Global Category Manager

Job Description

This is where your greatest challenge awaits:

Within the Global Procurement Organization, you join the Category Management teams to own the Professional Services category strategy — Marketing, Communication, HR & Facility, Audit, Strategic Consulting, Travel & Translation — across all regions and brands.

Your mission:

As category owner, you define, deploy and continuously improve global category strategies across a broad, cross-functional scope. You lead sourcing, negotiation and supplier management to drive value creation, reduce risk and optimize cost, working hand in hand with brands and regions.

• Define, deploy and continuously improve global category strategies for Professional Services: Marketing & Communication, HR & Facility, Audit / Financial Services (incl. CSRD), Strategic Consulting, Travel & Mobility, Translation, and other professional services
• Manage 360° marketing agencies (branding, creative, social media, events, PR and influencer marketing), digital marketing & e-commerce services, market research and loyalty programs / sponsorships; support the procurement side of the marketing full-funnel project
• Manage procurement for People & Culture services: recruitment, temporary workforce, learning & development, employee benefits, HR consulting and HR digital solutions
• Oversee Facility Management services: workplace operations, maintenance, security, cleaning and space management
• Lead Strategic Consulting services: business strategy development, market analysis, organizational transformation and high-level advisory support
• Manage Travel & Mobility and Translation services, as well as other professional services (brand compliance & hotel audits, cross-functional and project-based expertise)
• Lead sourcing initiatives, RFI/RFQ processes, negotiations and contract management
• Manage supplier relationships, governance and performance reviews
• Control category spend, budgets, savings delivery, compliance and risk management
• Promote Group Procurement policies, processes and value proposition across regions and brands

Qualifications

And you?

Your profile:

• Proven international experience as a Category Manager / Buyer
• At least 2–3 years of total working experience in an international context
• Required work experience in Professional Services, particularly Marketing & Communication
• Relevant experience in negotiation and contract management
• Hospitality experience is a plus

Your soft skills:

• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving capabilities, assessing risk and explaining complex issues concisely to business owners
• Ability to translate business needs into procurement solutions and promote Group Procurement Policy adoption
• Clear and impactful communication, adaptable across diverse stakeholders
• Capacity to manage multiple priorities across regions

Languages:

• Fluent English required (daily working language)
• French is a plus; any other language is an asset

Additional Information

💡 Why join us?

And what are our commitments?

To the world

• Accor is committed to the world around us, with a strong employer culture focused on the development of our 300,000 talents.
• We adopt a continuous improvement approach to reduce the environmental impact of digital across all our projects.

To your career

• We enable all our employees to maintain a healthy work-life balance and give them the means to shape their working environment in their own image.
• Dedicated Talent Management, continuous improvement, and training and development paths are defined both individually and collectively so that we can grow together, every day.

Concretely, at Accor:

• Remote work possible several days per week from France and flexible working options: work from home, our offices, or even our hotels and coworking spaces thanks to Worklib.

And also,

• ALL - Heartist® program: preferential rates and flash offers for unforgettable stays and experiences across all our Accor locations and with our partners worldwide.
• Heartist® for Good volunteering program: 1 day offered during your working time to get involved with a non-profit organization.
• A Social and Economic Committee (CSE) that supports you in financing your cultural and sports activities.
• Sustainable Mobility Package for using an eco-friendly means of transportation or a "company bike" program in partnership with Zenride.
• Coverage of urban public transport subscriptions between home and workplace, up to 75%.
• Meal vouchers with a face value of €11.
• A mandatory health insurance plan funded at 50% by Accor, at no additional cost in case of enrollment of your dependents.
• Not to mention attractive working conditions with collaborative workspaces, restaurants, game areas, as well as well-being and sports spaces on site or through Gymlib.

Your talent and motivation are our only selection criteria.

We value the richness of diverse nationalities, personalities, and professional backgrounds.

We know how to adapt to the specific needs of our employees, particularly those with disabilities.

We encourage all applications, without distinction of gender, so dare to apply!

For us, recruitment is above all a story of encounters.

Does this role appeal to you? Apply, and we will offer you:

• An initial discussion with our recruitment team to present the key elements of the role or guide you toward a position that may better suit you,
• One or more interviews with managers and team members,
• For certain roles, you may also be asked to complete a test or case study, as well as a questionnaire about your personality and motivations.
• A final interview with our Human Resources team to discuss our Group culture, working environment, training program, and career prospects, as well as the different Group benefits.
• Personalized feedback.