Senior Strategic Buyer - Supply Chain & Logistics
Posted Updated 2
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Description
About GEP
GEP is a diverse, creative team of people passionate about procurement. We invest ourselves in our clients' success, creating strong collaborative relationships that deliver extraordinary value year after year. Our clients include market global leaders with far-flung international operations, Fortune 500 and Global 2000 enterprises, and leading government and public institutions.
We deliver practical, effective services and software that enable procurement leaders to maximize their impact on business operations, strategy, and financial performance. That is just some of what we do in our quest to build a beautiful company, enjoy the journey, and make a difference.
GEP is a place where individuality is prized and talent respected. We are focused on what is real and effective. GEP is where good ideas and great people are recognized, results matter, and ability and hard work drive achievement. We are a learning organization, actively looking for people to help shape, grow, and continually improve us.
About the Role
We are seeking an experienced Sourcing Lead to oversee our EMEA supply chain and logistics procurement operations. This is a hands-on lead role in which you will own end-to-end sourcing strategy, manage complex supplier relationships, and provide direction to a team of 2–3 analysts and specialists.
What you can expect to be responsible for:
Supplier Negotiations & Commercial Delivery
• Lead end-to-end sourcing cycles, including RFIs, RFPs, reverse auctions, and direct negotiations, across logistics, freight, and distribution categories in EMEA.
• Develop and defend negotiation strategies grounded in market data, total cost modelling, and risk appetite.
• Identify and quantify savings opportunities across the supplier base, track delivery against annual targets, and report transparently on variances.
• Own commercial terms including pricing, SLAs, penalties, and exit provisions, ensuring contracts accurately reflect agreed outcomes.
Logistics & Freight Management
• Manage sourcing across freight forwarding, last-mile delivery, warehousing, and 3PL partnerships across EMEA markets.
• Monitor supplier performance against agreed KPIs, including on-time delivery, cost-per-unit, and damage rates, holding vendors accountable where performance falls short.
• Maintain awareness of freight market dynamics, including capacity constraints, carrier consolidation, and fuel surcharge trends, and incorporate these into sourcing decisions proactively.
• Collaborate closely with logistics operations, demand planning, and finance teams to align procurement strategy with operational requirements.
Team Leadership & Development
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of 2–3 sourcing analysts, encompassing workload planning, quality review, and long-term capability building.
• Set clear expectations, deliver structured feedback, and actively support team members' professional development.
• Provide hands-on support to the team on complex deals or escalations, leveraging experience without displacing ownership.
• Cultivate a working culture built on rigour, transparency, and sound commercial judgement.
Stakeholder Engagement
• Build trusted relationships with internal stakeholders across retail operations, store development, merchandising, and finance, translating business needs into clearly defined sourcing briefs.
• Communicate procurement decisions, risks, and trade-offs clearly to both operational teams and senior leadership, prioritising business impact over technical jargon.
• Support regional and global alignment where category overlaps exist, ensuring EMEA sourcing strategy is consistent with wider organisational direction.
• Represent the procurement function in cross-functional forums and project steering groups as required.
What We Are Looking For
• At least 5 years of procurement or sourcing experience, with significant exposure to retail, fashion, FMCG, or consumer goods supply chain environments.
• Demonstrated track record in negotiating logistics and freight contracts, with a thorough understanding of category mechanics.
• Prior experience leading or mentoring a small team, with a proven ability to provide guidance and develop talent.
• Strong commercial acumen, including the ability to interpret cost models, assess supplier arguments critically, and structure commercially sound agreements.
• Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous environments where sourcing decisions are made with incomplete information.
• Willingness to travel across EMEA markets as required by project and supplier needs (estimated 20–30% of time).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to listen actively, articulate clearly, and escalate appropriately.
• Experience working within a managed services or outsourced procurement model.
• Experience working within a managed services or outsourced procurement model.
• Familiarity with procurement platforms such as Coupa, SAP Ariba, Jaggaer, or equivalent tools.
• Exposure to retail fit-out or capital project sourcing.
• Knowledge of EMEA regulatory and trade compliance requirements within logistics contexts.
Responsibilities:
• Support category managers
with category strategy plans, sourcing execution and strategic sourcing
activities
• Engage stakeholders across suppliers, project sponsors, end users and support functions
• Leverage category experts and procurement tools
• Support supplier management and procurement processes
• Establish negotiation strategies and lead negotiations
• Deliver savings reporting, business analytics and stakeholder interaction
• Evaluate suppliers and vendor capabilities
• Use SMART by GEP and ERP systems for procurement operations
• Improve operations, manage SOPs and streamline processes
• Manage supplier selection and procurement activities
• Lead small to medium sized teams
• Participate in
recruitment and firm building activities
Primary Skills / Minimum Qualifications:
• 5-7 years of strategic sourcing experience
• Proficiency in English and an additional European language
• Experience with indirect procurement categories
• Experience leading and mentoring teams
• Knowledge of centralized purchasing principles
• Strong communication, analytical, reporting and presentation skills
• Negotiation expertise
• Ability to manage multiple procurement projects
• Broad category knowledge is advantageous
• Knowledge of process improvement methodologies such as Six Sigma, TQM or APEX is advantageous
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at every level of our organisation. All applications are considered regardless of background, identity, or experience.