Senior Buyer

Who we are:
Founded in Japan in 1887, Kao is passionate about making a difference in people’s lives with our high quality products and services to create a Kirei Life for all – a beautiful life that respects the needs of our consumers and customers as well as the planet. We never compromise on quality and craft our products with care for the consumer and the environment.  As a company driven by purpose and strong corporate values we pride ourselves to be listed among the World´s Most Ethical Companies since 16 consecutive years. Our corporate philosophy, the Kao Way, guides us in everything we do – acting with integrity, courageously driving innovation and treating each other with trust and respect.

The role:

This position can be based in either the UK or Germany and requires fluency in both languages. 

Will be responsible for coordinating outsourcing activities related to New Product Development (NPD) Vendor management and routine procurement operations across the Salon, Consumer Care and Molton Brown sectors within the KAO Beauty business in the EMEA region.

What you will do:

• Negotiate and manage the costs associated with outsourced finished products in the EMEA region, including compounding, filling, administration, and logistics, as well as minimum order quantities and payment terms with Third Party Manufacturers (referred to as 3PM).
• Manage a portfolio of strategic vendors, perform regular business evaluations, and ensure that vendors achieve business performance objectives related to costs, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria, and on-time in full (OTIF) delivery.
• Collaborate with internal business partners to provide briefings to 3PMS for new product development projects, which should encompass tendering, analysis of commercial information, and optimal supplier selection.
• Collaborate with 3PMs and the supply planning department to secure the initial production capacity for new product launches if required.
• Identify potential new 3PMs’ in line with business requirement and coordinate alternate 3PM qualifications with support from the Outsourcing Manager, Quality Management, Technical Project Management and Supply Planning
• Work with Vendors and Chemical and Packaging Sourcing teams to implement, monitor and maintain open book calculations and purchase price variance(PPV) files.
• Establish and further develop Legal agreements with Strategic Vendors withing the EMEA region.
• Provide subject matter expertise to internal teams on Outsourcing related topics to help guide critical business decisions.

What you will need:

• Degree educated or equivalent (Bachelor in Business or CIPS an advantage)
• Fluent in both English and German
• Experience in assessing the capabilities of 3rd party manufacturers 
• A minimum of 2 years of experience in the FMCG sector in Strategic Outsourcing operations including contract negotiations, Vendor management, productivity/cost savings
• Intermediate / expert knowledge of SAP (MM/FTF)
• Intermediate / expert knowledge of Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and presentation skills
• High level of financial acumen and commercial awareness

How we work: Having been selected among the World´s Most Ethical Companies for 16 consecutive years, we are a company with a purpose and strong corporate values. We never compromise on quality and craft our products with care for the consumer and the environment. At Kao, each employee can actively shape their job and their career. We work collaboratively to achieve our common goals, always aiming to deliver the best for our customers.
What we offer: A friendly and flexible work environment with competitive salaries, benefits package, ongoing development and the opportunity to enhance your skills and deliver tangible results. At Kao your voice will be heard. Your opinion really counts. We believe that change comes from taking opportunities into your own hands, so we value and reward entrepreneurial thinking and innovation.
Hiring Process: Kao embraces the diversity and the individual personalities of its people because we believe it is diversity that makes us strong. This is why we welcome applications from all areas of the global community. 
Want to learn more: If you feel you are as unique as our products and want to find out why 33,000 people across the globe opted for a career with us please visit https://www.kao.com/emea/en/