Category Specialist

At Konecranes, we believe that great customer experience is built on the people behind the Konecranes name. Everything we do, we do with passion and drive. We believe diversity drives business success and is the foundation for our growth. We welcome different backgrounds and skills that enrich our community and we promote a place where we can ALL be ourselves. This is what makes Konecranes a unique place to work.

We are looking for a Category Specialist to join our global procurement team. In this role, you will work collaboratively with stakeholders and support the category management of supply performance for specific categories of spend and risk to ensure optimal business outcomes for Konecranes Business.

In this role it is important to support the development and management of a category sourcing programme that delivers savings and efficiencies to Electrics category, as well as to develop and implement strategies to manage procurement risk, integrate organisational policies into procurement practice, and measure and analyse corporate spend and savings data in specific categories of spend.

This position is hybrid-remote and based in our office in Hyvinkää or Hämeenlinna, Finland.

Your key responsibilities: 

• Acting as an interface in supplier relationship management including supplier performance management. Negotiating and managing supplier contracts, collaborating with suppliers to drive innovation, and improve product quality.
• Tracking reports on cost saving and cost avoidance activities. Identifying cost reduction opportunities and supporting in driving strategies.
• Supporting Category management and category action plans by taking responsibility for selected sourcing activities e.g., NDA negotiations with suppliers, data collection and reporting, driving supplier´s performance, analysing alternative sources.
• Collaborating actively with various internal and external stakeholders.
• Creating visibility in spend leakages & driving to optimize the supply base.
• Highlighting the opportunities to drive savings and identifying opportunities for supply chain optimization.
• Supporting specific sourcing projects for category groups in accordance with the category strategies.
• Identifying risks in our supplier base and communicating to category managers of those risks.

What should you bring?

You have at least 2-5 years of work experience in Supply Chain management, preferably in Manufacturing or Services.

To succeed in this role you have an excellent numerical accuracy and agility, as well as strong supplier management experience, good knowledge of procurement and supply chain, and some work experience in supplier capability analysis. You are used to working in PowerBI, Excel and PowerPoint, and SAP experience is an asset. You are fluent in English, both verbally and in writing, other language skills are a plus. 

 
As a person you are:

• A problem solver, who is flexible and creative in finding solutions.
• Social and cooperative with excellent communication skills (written and spoken).
• Independent and adaptable to changing situations.
• Curious and development-oriented.
• Critical and analytical thinker.
• Have a positive attitude with a quality mindset.
• Ready for business travel (15-20% annually).

What we offer you

You will have the opportunity to be part of a global procurement team, collaborating with stakeholders in a multicultural setting.

You’ll work closely with the Category Managers in the various tasks they handle, supporting your career growth into a similar role over time.

You’ll have the chance to travel and work directly with your suppliers.
 

Interested?

We’d love to hear from you! Send us your application in English by 9 March 2025. Early applications have an advantage as we will start interviewing on the go and the role is filled when the right candidate is found.

For further information about this role, please contact Marion Soon, Global Talent Acquisition Specialist via e-mail marion.soon[at]konecranes.com.

Konecranes moves what matters. We are a global leader in material handling solutions, serving a broad range of customers across multiple industries. We consistently set the industry benchmark, from everyday improvements to the breakthroughs at moments that matter most, because we know we can always find a safer, more productive and sustainable way. That's why, with 16 000+ professionals in over 50 countries, we are trusted every day to lift, handle and move what the world needs.

Konecranes is committed to ensuring that all employees and job applicants are treated fairly in an environment which is free from any form of discrimination.