In short, Would you like to shape what category management looks like within an international organisation while staying closely involved in the most important commercial challenges? At Chane, you have the opportunity to do both.
As Lead Category Manager, you provide professional direction to the Category Management team while remaining actively involved in strategic categories, suppliers and contracts. You help Chane take the next step from tactical procurement towards professional and proactive category management.
This means you will not be joining an environment where everything has already been fully defined. Category management at Chane is continuing to develop, and you will play an important role in shaping it. Drawing on your experience, you will work together with the Procurement Manager and Category Managers to develop an approach that suits our international organisation and creates visible value for our terminals.
Where will you be working
Chane Terminals is active in the storage and handling of liquid bulk products at terminals located in various European ports. As an organisation, we are increasingly developing into one international company where we make better use of our knowledge, scale and collective strength.
Procurement plays an important role in this development. By combining demand across terminals, taking a more strategic approach to suppliers and making better use of market intelligence, we can capture commercial opportunities, manage risks and further strengthen our services.
As Lead Category Manager, you report to the Procurement Manager. You work closely with Category Managers and maintain strong relationships with colleagues across our terminals and various central functions. You ensure that Procurement is involved early in future needs and increasingly operates as a commercial business partner.
Representative activities
In this role, you combine professional leadership with direct responsibility for your own categories. You coordinate the team, set priorities together with the Procurement Manager and remain actively involved in strategic sourcing, negotiations, contracts and supplier management.
You provide direction to the Category Management team.
Coordinating priorities and activities within the Category Management team
Allocating categories and activities in consultation with the Procurement Manager
Coaching and developing Category Managers based on your professional expertise




Supporting complex commercial matters and acting as the first point of contact for escalations
Encouraging a way of working in which Procurement is involved early in the needs of the terminals
You build strong category strategies
Developing and implementing category strategies and procurement plans
Analysing spend and requirements across Chane
Monitoring market developments, regulations and risks within the supply chain
Using benchmarking and market intelligence to identify commercial opportunities
Translating your analyses into concrete sourcing decisions and proposals for the terminals
Monitoring category performance and reporting on results
You create commercial value
You are personally involved in key sourcing processes and negotiations. You look beyond price alone and balance cost, risk, quality, performance and continuity.
Lead tenders and other strategic sourcing processes
Conduct complex commercial and contractual negotiations
Combine demand from different terminals to make better use of Chane's scale
Develop framework agreements that can be used across multiple locations
Proactively approach terminals with proposals based on your category analyses
Focus on total cost of ownership and sustainable commercial value
You build strong supplier relationships
Develop and maintain strategic supplier relationships
Take responsibility for contract management throughout the full contract lifecycle
Monitor and discuss supplier performance
Organise and lead supplier reviews
Resolve complex supplier issues and escalations
Ensure reliable and usable contract information is maintained in Navision
You connect Procurement with the organisation
A strong category strategy only works when it reflects what the organisation needs. That is why you work closely with stakeholders across the terminals and central functions.
You understand their operational needs, involve them in commercial decisions and build support for new agreements, contracts and suppliers.




You know how to bring different interests together and clearly demonstrate which commercial choices create the greatest value for Chane as a whole.
What do you bring to the table
We are looking for an experienced procurement professional with strong knowledge of category management and experience working in a complex, multi location organisation.
Around 10 to 15 years of experience in procurement, strategic sourcing or category management
Experience developing and executing commercial category strategies
Experience providing professional guidance and coordinating professionals, including teams working across different locations
A strong track record in commercial negotiations, contract management and spend analysis
Knowledge of modern category management principles and the process from business need to contract
Experience with stakeholder management in a matrix organisation and with operational stakeholders
Strong analytical skills that enable you to translate internal needs, spend and external market intelligence into commercial decisions
A master's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Engineering or a comparable field
Excellent command of English and at least one of the local languages used at our terminals, such as Dutch, French, Spanish or Portuguese
A professional procurement qualification or certification, for example through CIPS, NEVI or the Inkoopacademie, is a strong advantage. Experience with Lean Six Sigma or additional training in analytics is also welcome.
What do we offer
You will take on a role with significant influence on the further development of Procurement within Chane.
You can expect:
A key role in the further professionalisation of category management
The opportunity to help shape a new way of working within Chane
A combination of professional leadership and your own commercial responsibility
An international working environment where you collaborate with different terminals and disciplines
Plenty of room for initiative, ownership and personal development
An excellent employment package

Development opportunities within Chane and through our own Chane Academy
We sparked your interest?
Would you like to use your experience to take category management at Chane to the next level while staying close to commercial practice? We would be pleased to meet you.
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📌 Category Manager & Commercial Lead (España)
🏢 Chane
📍 España