Global Procurement Category Manager

About your role

As Global Procurement Category Manager – Media & Market Insight, you will play a key role in shaping how Suntory Beverage & Food creates value from media and market insight at a global level. 

This position was created to unlock global synergies across a complex, multicultural organisation. Your mission is to define and implement a global category strategy that harmonises ways of working, accelerates value creation and supports better, faster business decisions worldwide. 

Operating in a matrix, international environment, with a small team reporting to you, you will lead through influence rather than hierarchy, balancing global strategy with regional realities. Media is a fast-moving category — agility, external market awareness and strong supplier expertise are essential to succeed. 

What You'll Do

• Define and lead the global category strategy for Media and Data/Market Insight, aligning business priorities across Europe, Asia and Oceania. 
• Drive harmonisation and transformation, to maximise value, resilience and innovation. 
• Act as a strategic business partner to key stakeholders, influencing decision-making through insight, data and strong storytelling. 
• Manage key global suppliers, setting robust governance, driving performance management and building long-term partnerships. 
• Champion change management in a multicultural, matrix organisation — navigating ambiguity with pragmatism and confidence. 
• Contribute to cost optimisation, value creation, risk management and ESG priorities within the category, staying ahead of rapid market shifts, innovation and emerging trends 
• Travel internationally and work closely with colleagues across Europe and Asia to build alignment and momentum. 

What's in it for you

• A high-impact global role with real influence on how the business invests, measures and grows through media and insight. 
• The opportunity to shape a category at different maturity levels, creating visible value where it matters most. 
• Exposure to senior leaders across regions and functions in a truly international environment. 
• The chance to work in a company that values long-term thinking, collaboration and responsible growth. 
• Room to lead, challenge the status quo and leave a lasting footprint on global procurement strategy. 

What You need to be successful

• Strong experience working in a matrix organisation, with the ability to navigate complexity and lead through influence. 
• Proven media buying experience, essential in a category that evolves quickly and demands constant adaptation. 
• Solid strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, with the confidence to make and defend decisions. 
• Excellent stakeholder management, influencing and communication skills, including change management. 
• Experience working across cultures and regions, ideally with exposure to both Europe and Asia. 
• Leadership capability — whether through direct teams or virtual, cross-functional groups. 
• Comfort with ambiguity, agility in execution, and a pragmatic, solutions-oriented mindset. 
• Market insight experience is a strong advantage. 
• Fluency in English; additional languages are a plus. 
• Willingness to travel internationally as part of the role. 

Who We Are

"Suntory Beverage & Food Europe is part of the Suntory Group, one of the leading and most innovative drink companies worldwide.

Our uniqueness lies in our culture, a distinctive blend of Japanese heritage and European roots, and our people, who are driven by our bold and playful Yatte Minahare spirit.

Shinjiro Torii shared his ambition, passion and entrepreneurship with other founders, who like Torii were true pioneers of their time. They all had a thirst for challenge, an obsession for people and a mindset of sustainable growth, and together, they contributed to making what Suntory Beverage & Food Europe is today."

Our DEI Commitment

At Suntory, we recognize that diverse knowledge, perspectives, and backgrounds contribute to our collective success. We are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace where all individuals can bring their whole selves to work every day, regardless of race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, or any other protected characteristic.

Our recruitment and selection processes are designed to highlight what Suntory offers as an employer while allowing candidates to share their unique skills and experiences. We understand that career trajectories vary, and if you believe your experience/background can benefit our team, we encourage you to apply. We endeavor to make our interview process as inclusive as possible and offer reasonable accommodations as needed. Together, we can cultivate a workplace where everyone can thrive and propel our mission of Growing for Good.