Negotiation Excellence Manager - Direct Material and Sourced Products

About the Role

The Negotiation Excellence Manager (Direct Material & Sourced Products) is a newly created, high-impact role within our Procurement organization. Reporting to the Procurement Excellence Vice President, this leader will act as a strategic partner to procurement category leaders and sourcing teams to drive performance improvements in cost, quality, delivery, and innovation through world-class negotiation practices.

A primary mission for this role is to establish a dedicated framework of methodologies, playbooks, and training programs – to elevate Electrolux's commercial negotiation capabilities across Direct Materials and Sourced Products categories. You will spearhead high-stakes negotiations in critical spend areas and with key suppliers, providing expert guidance or direct leadership to secure best-value agreements for Electrolux.

Additionally, this role will standardize negotiation preparation, risk profiling, and stakeholder alignment processes, ensuring every major negotiation is thoroughly planned (with clear objectives, data-driven cost breakdowns, and defined fallback positions) and that all internal stakeholders are aligned on strategy and risk mitigation.

Responsibilities

Negotiation Strategy & Governance

• Develop and maintain negotiation frameworks, playbooks, templates, and SOPs
• Establish standardized processes for planning, executing, and reviewing negotiations
• Ensure consistent best‑practice adoption across Procurement and Sourcing
• Define approval workflows (BATNA, concessions, escalation thresholds, risk frameworks)

Lead & Support High-Stakes Negotiations

• Lead or coach high‑stakes negotiations in critical categories
• Support multi‑round negotiation design (e‑auctions, competitive bidding, cost‑based rounds)
• Drive structured concession strategies using analytical levers (TCO, bundling, specs optimization, supplier rationalization, benchmarks)
• Facilitate cross‑functional alignment with Finance, Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain

Analytics & Intelligence

• Build data‑driven cost analyses and identify negotiation levers
• Apply game theory and scenario analysis to define negotiation tactics
• Partner with BI/Data teams to develop dashboards, fact packs, and supplier analytics
• Validate supplier cost claims using indices, FX, inflation, and benchmark data

Capability Building & Training

• Design and deliver negotiation training (core, advanced, category‑specific)
• Introduce innovative methods (competitive simulations, cost breakdown analysis, game‑theory‑based strategies)
• Coach category managers on preparation, argumentation, concessions, and closing

Cross-Functional Alignment

• Align negotiation strategies with Category Management, Engineering, Supplier Development, Finance, and Legal
• Ensure integration with cost roadmaps, supplier strategies, and product pipelines
• Provide insights on markets, supplier efficiency, and cost evolution
• Partner with Digital Program teams to embed data and technology into the negotiation process

Continuous Improvement & Results Tracking

• Lead post‑negotiation reviews and drive continuous improvement
• Measure performance (savings, value creation, compliance)
• Identify systemic gaps (process, tools, skills) and lead improvements
• Ensure negotiated savings are realized and properly tracked

Qualifications

• 5 - 7 years in strategic sourcing or category management, leading major regional/global negotiations. Strong preference for Direct Materials experience
• Deep knowledge of traditional and analytics‑driven negotiation methods, including game theory. Proven success in complex, high‑value negotiations
• Experience developing category‑specific RFQs and structured cost‑driver‑based bid analyses
• Strong cost breakdown and should‑cost modeling skills. Ability to challenge supplier pricing with facts. Experience with tools like Teamcenter PCM, aPriori, or advanced Excel cost models
• Solid understanding of raw materials and commodity dynamics, including managing volatility and supply risks through pricing mechanisms or indexed contracts
• Strong analytical mindset. Advanced Excel skills required. Experience with Power BI, SQL, Azure, and e-sourcing tools (SAP Ariba, Coupa) is an advantage
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex projects and manage cross-functional stakeholders