Global Head of Procurement f/m/d
Your Mission
Lead the Transformation. Drive Performance. Strengthen Resilience.
Procurement at Vitra is entering a new chapter - with a clear ambition to turn market complexity into a competitive advantage.
We are looking for a strong, performance-oriented leader who combines strategic clarity with the ability to evolve structures, partnerships and ways of working.
As Global Head of Procurement, you will redefine how we source, negotiate, partner, and create value. You will build a resilient, high-performance supply network that strengthens profitability, ensures security of supply, and drives measurable impact - financially, operationally, and sustainably.
This role is about ownership, speed, and execution.
What you can expect
- Build and lead a high-performing international procurement organization across a diverse, design-driven supplier landscape - ranging from specialized industrial partners to highly skilled small workshops - with clear accountability and measurable targets
- Define and implement a global procurement strategy that balances cost competitiveness, flexibility, and product integrity in a high-variant, demand-volatile environment
- Drive cost excellence through structured benchmarking, index-based negotiations, and disciplined, data-driven decision-making - while developing smart solutions for small and fluctuating volumes
- Strengthen resilience by strategically evolving and diversifying the supplier base, combining regional proximity with global capabilities where it creates clear value
- Develop supplier partnerships from transactional to strategic, with clear performance expectations, transparency, and joint improvement roadmaps tailored to different supplier profiles
- Accelerate digitalization, automation, and end-to-end transparency across procurement processes to improve planning, responsiveness, and decision quality
- Proactively identify and mitigate supply chain risks in close collaboration with Production, Product Management, and Quality
- Enable fast, reliable execution across functions - from development to series production - without compromising quality, craftsmanship, or design intent
How you can convince
- Proven experience leading procurement organizations through change in an international, industrial environment
- Strong commercial acumen with hands-on understanding of direct materials and manufacturing-related cost structures, beyond indirect spend
- A clear performance orientation with the ability to translate strategy into pragmatic execution and priorities
- Hands-on experience working with supplier landscapes across Central and Eastern Europe and Asia, across different levels of scale and maturity
- Confidence in complex negotiations and stakeholder settings, including long-standing supplier relationships and constrained volumes
- Analytical, decisive, and solution-oriented - comfortable making trade-offs in volatile and evolving market conditions
- Strong digital affinity and experience using ERP and analytics tools (e.g. SAP, Power BI) to enable transparency and fact-based decisions
- An inclusive yet demanding leadership style that develops people and sets high standards for accountability and results
Enjoy working at Vitra
- We offer a dynamic, creative, and innovative environment and pursue a sustainable corporate strategy
- Office design is our specialty - our work environment offers space for creativity including areas for focus time
- Experience our inspiring campus in Weil am Rhein with unique cultural offerings and a dedicated employee garden
- Welcome to Vitra - our orientation and welcome program
- We promote lifelong learning through our internal academy and target group-oriented talent management programs
- "How to work better" - our concept for the hybrid working world - enables mobile working in different facets
- Extended maternity leave
- Attractive pension funds
- Choose an additional, individual benefit - in the area of fitness offers, the job ticket, a subsidy for our canteen or childcare
- Benefit from attractive discounts on products from Vitra and Artek
Do you still have doubts?
You do not bring all the qualifications listed?
Don't be discouraged: We are convinced that with an eager-to-learn, open-minded attitude, mountains can be moved.
So, apply anyway and show us why you are the right person for this position.
We are committed to promoting equal opportunities and living diversity. Your personality and expertise are the only factors that determine your suitability.
Please note that we cannot accept applications via E-mail but kindly aks you to send it via our job portal. If you have any questions, Sonja Hornberger, sonja.hornberger@vitra.com, will be happy to support.