Assistant Procurement Manager, Indirect

Synthomer is a leading supplier of high-performance, highly specialised polymers and ingredients that play vital roles in key sectors such as coatings, construction, adhesives, and health and protection – growing markets that serve billions of end users worldwide. Headquartered in London, UK and publicly listed there since 1971, we employ c.3,500 employees across our 5 innovation centres of excellence and more than 28 manufacturing sites across Europe, North America and Asia. Around 20% of our sales volumes are from new and patent protected products.

At our innovation centres of excellence in the UK, Germany, China, Malaysia and Ohio, USA we collaborate closely with our customers to develop new products and enhance existing ones tailored to their needs, with an increasing range of sustainability benefits. Since 2021, we have been proud holders of the London Stock Exchange Green Economy Mark, which recognises green technology businesses making a significant contribution to a more sustainable, low-carbon economy.

Purpose of the Job:

• Contribute to business competitiveness and operational excellence through strategic procurement and effective category management.

• Lead and manage assigned indirect procurement categories, including CAPEX, MRO, Facilities Management, Packaging, Corporate Services and other indirect spend areas, by developing and executing category strategies that deliver sustainable value, cost optimization, supply security, risk mitigation and supplier innovation.

• Business partnering with stakeholders to deliver value through cost optimization, supply assurance, risk management and supplier performance improvement in alignment with Group Procurement objectives, policies and governance requirements.

 Main Accountabilities:  

• Act as the primary procurement contact for site operations, ensuring continuity of supply for indirect materials and services critical to plant operations.

• Manage and resolve day-to-day procurement, supplier, pricing, and delivery issues to support uninterrupted business operations.

• Lead end-to-end procurement activities for site CAPEX projects, including sourcing, evaluation, negotiation, contract award, and implementation.

• Develop and execute sourcing strategies for selected indirect spend categories, including MRO, Facilities Management, Packaging, and Corporate Services, aligned with Group Procurement objectives.

• Support category management initiatives and strategic sourcing activities for other indirect spend categories across the region.

• Drive the adoption and effective utilization of procurement systems and tools, including SAP Ariba eSourcing and Buying Catalog solutions.

• Partner with cross-functional stakeholders, including Operations, Engineering, Projects, Finance, Legal, and regional procurement teams, to ensure effective procurement planning and execution.

• Collaborate with regional and global stakeholders in the implementation, execution, and management of global and regional procurement agreements.

• Implement and manage Post-Award Contract Management (PACM) activities, including supplier performance reviews, KPI scorecards, contract compliance, and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Promote preferred supplier utilization, monitor contract compliance, and track procurement savings and value delivery.

• Deliver sustainable procurement value through cost savings, supply assurance, risk mitigation, governance, and strong supplier relationships while contributing to procurement best practices across the Asia Procurement organization.

• Support the Procurement Manager and broader Procurement organization with special projects, continuous improvement initiatives, and other procurement-related assignments as required.

• Be an integral part of the Indirect Procurement Asia team working with stakeholders across to promote the function and develop standard processes and governance

🌍 Global Benefits Overview

• 💰 Competitive, market-aligned compensation

• 🎯 Discretionary global bonus scheme

• 📈 Discretionary Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP) – for senior positions

• 🚗 Company car or car allowance – varies by region and role

• 🩺 Healthcare – tailored to regional locations

• 👶 Parental leave and family support – maternity, paternity, adoption (aligned with regional policies)

• 🏡 Working options – flexibility where it matters, based on role and business needs

• 📚 Learning & development opportunities – training, online platforms, buddy/mentorship programs, Internal Synthomer University with L&D offers

• 💙 Wellbeing support – employee assistance program (EAP), mental health resources, wellbeing initiatives

• 🌱 Retirement / pension contributions – plans vary by country

• 🤝 Culture of Inclusion – where everyone can thrive

• 🏆 Performance culture, global reward & recognition programmes