Primary Location :
PARIS, France
At Solina, our community of close to 5,000 people share a passion for food and live our entrepreneurial culture.
We design customised savoury solutions for our clients operating in the food industry, food service, butchery and nutrition markets. With sustainability at the heart of our business model, we aim to produce food that is good in every sense of the word: delicious, nourishing, affordable, sustainable and convenient.
Solina is a fast-growing business, with around 50 production sites and R&D laboratories present in more than 19 countries mainly in Europe and North America.
By constantly rethinking culinary solutions, we make food matter for people and the planet .
If you're ready for a new adventure in a dynamic, expanding, passionate, international company, join us !
The Global Category Manager Dairy & Proteins owns the European category strategy and execution for Proteins & Dairy, ensuring customer satisfaction and enabling growth by securing competitive, responsible and resilient supply across regions.
Reporting to the Global Procurement Director, the role defines, steers and execute strategic sourcing on a European scale, delivering superior performance for customers while capturing regional specificities and adapting where required to local market conditions.
This position can be based at any Solina location in Europe. We welcome applications from candidates located near any of our European sites
As Global Category Manager Dairy & Proteins, you will:
Develop and align the European category strategy for Dairy & Proteins, supporting the transition towards stronger spend visibility, harmonized sourcing approaches and preferred supplier partnerships, while balancing regional and local specificities.
Drive execution of the Proteins & Dairy strategy, working closely with regional procurement teams and cross-functionally with Operations, R&D, Supply Chain, Finance, Sustainability and Commercial teams.
Own and develop relationships with key Proteins & Dairy suppliers, including supplier relationship management, negotiations, performance reviews, contract management and escalation of major supply or quality issues.
Identify, assess and mitigate supply risks through market monitoring, alternative sourcing options, supplier qualification and proactive contingency planning.
Lead negotiations on pricing, commercial terms and supply conditions, ensuring effective regional and local deployment of agreed frameworks.
Manage category spend, monitor budget impact and initiate improvement projects aimed at reducing Total Cost of Ownership while protecting quality, service and supply continuity.
Provide market intelligence through regular market analysis, price trend monitoring and clear recommendations to support business decisions.
Collaborate cross-functionally to ensure compliance with quality, food safety, regulatory and risk management frameworks.
Work with Sustainability teams and suppliers to support responsible sourcing initiatives, supplier assessments, EcoVadis processes and relevant PLM-related requirements.
Contribute to the transformation and professionalization of procurement practices by improving sourcing processes, procurement workflows and category management frameworks.
Build strong internal alignment across regions and functions to ensure procurement strategies are integrated into broader business needs.
We are looking for a strategic and hands-on procurement professional with strong category management experience and the ability to operate in a complex international environment.
You bring:
10+ years of relevant procurement, strategic sourcing, category management or supplier management experience.
Strong knowledge of the Proteins & Dairy category, ideally within the food, ingredients or related B2B industry.
Experience working in an international or cross-regional procurement environment.
Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to align different regions, functions and priorities.
Fluency in English; additional languages are an asset.
Willingness to travel internationally when required.
Challenges the status quo and proposes practical ways to improve performance, cost, resilience or customer value.
Takes full ownership of deliverables and holds self and others accountable for results, not just activity.
Demonstrates curiosity by asking questions, seeking insights and challenging assumptions.
Builds trusted relationships by collaborating across teams and valuing diverse regional and functional perspectives.
Thinks strategically while remaining hands-on and pragmatic in execution.
Communicates with clarity, influence and business orientation across senior stakeholders, regional teams and suppliers.
What we offer
You will take on a strategic procurement role with international scope and visible impact. You will help shape the global sourcing approach for Dairy & Proteins, strengthen supplier partnerships, improve procurement processes and contribute to more sustainable and resilient supply chains.
You will join a dynamic international environment where collaboration, ownership and continuous improvement are key.
We are open to talents of all backgrounds. Our recruitment process is based on competences, and we openly welcome all candidates of all types according to our DEI Commitment
