Head of Indirect Procurement

Head of Indirect Procurement

Location: Madrid, Spain (3 times a week in the office)

Reporting to: Global Head of Procurement

Swissport was incorporated in 1996. From its beginnings with operations at Switzerland's largest airports in Zurich, Geneva and Basel, Swissport has developed into a global leader. Today, some 850 airlines globally across 287 airports and 45 countries on 6 continents place their trust in Swissport. The company is the global leader in airport ground services and air cargo handling, both based on revenue and the number of airports served.

Our ambition is to firmly establish our company as a natural partner for airlines and airports and the undisputed sector leader. We want to be the global brand airlines turn to when they look for a service partner. We have an exciting journey ahead. To support us in this ambition and the transformation of finance, we will be investing in new positions, over several disciplines and geographical locations.

Working for Swissport you will be in the position to make an impact on all travellers worldwide. Be it the hurried businessman or that party of four embarking on a life changing family venture, ultimately you will be part of defining their aviation experience. Besides that, you will be in the driving seat in defining your own career journey, as Swissport can offer you a world of knowledge and personal development!

You as the Head of Indirect Procurement

The global Head of Indirect Procurement has the task to lead all procurement related activities of the indirect spend categories of the organization, foster adaptation of procurement policy, develop category specific processes, lead sustainability and diversity required procurement activities with the key indirect category suppliers. The global indirect category managers are his/her direct reports, close collaboration is expected with the regional strategic procurement teams.

Job Responsibilities

• Lead all strategical procurement activities within indirect procurement categories that are managed by the global team (IT, temporary labour, travel, uniform, professional services…etc).
• Lead four global category managers and work with the regional procurement teams to sufficiently control spend and achieve saving targets.
• Responsible for achieving of the agreed global and regional indirect procurement saving targets.
• Develop category specific Standard Management Processes that reflect the fundamentals established in procurement policy. Monitor compliance with relevant processes and support the Swissport procurement teams in adaptation of those.
• Ensure efficiency of the indirect procurement team, track project execution progress, cost saving efficiencies and report status to Global Head of Procurement.
• Plan sourcing strategies for indirect spend categories managed globally and support the regional team in developing such strategies for the others.
• Stakeholder management, close collaboration with IT, Sales, Operations, HR and Finance teams regarding ongoing projects and upcoming business needs.
• Foster innovation and continuous improvement within procurement.
• Drive change management initiatives related to procurement processes and technology implementations.
• Ensure category management strategies are adopted and implemented within the region.
• Negotiate with key indirect category suppliers and manage overall relationships with them.
• Identify cost saving opportunities and synergies within supplier base.
• Promote supplier diversity and sustainability within the Swissport supplier base.

Qualifications and Competencies

• +5 years of experience in category management of indirect procurement
• At least 8-10 years management experience at a fast-paced multinational organization
• Strong negotiation background especially with providers of IT and of professional services
• Exceptional organization and communication skills in a global environment
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment while effectively meeting demanding deadlines
• High-energy with a proactive approach; willingness to be hands-on and dig into the details
• Experience with a S2C and project management system are an advantage
• Fluency in spoken and written English and Spanish languages

Your next step

When you are looking for this key position at a growing and changing international group that is headquartered in Zurich, we invite you to apply. When you do, please send your resume in English via the Apply button.

Because we get many applicants for our jobs, unfortunately it’s impossible to contact everybody personally. If you therefore do not hear from us, that means that we have decided to move forward with other candidates at this time, but we do invite you to keep following Swissport's career page and LinkedIn, because new opportunities may arise in the short future!

Hope to hear from you soon!

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Swissport as an equal opportunity employer bases its hiring decisions on the business need and the best qualified candidates available and does not discriminate in its employment decisions based on any protected category.

Candidates who are offered employment may be subject to a criminal record and other background checks as permitted or required by company policy or applicable law.