Senior Category Manager

Job: Senior Category Manager

Location: Arnhem, Netherlands

Working Hours: 32–40 hours per week

Required Experience: Minimum 5 years

Education: HBO (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent)

Start Date: ASAP

End Date: 16 March 2027

Important Requirements

• Looking for a Senior Category Manager.
• Candidates must be fluent in both Dutch and English.
• Experience with ERP systems, preferably SAP, is required.
• Experience managing large-scale tendering processes is essential, preferably within the payments industry or the specified procurement categories.
• A maximum of 2 candidates per supplier can be submitted.
• The vacancy may close earlier if more than 20 candidates are received.

Role Overview

Together with three other Category Managers, you will be responsible for procurement across the following categories:

• IT
• Acquiring & Processing
• HR
• Marketing & Communications
• Services
• Facilities

Given the rapid pace of technological developments, you must continuously stay informed about market trends, developments within the organisation, and changes in your area of expertise.

You will operate in an international environment, collaborating with internal and external stakeholders. You should be comfortable working independently as well as within multidisciplinary teams on internal projects, tendering processes, and partnerships with international IT suppliers.

You will act as a key link between stakeholders, translating their requirements into successful procurement outcomes through well-founded advice.

As a senior professional, you are expected to make a significant impact and provide stakeholders with strategic, well-supported recommendations.

Candidate Profile

You are a confident professional with strong communication and commercial skills. You can effectively engage, advise, influence, and persuade both stakeholders and suppliers.

You enjoy working with data and conducting analyses to support informed decision-making. Your analytical abilities allow you to maintain oversight of complex processes and substantiate your recommendations with strong arguments.

You have excellent attention to detail, are comfortable challenging existing practices, and proactively identify opportunities to improve category and supplier management.

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute significantly to the strategic programmes of Corporate Procurement.
• Increase the visibility and influence of the Procurement function across the organisation.
• Support the continued professionalisation and development of the procurement department through your experience and expertise.
• Proactively advise business stakeholders on how procurement can deliver additional value.
• Strengthen the position of Procurement within the organisation through your broad knowledge of procurement, IT, and stakeholder management.
• Actively establish yourself as a knowledgeable and influential professional within the procurement field.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Relevant Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, supplemented by NEVI 1 or an equivalent procurement qualification. NEVI 2 is an advantage.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in a similar Category Management role.
• Proven experience managing large-scale tendering processes, preferably within the payments industry or the specified procurement categories.
• Strong interest in IT and a good understanding of IT stakeholder requirements.
• Experience with ERP systems, preferably SAP.
• Excellent written and spoken Dutch and English.

About the Organisation

The organisation develops innovative payment solutions and plays an important role in facilitating everyday payment transactions.

Its customers range from large corporations to small businesses, with millions of transactions processed daily.

It is an internationally oriented family-owned business and a market leader in financial IT solutions. It provides products and services across 15 European countries, with offices in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.

The organisation values collaboration, reliability, and innovation, reflected in an ambitious, forward-thinking, open, and supportive working environment.

The Corporate Procurement team consists of nine enthusiastic colleagues based in the Netherlands and reports to the Head of Corporate Procurement.

Some team members focus on contract management, project management, and operational procurement processes.

Working Arrangements

• Hybrid working model, combining office work at the organisation's headquarters in Arnhem with working from home.
• 32–40 hours per week.
• Flexible working hours.