category teams to align EMEA strategy with global direction, share regional market intelligence and leverage global agreements and synergies where beneficial.

• Own and monitor agreed category KPIs, including savings, cost avoidance, sourcing pipeline, payment terms, contract coverage and supplier performance; identify gaps and drive corrective actions to achieve agreed targets.

• Proactively identify and propose new sourcing approaches, supplier solutions, commercial models, process improvements and digital opportunities that increase value, efficiency, competitiveness or risk resilience across the EMEA Professional Services category.

• Act as the EMEA Professional Services category point of contact for purchasing teams, business stakeholders and strategic suppliers.

• Good understanding of Professional Services commercial models, including hourly/daily rates, time and material, fixed-fee and project-based engagements

• Good understanding of Statements of Work, rate cards, supplier cost structures, contracting principles and supplier performance management

Experience

• Minimum 5 years of experience in strategic purchasing, sourcing or category management, preferably in an international organization

• Proven experience leading complex competitive sourcing processes and commercial negotiations

• Experience developing and implementing category or sourcing strategies across multiple stakeholders or locations

Skills and competences

• Excellent negotiation and commercial decision-making skills

• Strong analytical capability for spend, bid, rate-card, market and total-cost analysis

• Strong stakeholder management, influencing, communication and presentation skills

• Ability to challenge demand constructively and translate business requirements into effective sourcing solutions

• Ability to coordinate local buyers and cross-functional stakeholders across EMEA without direct reporting authority

• Very good command of English

• Digital and AI awareness, with the ability to identify practical opportunities to use AI-enabled tools responsibly in sourcing, market analysis, supplier research, commercial analysis and procurement process improvement.

Personality

• Proactive, accountable and results-oriented

• Commercially minded with a structured and pragmatic approach

• Able to work independently while building effective cross-functional relationships

• Comfortable operating in an international and multicultural environment

Others

• Ability to work effectively across EMEA countries and time zones

• Willingness to travel when required