Sr. Lead, Indirect Procurement

Summary & Key Responsibilities 

Celebrity River is a new and highly strategic growth platform within Celebrity Cruises, created to redefine the premium river cruise experience through innovation, design excellence and the unparalleled service

synonymous with the Celebrity brand. As the business stands up its European footprint, Celebrity River requires a Basel-based Lead, Vendor & Procurement Onboarding to serve as the on-the-ground extension of the Miami Procurement department across Europe.

Based in Basel, Switzerland and working in close partnership with the Miami headquarters, this leader will be the primary facilitator for identifying, screening, contracting, and onboarding the suppliers and vendors that will support Celebrity River’s European operations. The role sits at the intersection of Product Development, Basel Operations & Execution, Procurement, and Legal. The individual will act as a cultural and operational mediator between US and European business practices, ensuring that vendor selection and onboarding processes designed in Miami translate effectively to the realities of the European – and specifically the river cruising –supplier landscape.

The ideal candidate combines a purchasing/procurement background with strong negotiating capability, deep familiarity with European geography and the waterways of Europe, and working knowledge of the river cruising industry and its stakeholder landscape. This is a Lead-level position embedded in the Basel office infrastructure and working closely with European colleagues day to day, while reporting functionally into the Miami Procurement organization – offering meaningful career growth as Celebrity River scales.

Key Responsibilities

Vendor and Supplier Onboarding

• Facilitate the end-to-end onboarding and contracting of European suppliers and vendors for Celebrity River, from initial identification through final contract execution including procure to pay management.
• Prepare and manage vendor screening, information gathering, and the selection process for prospective suppliers as well as onboarding process in our systems.
• Build and maintain stakeholder mapping, evaluation criteria sets, and vendor profiling to support consistent, well-documented selection decisions.
• Design and continuously refine the onboarding process so it can scale efficiently as the vendor base grows tracking cycle times.
• Support end-to-end source-to-pay execution, including supplier onboarding, system setup, requisition and purchase order coordination, invoice/payment issue escalation, and adherence to procurement system requirement
• Cross-Cultural and Cross-Functional Liaison
• Serve as the mediator between US & European business cultures, translating Miami-based procurement processes, expectations, and timelines into approaches that work effectively with European suppliers and colleagues.
• Work closely with Product Development, Basel Operations/Execution, Procurement, and Legal to ensure vendor and contracting activity aligns with brand, operational, and compliance requirements as well as with applicable European regulations
• Act as a key point of contact for future suppliers and vendors, as well as the supporting teams in both Miami and Basel, ensuring smooth communication across time zones and business practices.
• Partner with internal stakeholders on the selection of vendors, ensuring alignment across Procurement, Legal, Operations, and Product Development before contracts are reviewed, approved and finalized.
• Coordinate contract lifecycle activities, including intake, routing, approval tracking, amendments, renewals, expiration monitoring, and documentation in accordance with company requirements.
• Procurement, Negotiation and Supply Chain
• Apply strong negotiating capabilities to secure favorable commercial terms, pricing, and contractual conditions, under a total cost of ownership perspective, with European suppliers and vendors.
• Develop and execute sourcing strategies that support operational readiness, scalability, service excellence, and cost efficiency across the European business.
• Support the handling of supply chain activities relevant to Celebrity River’s European vendor network, from sourcing through delivery readiness.
• Develop and maintain strategic supplier relationships, ensuring long-term alignment with operational, service quality, performance metrics and commercial objectives.
• Monitor vendor compliance with contractual obligations, service standards, and agreed performance indicators.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives with suppliers to enhance quality, efficiency, innovation, performance and value.
• Establishes governance processes, risk mitigation strategies, and ensures compliance across all procurement activities.
• Identify and mitigate risks related to supply chain disruptions, quality issues, and contractual obligations in a long-term basis.
• Promote the adoption of digital tools, data analytics and implements opportunities for process automation and digital tools to improve procurement efficiency.
• Build and maintain a value creation pipeline through savings, cost avoidance, improved commercial terms, demand management, process efficiencies, and supplier innovation; provide recurring reporting to Procurement leadership.
• Ensure procurement activity complies with company policies, approval authorities, supplier due diligence requirements, competitive bid expectations, documentation standards, and ethical sourcing practices.
• European and River Cruising Market Expertise
• Leverage a strong European geography background and knowledge of the waterways of Europe / river cruising to inform vendor sourcing and site-specific supplier decisions.
• Maintain current knowledge of the European river cruising landscape and its key stakeholders, competitors, and suppliers to inform sourcing strategy.
• Provide market intelligence and on-the-ground perspective to Miami-based Procurement leadership on European supplier trends, norms, and best practices.
• Conduct benchmarking and market analysis to identify emerging suppliers, industry trends, cost drivers, and procurement best practices across the European river cruise sector.
• Maintain awareness of economic, geopolitical, and supply chain developments that may impact supplier availability, pricing, or operational continuity. Office Integration and Team Contribution
• Operate as an embedded member of the Basel office infrastructure while maintaining a strong working relationship and reporting line into the Miami Indirect Procurement department (Matrix organization).
• Contribute to a supportive office culture, working collaboratively with European colleagues while also functioning independently on day-to-day procurement and onboarding activity.
• Model strong team-player behavior while demonstrating the independence needed to manage vendor relationships and timelines with minimal direct oversight. ·

Qualifications and Education

• Demonstrated purchasing / procurement background, ideally including vendor sourcing, screening, contracting, and onboarding.
• Proven negotiating capabilities with external suppliers and vendors, including commercial and contractual terms.
• Experience handling supply chain end to end processes, from supplier identification through operational readiness.
• Strong background in European geography, with specific knowledge of the waterways of Europe and the river cruising industry and its stakeholders.
• Prior experience working across US and European business cultures, ideally in a role that required mediating between the two.
• Experience working within, or closely alongside, cross-functional teams spanning Product Development, Operations, Procurement, and Legal.
• Strong analytical and financial acumen with the ability to evaluate commercial proposals and supplier business cases.
• Experience with procurement systems, supplier onboarding platforms, contract management tools, and ERP systems (S2P Suites like Oracle, SAP, Coupa).
• Advanced Microsoft office and reporting skills.
• Knowledge of European procurement regulations and vendor due diligence practices preferred.
• Comfortable working remotely for a Miami-based department while embedded in a European (Basel) office environment.
• Proficiency in English and German.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Procurement, Finance, Engineering or a related field required.
• Professional certification in procurement or supply chain management a plus.
• Strong team player who also works well independently, managing vendor pipelines and deadlines with limited oversight.
• Detail-oriented and organized, with the ability to manage stakeholder mapping, criteria sets, and vendor profiling processes rigorously.
• Skilled relationship-builder and communicator, comfortable engaging suppliers, vendors, and internal stakeholders at multiple levels.
• Growth-oriented Lead who contributes to and benefits from a supportive, collaborative office culture.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees will be required to perform any other job-related duties assigned by their supervisor or management.

Financial/ Quantitative Responsibilities

• Support procurement budgeting, forecasting, spend analysis, and reporting to ensure alignment with business objectives.
• Drive value creation initiatives and commercial value through strategic sourcing, supplier negotiations, and contract optimization.
• Track procurement KPIs and supplier performance, providing insights and recommendations to support sourcing and vendor management decisions.
• Build and maintain a value creation pipeline through savings, cost avoidance, improved commercial terms, demand management, process efficiencies, and supplier innovation; provide recurring reporting to Procurement leadership.

Comparable positions / peers

• Procurement Manager / Category Manager for Indirect Procurement

Internal/External Relationships

Internal:

Procurement, Hotel Operations, Food & Beverage, Product Development, Legal, Finance, HR, Newbuild & Refurbishment, Shorex operations, Supplier relationship management (SRM).

External:

Existing and prospective suppliers, Strategic sourcing partners, Food and beverage vendors, Hotel and hospitality service providers, Shipyard and technical suppliers, Logistics, Tour operators and transportation providers

Physical Requirements 

The physical demands described here are representative of those required to perform the essential functions of the role with or without reasonable accommodation. The role requires regular sitting, standing, writing, computer use, and communication. Movement throughout office and shipboard environments, and ability to lift 10–25 pounds may be required.

Working Conditions

Based in Basel with regular collaboration across global time zones. This role requires 50% international travel and time onboard vessels, as well as engagement with vendors.