Direct Procurement Regional Category Manager

About Lubrizol
The Lubrizol Corporation, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is a specialty chemical company whose science delivers sustainable solutions to advance mobility, improve wellbeing and enhance modern life. Founded in 1928, Lubrizol owns and operates more than 100 manufacturing facilities, sales, and technical offices around the world and has about 8,000 employees. For more information, visit .

We value diversity in professional backgrounds and life experiences. By enabling a consistent, unbiased, and transparent recruitment process, Lubrizol seeks to create a positive experience for candidates so we can get to know them at their best. We recognise unique work and life situations and offer flexibility, ensuring our employees feel engaged and fulfilled in every aspect of life. 

Job Title : Direct Procurement Regional Category Manager

Job Location: UK (Hazelwood, Blackley, Huddersfield or London)

Type of role: Hybrid

Join Our Thriving Team at Lubrizol as Direct Procurement Regional Category Manager !

Unleash Your Potential. At Lubrizol we're transforming the Procurement Organization and looking for exceptional talent to join us on this journey. If you are ready to join an international company with talent around the world, and want to make a real impact, we want you on our team.

What You'll Do:

As a Direct Procurement Regional Category Manager, you'll be at the forefront of our innovation, driving a raw materials portfolio of suppliers across Europe. You'll collaborate with a diverse group of passionate individuals to deliver sustainable solutions to advance mobility, improve wellbeing and enhance modern life. Your work will be ensuring a secure supply chain, achieving the best total cost of ownership, and fostering competitive advantage, all while aligning closely with business requirements. You will report directly to the Regional Procurement Manager and carry accountability to the Global Category Manager for the effective management of the assigned category.

What We're Looking For:

• Maintains the portfolio of a specific raw material category or categories within a matrix organization.
• Sources and onboards suppliers, facilitating the placement of master supply agreements and contracts as appropriate, along with supplier relationship management.
• Coordinates with the global category manager - share regional inputs to the global strategy for assigned category in partnership with a cross-functional team focused on obtaining best total cost of ownership (TCO) and driving optimization through productivity and complexity reduction.
• Understands the business strategy and can translate into regional procurement strategies.
• Conducts regular assessment of Business Partner requirements and matching procurement plans to meet/adapt to business needs.
• Executes multi-year sourcing strategies to optimize total cost of ownership (TCO), assurance of supply, quality, service, and innovation.
• Leverages end-to-end sourcing expertise to resolve escalations and execute sourcing strategies.
• Leads pricing and negotiation strategies for all category materials.
• Drives business impact by educating stakeholders and applying market intelligence to enhance competitive position and mitigate risk.
• Reports cost evolution and trends for category materials that support effective business price management and commercial objectives.
• Executes efficient and effective supplier management practices that drive improved supplier performance and correction action (as needed).
• Drives early business engagements for highlight complex and critical business areas and manage supplier activity across multiple accounts.
• Adheres and promotes compliance with company HSES policies, practices, and procedures.
• Respects and applies all corporate and procurement policies and procedures.
• Represents Lubrizol in a professional, legal, and ethical manner to maintain the integrity of the Lubrizol and Berkshire Hathaway brands.

Skills That Make a Difference:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Chemistry, Supply Chain, Business, or other related fields. Advanced degree in above disciplines or MBA is a plus
• Experience in successfully leading strategy development and implementation of strategic plans is required. Training in strategy development and execution will be considered.
• Experience in the chemical industry is highly recommended.
• Fluent in English with strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Must be able to relate and work well with individuals at all levels, internally and externally.
• Demonstrated analytical and organizational skills. Business acumen is a must
• Ability to deal with cultural differences and regional issues.
• Knowledge of regional regulatory, legal, tax, import/export requirements.
• Knowledge of sourcing and procurement lifecycle and excellent negotiation skills.
• Strong computer skills including Microsoft Office Suite. ERP systems experience including SAP and BOBJ is a plus.

Perks and Rewards That Inspire:

• Develop your professional career with a highly respected, industry-leading, multinational company that is part of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
• Become part of a culture that is based on accountability and empowerment and which values diversity and inclusivity.
• A competitive remuneration and benefits package

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Ready for your next career step? Apply today and let's shape the future together!

It’s an exciting time to be part of Lubrizol. Lubrizol is not staying put. We are continually learning and evolving. Our passion delivers our success — not only for Lubrizol but for those who count on us every day: our employees, customers and communities.

We work with a relentless commitment to operate safely and responsibly, keeping safety, sustainability, ethics, and compliance at the forefront of everything we do. The well-being of our employees, customers and communities is paramount to our culture and in the way we approach our work.

As a diverse, global team, we work together to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges. We impact everyday lives through science only Lubrizol can deliver, and we never stop pushing to do it better.

One of the founding principles of The Lubrizol Corporation more than 90 years ago was treating every employee with dignity and respect. That same commitment is only stronger today. 

More than that, we are committed to providing an environment where every employee can be the best they can be, no matter their ethnic origin, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or any other characteristic.