Procurement Category Manager (m/f/d) – China

At 1KOMMA5°, we pursue a clear vision: Living on wind and sunlight forever for free. To make this a reality, we are building the energy system of the future with Heartbeat AI. Want to be part of it?
We bring together regional craftsmanship and scalable software: We don't think of solar, batteries, heat pumps, and e-mobility as isolated components, but control them as an intelligent, integrated overall system in our virtual power plant. Directly connected to the electricity market – in real time, fully automated. This way, energy is used when it is available from renewables and particularly cost-effective. By 2030, our goal is to transition 1.5 million households to renewable energies. Over 3,000 people are working towards this every day, at more than 80 locations worldwide, from Finland to Australia.

• Develop and execute category strategies for your assigned categories, covering demand outlook, supply market analysis, supplier segmentation and make-vs-buy considerations
• Lead RFx processes and e-auctions end to end, from supplier long-listing and technical qualification through bid analysis to award recommendation
• Build and maintain a competitive, diversified supplier panel that balances cost, quality, capacity and geopolitical and supply risk

• Lead price, volume and commercial terms negotiations with Chinese suppliers, working with Berlin leadership and Legal on framework agreements and supplementary agreements
• Secure contractual protections such as price-adjustment mechanisms, capacity commitments, warranty terms and supply assurance
• Build total-cost-of-ownership and should-cost models to challenge supplier quotes and ground negotiations in fact

• Define, track and deliver a savings pipeline against annual targets, with transparent baselines and validated results
• Partner with Product and Engineering on design-to-cost and specification-optimization initiatives with supplier engineering teams
• Drive standardization and platform-sharing opportunities across product generations

• Run structured supplier reviews and business reviews on cost, quality, delivery and innovation, with clear action plans
• Work with Quality and SCM to resolve escalations and drive corrective actions where commercial leverage is needed
• Build senior-level relationships with supplier leadership, and conduct regular factory visits to assess capacity and strategic fit

• Track raw material and component market trends (cell prices, silicon, copper, freight, FX, etc.) and the evolving Chinese supplier landscape, translating them into pricing and sourcing decisions
• Provide structured, KPI-driven reporting on savings, spend, supplier performance and risk to procurement leadership
• Work closely with Berlin-based Category Management, Product Management and SCM to align on roadmaps, forecasts and priorities

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering, Business, Supply Chain or a related field; an MBA is a plus
• 7+ years of experience in strategic sourcing or category management, ideally in energy storage, power electronics, PV or a comparable technical manufacturing industry
• Proven track record of leading complex negotiations and delivering measurable savings with Chinese suppliers
• Hands-on experience with RFx processes and e-auctions, and with TCO and should-cost modeling
• Sufficient technical understanding of battery systems, inverters or PV modules to engage credibly with supplier engineering teams
• Strong analytical skills and comfort with data-driven decision-making; proficiency in Excel and procurement tools
• Fluent in Mandarin and English (business-level); German is a plus
• Willingness to travel to supplier sites across China and occasionally to Europe
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills across cultures, comfortable working with a European headquarters Ready to take ownership and build solutions that truly matter? Apply now and help us shape the energy world of tomorrow.