Overview
Global Category Buyer- Air & Sea Freight Jobs in Budapest, Budapest, Hungary at Givaudan
Title: Global Category Buyer- Air & Sea Freight
Company: Givaudan
Location: Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
Join us and celebrate the beauty of human experience. Create for happier, healthier lives, with love for nature. Together, with kindness and humility, we deliver food innovations, craft inspired fragrances and develop beauty and wellbeing solutions that make people look and feel good. There’s much to learn and many to learn from, with more than 16,000 employees around the world to explore ideas and ambitions with. Dive into varied, flexible, and stimulating environments. Meet empowered professionals to partner with, befriend, and stretch your skills alongside. Every day, your energy, your creativity, and your determination will shape our future, making a positive difference on billions of people. Every essence of you enriches our world. We are Givaudan. Human by nature.
Global Category Buyer – Air & Sea Freight – Your future role?
As the Global Category Buyer – Air & Sea Freight you will be responsible for executing the global sourcing strategy across the Air Freight and Ocean Freight sub-categories. This role ensures strategic alignment with business priorities, drives supplier performance, and delivers sustainable value through best-in-class procurement practices. You will hold end-to-end accountability for category outcomes, including sourcing strategy, supplier selection, negotiation performance, risk mitigation, and stakeholder satisfaction.
You will be based in Budapest, Hungary and will report directly to the Sr Global Category Manager – Logistics & Warehousing.
Your Main Responsibilities Will Be
Category Strategy & Leadership
- Contribute and continuously refine the global Air & Sea category strategy
- Translate business needs into forward-looking sourcing approaches
- Monitor market dynamics and identify opportunities for competitive advantage
- Drive innovation, sustainability initiatives, and risk management within the category
Strategic Sourcing Execution
- Lead the full lifecycle of global tenders (RFP design, specifications collection, execution, evaluation, and award)
- Refresh and use the standard documentation to support the global tenders' process
- Establish negotiation strategies and lead complex commercial discussions, with the support of the Sr Global Category Manager – Logistics & Warehousing
- Contracts negotiation
- Define supplier selection criteria, build scenarios and support the allocation decision making process
- Ensure decisions are data-driven while maintaining strategic judgment
Supplier Management
- Own global-level relationships with key logistics providers
- Implement supplier segmentation and governance frameworks
- Drive performance through KPIs, QBRs, and continuous improvement plans
Stakeholder Engagement
- Work in close partnership with Supply Chain, Transport Managers and other key stakeholders
- Act as the primary procurement interface for senior business stakeholders
- Align sourcing strategies with operational, financial, and ESG objectives
- Influence decision-making at regional and global levels
- Communicate to key internal stakeholders (Regional Supply Chain Heads, Ops Heads)/Global Category Managers any market conditions change which may affect the Business
- Actively support the responsible sourcing projects implementation & provide information to Procurement Sustainability Manager when needed
- Identify potential projects/ changes and communicate/influence business stakeholders to drive cost improvements
Risk & Compliance
- Anticipate supply chain disruptions and develop mitigation strategies
- Ensure adherence to procurement policies and regulatory requirements
- Monitor the Contract Lifecycle of the Air & Sea Freight sub-categories
Cost Optimization and Business Planning
- Prepare initiative plans and forecasts in line with business budget cycle
- Develop cost reduction projects
- Provide price forecast and market trends for key commodities and services
Your professional profile includes
- Bachelor's degree
- 5 years' experience in Logistics, Supply chain and/or Logistics Procurement
- Experience in an international environment is a must
- Experience running global Freight tenders with high complexity
- Understanding of contract management
- Knowledge of Freight tender tools is an advantage (Jaggaer, Keelvar, Archlet…)
- Fluent in English
- Good knowledge and broad understanding of Logistics market and Supply chain solutions
- Strong collaborator, who builds network rapidly
- Advanced analytical skills Microsoft office, Power BI and SAP
- Strong data driven mindset
Our Benefits
- Flexible Working Arrangements (1-2 days office days per week)
- Private Health Insurance
- Monthly cafeteria plan
- Employee shop discount
- Travel reimbursement when commuting from out of Budapest urban area
- Access to exclusive perfumes and other employee discounts
- Recognition and referral programs
- Career development opportunities in our multinational environment
- Team buildings and company events
- Learning programs to develop your soft and hard skills
- Free coffee and tea in our equipped kitchen
At Givaudan, you contribute to delightful taste and scent experiences that touch people’s lives.
You work within an inspiring teamwork culture – where you can thrive, collaborate and learn from other talented and passionate people across disciplines, regions and divisions.
Every essence of you enriches our world.
Diversity drives innovation and creates closer connections with our employees, customers and partners.
Givaudan embraces diversity and is committed to building an inclusive environment where everyone impacts our world.
