Associate Manager, Category Management

Are you ready to take your skills to the next level and make a real impact? IFF is a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients and health & biosciences, we deliver sustainable innovations that elevate everyday products. Global Operations: Ensuring excellence in execution—from procurement to supply chain and reliability—delivering quality, safety, efficiency and sustainability across the value chain. The role is based in Kunshan, China (agile role). Be part of a creative, solution-oriented team where together we can achieve greatness and make a real impact. Your potential is our inspiration. Where You’ll Make a Difference Develop and execute sourcing and category strategies for logistics services across China and selected GA markets. Lead RFQ/RFP activities, supplier evaluations, and commercial negotiations to secure best value in cost, quality, and service. Manage supplier relationships and monitor performance against contractual agreements, KPIs, and service level expectations. Drive productivity, cost optimization, and logistics network improvement initiatives to support business objectives. Negotiate and manage contracts, pricing structures, and commercial terms with logistics service providers. Identify and mitigate supply chain, commercial, and operational risks while ensuring business continuity. Collaborate closely with Logistics, Supply Chain, Operations, Planning, Customer Service, Finance, and regional procurement teams to align sourcing strategies with business needs. Support continuous improvement, compliance, and procurement excellence initiatives while ensuring adherence to company policies and procurement standards. What Makes You the Right Fit Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Procurement, Business Administration, Engineering, or a related field. Minimum 8 years of experience in procurement, sourcing, logistics, or supply chain management. Proven experience managing logistics procurement categories, including transportation, freight forwarding, warehousing, customs clearance, and distribution services. Strong track record in strategic sourcing, supplier management, contract negotiation, and cost optimization initiatives. Experience working within a multinational organization and managing cross-functional stakeholder relationships. Fluent in English and Mandarin, both written and spoken. What would you stand out? Experience in the Chemical, Food Ingredients, Flavors & Fragrances, FMCG, or Manufacturing industries is highly preferred. Demonstrated knowledge of logistics market dynamics, supplier networks, and transportation regulations within China and the Asia-Pacific region. Experience leading regional procurement projects and driving continuous improvement initiatives. Strong analytical, commercial, and negotiation skills with the ability to influence stakeholders across multiple functions. Familiarity with SAP, Ariba, Coupa, or other procurement and ERP systems. Why Choose Us? Professional onboarding process Multinational and supporting environment Cafeteria, health insurance Training opportunities Learning and development programs from day one We are a global leader in taste, scent, and nutrition, offering our customers a broader range of natural solutions and accelerating our growth strategy. At IFF, we believe that your uniqueness unleashes our potential. We value the diverse mosaic of the ethnicity, national origin, race, age, sex, or veteran status. We strive for an inclusive workplace that allows each of our colleagues to bring their authentic self to work regardless of their religion, gender identity & expression, sexual orientation, or disability. Visit IFF.com/careers/workplace-diversity-and-inclusion to learn more