European Procurement Manager – Nicotine Category Negotiations

This is a high-impact opportunity to join Circle K’s European procurement organisation in a strategic role focused on nicotine category negotiations across 12 markets. The position leads complex, high-value supplier negotiations and category planning across combustible tobacco, nicotine pouches, heated tobacco, vaping, and emerging reduced-risk products.

The successful candidate will work in a complex, matrixed international retail environment and partner closely with merchandising, finance, legal, marketing, operations, and executive leadership. Success in the role will require strong commercial judgment, disciplined stakeholder management, and the ability to translate negotiation strategy into measurable business value, compliance, and operational execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end procurement strategy and negotiation activity for nicotine categories across Europe, including combustible tobacco, nicotine pouches, heated tobacco, vaping, and emerging reduced-risk products.

• Manage complex, high-value retail agreements representing more than $1.5 billion in aggregate annual purchasing volume across 12 countries.

• Deliver procurement synergies across the European network through supplier consolidation, distribution optimisation, standardisation, and cross-market scale opportunities.

• Build and manage strategic relationships with multinational suppliers and distributors, balancing long-term partnership development with commercial performance, negotiation leverage, and risk management.

• Support executive leadership in shaping and executing category and supplier strategies, including pricing structures, commercial frameworks, investment agreements, promotional funding, and rebate models.

• Challenge existing commercial models and operating practices to improve margin, simplify execution, and unlock long-term value creation opportunities.

• Monitor and assess regulatory, fiscal, and market developments affecting nicotine categories across European markets, and translate insights into commercial action.

• Lead cross-functional and cross-market teams to identify, prioritise, and execute strategic procurement and commercial initiatives.

• Influence and align autonomous business units around shared commercial principles, negotiation objectives, supplier frameworks, and performance targets without direct reporting authority.

• Develop robust commercial and financial models to support negotiations, supplier evaluations, and total-value decision making.

• Maintain clear communication and governance routines with European merchandising teams, category managers, marketing, finance, legal, and executive stakeholders.

• Scale successful regional initiatives into broader multi-market or pan-European programmes where commercially justified.

• Establish procurement benchmarks, performance metrics, governance standards, and continuous improvement disciplines for the category.

• Ensure all procurement and commercial activities comply with internal governance standards, competition law, and applicable European regulatory requirements.

• Operate effectively in a fast-paced, high-accountability environment, managing multiple concurrent negotiations and shifting commercial priorities.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, marketing, economics, international business, supply chain, or related discipline. An MBA or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience will also be considered.

• At least five years of experience in negotiation and contract management within a B2C retail, merchandising, procurement, or closely related commercial environment. Retail procurement experience is strongly preferred.

• Experience working across multi-site or multi-market retail environments, ideally within convenience retail, merchandising, operations, or category management.

• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including a working understanding of the internal and external factors that influence margin, pricing, supplier economics, and category performance.

• Experience in regulated consumer categories is preferred, such as tobacco, nicotine, alcohol, fuel, pharmaceuticals, lottery, or other highly regulated retail sectors.

• Sound understanding of retail and category-management principles, including brand management, merchandising, pricing, promotion, and commercial planning.

• Experience using data and insights to support decision making, including market analysis, supplier evaluation, and commercial performance tracking. Proficiency with tools such as Power BI, Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, and procurement platforms such as Ariba is preferred.

• Excellent written, verbal, and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to communicate effectively across senior leadership, cross-functional teams, and multiple markets.

What Success Looks Like

In this role, success will be measured by the ability to deliver strong commercial outcomes, build effective supplier strategies, influence stakeholders across markets, and translate category complexity into clear, actionable decisions. A high-performing candidate will combine strategic thinking with strong execution, sound judgment, and the ability to manage complexity at pace.

What We Offer

Circle K offers the opportunity to work on high-impact, pan-European commercial negotiations in a visible strategic role with senior stakeholder exposure. The position combines category ownership, supplier strategy, and cross-market influence in a fast-moving international environment. A comprehensive benefits package is available.

Additional Information

This role reports directly to the Director – Age Restricted Merchandising & Procurement and is part of Circle K’s European Procurement, Merchandising & Supply Chain Team. 

Travel Requirements – 10%

First Year Success Factors include: Internal & External Stakeholder Relationship Development, Cross-Functional Collaboration & Alignment on Negotiation Strategy, and Effective Contract Execution & Support of Business Unit Deliverables.

Office Location: Circle K Head Office, Beech Hill Office Campus, Belfield, Clonskeagh, Dublin 4, D04 Y016, Ireland (office-based, five days per week).