Job Title: Category Specialist – Large Industries

Present in Italy since 1909, Air Liquide is the market leader in industrial gases and related services and technologies. Using an industrial and commercial structure spread throughout the country and a pipeline network of 600 km, Air Liquide Italy supplies around 100 thousand direct and indirect customers, from large companies to small artisans.

Air Liquide Italy has three Business Lines:
- Large Industries: provides techical gases and related products in an enlarged offer with high added value for large industrial customers by means of specific delivery systems (pipelines)
- Industrial Merchant: develops the production and sale of liquids and conditioned gases, manages the on site production and services for industrial customers.
- Electronics: develops the market related to high purity gases for the semiconductor industry.

Through innovative technologies and services, Air Liquide Italy offers high value-added solutions that improve both industrial performances and environmental impact.

How will you CONTRIBUTE and GROW?

The Category Specialist is responsible for the end-to-end procurement lifecycle of materials and services critical to mainly Air Liquide's Large Industries operations. This role balances day-to-day operational support—including site emergencies—with the implementation of long-term European (EU) procurement strategies to drive savings and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

1. Spend Analysis & Opportunity Identification

• Data Mining: Regularly extract and analyze spend data from ERP systems (e.g., SAP) to identify trends, price variances, and leakage.

• Spend Control: Monitor off-contract purchasing and work with site managers to redirect spend to preferred EU-contracted suppliers.

• Cost Modeling: Develop Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) models for capital spare parts to justify strategic sourcing decisions.

1. Strategic Sourcing & EU Collaboration

• Strategy Implementation: Collaborate closely with EU Category Managers to deploy regional strategies at the local level.

• Strategic Opportunities: Proactively identify opportunities for value creation, cost avoidance, and process optimization within your assigned categories.

• Market Intelligence: Source new, innovative suppliers and continuously benchmark the market to ensure Air Liquide maintains a competitive edge.

2. RFQ & Contract Management

• Tendering: Lead Request for Quotation (RFQ) processes for complex materials and technical services.

• Negotiation: Own the negotiation of price lists, framework agreements, and high-value contracts for Capital Spare Parts.

• Project Support: Manage the procurement scope for specialized Maintenance and Decommissioning projects, ensuring legal and safety compliance.

• Creation and Management Catalogs  and price list

3. Stakeholder Engagement & Site Support

• Stakeholder Relations: Develop and manage strong, trust-based relationships with internal stakeholders (Plant Managers, Maintenance direction).

• Maintenance Follow-up: Conduct monthly formal reviews with the Maintenance Team to align procurement activities with technical needs and schedules.

• Site Presence: visit Air Liquide sites to understand technical requirements and verify supplier performance firsthand.

• Emergency Response: Act as a dedicated procurement point of contact for plant emergencies, ensuring rapid sourcing of parts or services to minimize downtime.

Are you a MATCH?

• Experience: 3–5+ years in industrial procurement, 

• Technical Proficiency: Experience negotiating technical contracts (Capex/Opex) and understanding industrial maintenance requirements.

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to bridge the gap between local site needs and EU-wide strategic goals.

• Communication: Exceptional interpersonal skills; ability to influence stakeholders at various levels of the organization.

• English and Italian  knowledge 

• Soft Skills: * Proactive & Curious: A self-starter who looks beyond the "standard" way of doing things.

• Organized: Capable of managing multiple RFQs and projects simultaneously without losing detail.

• Problem-Solver: Calm under pressure, especially during site emergencies.

Our Differences make our Performance

At Air Liquide, we are committed to build a diverse and inclusive workplace that embraces the diversity of our employees, our customers, patients, community stakeholders and cultures across the world.

We welcome and consider applications from all qualified applicants, regardless of their background. We strongly believe a diverse organization opens up opportunities for people to express their talent, both individually and collectively and it helps foster our ability to innovate by living our fundamentals, acting for our success and creating an engaging environment in a changing world.

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