Technical Procurement Category Specialist

London, England, United Kingdom

4/9/2025

Where passion meets opportunity

The best of your adventures is the one you have yet to sail!

Your Purpose

We have an exciting opportunity to join our busy and driven procurement department here at MSC Cruises supporting our existing fleet and our new buildings & dry docks. As the Procurement Category Specialist you will be responsible for supporting and executing source-to-contract Procurement strategies for technical goods and services, ensuring the best possible commercial solutions with a focus on quality, on time delivery, cost and sustainability.

The Procurement Category Specialist is responsible for the procurement of technical goods and services including; technical catering equipment, machinery and engine. The position will also be supported by the buying (P2P) team in Sorrento as well as subject matter experts in the Technical departments in the UK head office.

This is an office based role, working from our UK Technical Head office in West London 5 days a week.

Your Impact

• Executing the procurement process for technical goods and services for new vessel development as well as existing fleet operational enhancements.
• Execute strategic and tactical sourcing activity, including supporting further implementation of the e-procurement initiative through utilising the MSC Procurement E-Platform (PEP) for RFQ activity.
• Focused improvement of supply chains including preferential delivery terms and strategic stock positioning as required.
• Support the development of sub-category plans across Technical, identifying short-, medium- and long-term Procurement strategies.
• Report procurement project activity, ensuring clear visibility of status and milestones.
• Analysing spend data through dashboard reporting.
• Supplier and supply chain development, through SRM initiatives, ensuring best practice solutions on an ongoing basis.
• Liaising with the regional Procurement teams in Miami and Shanghai, to ensure alignment in procurement strategy and delivery.
• Negotiating with external providers to obtain the most cost-effective agreement for products and services on time and to the agreed specification.
• Supporting market research and supplier evaluation to identify best suited products and suppliers in terms of value, delivery schedules and quality.
• Ensure that the import and export of all products is in line with customs regulations and local laws and procedures.
• Report on current and future category spend patterns as well as monitoring the market and benchmarking costs.
• The Procurement Category Specialist may be required to work on additional procurement projects and tasks that may fall outside of this scope.
  
  

Your Journey so far

• Minimum of 3 years of experience in a similar technical procurement or buying role is essential.
• Solid experience and understanding of commercial procurement deals, beyond just sourcing.
• Experience managing multiple categories, with a focus on technical procurement, including technical catering equipment, machinery, and engine parts.
• Experience in managing high-value contract spend (circa €50m).
• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, or Business Administration (additional professional certifications are a plus).
• A detailed understanding of business requirements and the capability to ensure these are adequately provided for in the overall sourcing strategy.
• Demonstrable experience with end-to-end sourcing and supplier management processes, including identifying and capturing incremental value in an operational environment.
  
  

Your Essentials

• Strong communication and negotiation skills.
• Experienced user of IT systems (MMS/Navision experience is preferred).
• International trading awareness and management, including import/export management and INCOTERMS.
• PC literacy with proficient knowledge of Microsoft Excel, including vlookup and pivot tables.
• Ability to travel overseas as required.
  
  

Our commitment

We are committed to building a future that values diverse perspectives, embraces the world beyond borders, and fosters an inclusive environment where every individual feels valued, respected and empowered to be their authentic selves. Our commitment extends to taking meaningful, measurable actions that have a long-term positive impact on our guests, our employees and our planet.

Ready to turn your passion into something extraordinary? Join us at MSC Cruises, where new opportunities await. Apply today to be part of a global team that is pushing boundaries and achieving something remarkable. Your journey starts here!