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At L'Oréal, a Buyer, plays a pivotal role in fostering innovation, optimizing costs, and ensuring the quality and sustainability of the Group's products and services. These professionals collaborate closely with various internal teams and external suppliers to define and execute sourcing strategies.
Main Missions and Responsibilities:
A Buyer at L'Oréal is tasked with managing and coordinating a specific category, activity, innovation, or performance team, in line with the Group's purchasing strategies and policies. Key responsibilities include:
• Demand Analysis and Needs Assessment: Anticipating significant changes in needs and proposing the most relevant options, engaging both internal and external networks.
• Defining and Executing Purchasing Strategy: Identifying the most suitable supplier portfolio for a division or category. Developing and implementing purchasing projects, defining objectives, resources, timelines, scope, and supplier selection criteria.
• Cost Optimization and Value Creation: Identifying and implementing cost-reduction initiatives while enhancing the quality of the supplier base. Capturing innovative ideas from suppliers and maximizing value creation opportunities that impact the profit and loss statement and turnover.
• Supplier Relationship Management (SRM): Developing and maintaining strong relationships with suppliers, ensuring overall performance (quality, logistics, innovation, sustainability, competitiveness). Negotiating with integrity and developing a competitive advantage (exclusivity, group strategy, innovation, CSR). Managing purchasing performance and efficiency.
• Project Management and Cross-functional Collaboration: Supporting procurement processes, including category spend analysis, needs assessment, drafting effective Requests for Proposals (RFx), evaluating supplier bids, negotiations, and implementation plans. Communicating, analyzing, and managing the commercial expectations of divisions.
• Market Intelligence and Innovation: Developing market watch tools for categories, anticipating new sourcing solutions, and future trends. Identifying new services and suppliers capable of bringing tangible value, innovation, and a competitive advantage.
• Compliance and Risk Management: Operating in accordance with internal control principles and legal rules. Defining and implementing a risk management policy.
• Analysis and Reporting: Analyzing trends, budgets, and financial reports for relevant categories. Proposing, consolidating, and reporting key performance indicators (KPIs).
Required Skills and Qualifications:
• Education: A bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain, or a related discipline is typically required; an MBA or a higher degree is often preferred.
• Experience: Generally at least 5 years of experience in procurement or purchasing, with operational experience in purchasing or supply chain.
• Technical Skills:
o Detailed knowledge of effective supplier relationship and negotiation techniques.
o Technical expertise in the relevant product portfolio.
o Mastery of cost optimization techniques and financial analysis.
o Experience with material management systems (ERP/SAP).
o Ability to develop and implement efficiency improvement plans.
• Soft Skills:
o Excellent communication skills (oral and written) to build relationships and influence business partners and suppliers.
o Strong project management, negotiation, and analytical skills.
o Results-oriented with strong numerical and analytical abilities.
o Attention to detail and organizational skills.
o Adaptability and creativity.
o Proactive mindset and ability to bring new ideas.
o Ability to work in a team and collaborate with various functions.
• Languages: Proficiency in English is essential; other languages
Who We Are
L’Oréal is present in 150 markets on five continents, with with more than 90.000 employees and 37 international complementary brands, like L'Oréal Paris, Garnier, Maybelline, NYX Professional Make-up, L'Oréal Professionnel, Kérastase, Redken, Essie, Lancôme, Biotherm, Helena Rubinstein, Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, Cacharel, Vichy, La Roche-Posay, Prada, Muggler etc. For more than a century, L’Oréal has devoted itself solely to ‘Create beauty that moves the world’; it is now the industry world leader with €42 billion consolidated sales. Together, we solve complex challenges at scale, while making sure we stay committed to making the world a more inclusive and a better place for everyone & our planet.
We’re committed to guaranteeing inclusive recruitment processes and to advocating for hiring and promoting each candidate in an ethical and equitable way. The Group strictly prohibits discrimination against any applicant for employment because of the individual’s gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, visible and/or invisible disabilities, socio-economic and/or multicultural origins, health conditions, age, religion, or any other characteristics protected by law.