EMEA Lead Category Manager

Colas, a subsidiary of the Bouygues Group, is a global leader in the construction and maintenance of transport infrastructure, opening the way to tomorrow’s innovative, sustainable mobility. Present in over 50 countries on five continents, through a network of 800 construction operation units and 3,000 materials production units, Colas employs over 65,000 people committed to connecting people and facilitating exchanges in the world of today and tomorrow. Colas' ambition is to be the world leader in innovative and responsible mobility solutions. In 2024, the revenue of Colas was 15.9 billion euros.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The Category Lead EMEA&S is responsible for defining and implementing strategic category management across the EMEA&S region. They will coordinate with country procurement teams, support local strategies, and drive cross-country synergies. This role plays a central part in optimizing procurement performance, ensuring supply continuity, and delivering sustainable value through strategic sourcing, supplier management, and operational excellence.

Scope: Total external spend € 2.3B with target to manage 50% by 2027 through professional category management. EMEA&S scope includes 23 countries.

The Category Lead – EMEA&S will report to the Procurement Director EMEA&S, ensuring alignment between regional operational needs and overarching procurement strategy, and will be a member of the Procurement Management Committee EMEA&S.

Main Responsibilities

Category Strategy & Implementation

• Develop and implement long-term sourcing strategies aligned with Colas’ business needs across EMEA & S.
• Establish the common expenses across countries.
• Deploy Group framework agreements and implements EMEA&S framework contracts.
• Define category roadmaps and lead deployment with country procurement teams.
• Identify synergies, standardization, cross-country and cross Group entities opportunities to improve cost-efficiency and performance.
• Support countries in implementing professional category management approach through adapted organisation, method, governance.

Supplier & Stakeholder Management

• Lead relationships with strategic suppliers to ensure quality, delivery, and innovation.
• Monitor supplier performance and mitigate supply risks through structured action plans.
• Act as the primary liaison between central procurement and EMEA countries.
• Support internal stakeholders (operations, finance, sustainability) in aligning procurement goals with business priorities.

Operational Excellence & Compliance

• Conduct spends analysis, market intelligence, and cost modelling to inform decisions.
• Negotiate and manage contracts, ensuring appropriate risk protection and commercial terms.
• Drive sustainability initiatives (carbon reduction, circular economy, CSR compliance).
• Contribute to internal reporting, KPI monitoring, and procurement governance tools.

Qualifications & Skills

• Education: Master’s degree in Engineering, Procurement, Business, or Construction-related field.
• Experience: 10-15 years of strategic sourcing or category management experience, ideally in construction, industrial equipment, or technical contracting sectors.
• Proven track record in developing and implementing category strategies across multiple geographies.
• Strong negotiation, supplier management, and cross-functional and matricial collaboration skills.
• Solid knowledge of procurement tools and data analysis (e.g., spend analysis, ERP, e-sourcing).
• Experience managing supplier risk and sustainability/CSR initiatives.
• Fluent in English and French.
• Willingness to travel across the EMEA region (approx. 20-30%).

The position is based in Paris, France.