Category Specialist

Are you an experienced sourcing or category professional with expertise in packaging, print and POS? We're looking for a Category Specialist to join our European Sourcing team and help deliver commercial value, supplier innovation, and sustainable sourcing solutions for some of the world's leading brands.

TMS Global, part of DS Smith, is a global leader in sustainable packaging and retail solutions. Operating in 97 markets with a team of 300+ across APAC, LATAM, EMEA and North America, we partner with leading global brands to deliver innovative print, packaging, and display solutions.

As Category Specialist, you'll be the category expert for print, packaging and POS, responsible for identifying sourcing opportunities, developing supplier partnerships, and driving commercial value across the European region. Working closely with client-facing teams, suppliers, and internal stakeholders, you'll identify and deliver opportunities to improve cost, quality, performance, and supply chain resilience while supporting contractual commitments and driving overall supply base effectiveness.

Key Responsibilities:

• Partner with the Global Category Lead to develop, implement, and continuously evolve the category sourcing strategy
• Build, manage, and strengthen supplier relationships
• Lead value delivery initiatives and competitive sourcing activities aligned to supplier and spend segmentation
• Deliver measurable cost savings through negotiation, total cost of ownership initiatives, and commercial strategy optimisation
• Support client-facing teams to maximise gross profit margins
• Monitor market trends, supplier developments, and emerging technologies to identify opportunities for innovation and value creation.
• Provide category and product expertise to internal stakeholders
• Regularly benchmark and review the supplier base to ensure alignment with internal and client requirements
• Support tenders and RFQs for new business and contract renewals
• Ensure data integrity, auditability, and accurate tracking of savings in line with commercial strategy
• Work with Sourcing Operations to resolve supplier performance issues and escalations
• Identify and mitigate supply risks, ensuring continuity and resilience

About You

This role would suit someone who thrives in a fast-paced, matrix environment and enjoys collaborating across teams and geographies. You’ll bring strong analytical capability, attention to detail, and a proactive, solutions-focused mindset.

The ideal candidate will have experience in the following areas:

• A background in Manufacturing or Packaging, with Print experience is essential. Experience of POS would be desirable.
• Proven experience managing supplier relationships, leading commercial negotiations, driving quality performance, and resolving supplier issues.
• Proven experience managing internal and external stakeholders
• Demonstrated success delivering commercial value through cost reduction, supplier optimisation, and category management initiatives.
• Strong project management capability
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel

If this role sounds like an exciting opportunity and you believe you have the skills and experience to succeed, we'd love to hear from you.

“To achieve our aim of being among the most successful, sustainable and responsible companies in the world, we aim to build a diverse, motivated, and engaged workforce. Our goal is to create a culture of inclusion where everyone is treated fairly, differences are valued, and everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed.

Our people come from diverse backgrounds, bring different perspectives, ideas and experiences to generate unique solutions focused on present and future sustainability challenges. We welcome all candidates to apply, even those not meeting all criteria