Head of Purchasing & Category Management (Team Leader) 100% (M/F/D)

About the job

K. Lee Trading GmbH, a family-run company based in Zurich, specialises in the import and distribution of Korean and Japanese foodstuffs as well as cosmetic products. Our growing network of branches includes the popular shops YumiHana and YumiHana Beauty, which offer a wide selection of authentic Korean and Japanese products.

For our Purchasing & Category Management team, we are looking for a committed and versatile personality immediately or by arrangement.

Responsibilities

• Development and implementation of purchasing and category strategies

• Responsibility for assortment design in coordination with Sales & Marketing management

• Identification, selection and evaluation of international suppliers (focus Korea & Japan)

• Negotiation of prices, delivery terms and framework agreements

• Ensuring quality, delivery reliability and compliance (import, food and cosmetics law)

• Building and maintaining long-term partnerships with suppliers

• Participation in international trade fairs and specialist events

• Organisational and team development

• Professional and personnel management of a team of 6 employees

• Interface to logistics, sales, marketing and quality and data management

• Demand determination, ordering and import processing

• Monitoring delivery dates and complaint management

• Analysis of purchasing key figures, reporting to management

Qualifications

• Completed commercial training or degree (business administration, supply chain, international business, or similar)

• At least 3 years of experience in international purchasing & category management, ideally with imports from the Far East - leadership experience (min. 3-5 employees)

• Very good English skills in spoken and written form. German, Korean and/or Japanese are advantageous but not essential

• Industry knowledge in food and cosmetics is an advantage

• Experience with care products, household goods or merchandising is an advantage

• Confident in negotiation, knowledge of contract law and import

Personal skills

• Intercultural understanding and diplomatic skill

• Strong communication and negotiation skills

• Networked thinking, structured and strategic working style

• High resilience, flexibility and decisiveness

• Team orientation and leadership strength (empathy, clarity, fairness)

We look forward to receiving your application, consisting of your cover letter, CV, certificates, and salary expectations. If you have any questions, we are happy to assist you via the message field.