Katharina Schubert
Leimen
Summary
Strategically thinking and pragmatically acting leader who likes to take over responsibility and lead teams and projects to success.
- 14 years of professional experience, including 12 years in purchasing and purchasing-related functions
- 8 years of leadership experience as a manager of global teams
- Very good understanding of the Procure-to-Pay process
- Strong project management and change management skills Experience in Shared Services projects and working in a shared services organization
- Very good analytical skills
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
Work History
Manager Purchasing Lead Buying and Strategy & Excellence
RKW SE
02.2024 - Current
- Act as Lead Buyer for the Spend Category 'Special Polymers' which includes raw materials like Polyamide, Elastomers, Tie layers, bio PE and others
- Develop and implement procurement strategies to achieve cost savings and efficiency
- Build and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers
- Negotiate contracts, prices, and payment terms
- Conduct market analysis to identify trends, risks, and opportunities in the supply chain
- Implement cost-saving initiatives while maintaining quality and delivery standards
- Work closely with internal departments such as production and R&D
- Support product development initiatives with timely and cost-effective sourcing solutions (X-Core)
- Identify and mitigate risks in the supply chain to prevent disruptions
- Streamline procurement processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness
- Implement best practices and innovative tools in procurement (focus 2024/2025: leverage Artificial Intelligence and large language models in Purchasing)
- Promote sustainable sourcing initiatives
Manager Purchasing Strategy & Excellence and Buying Center Indirect
RKW SE
07.2020 - 01.2024
- Organizational centralization of indirect purchasing incl
- Process implementation and optimization
- Implementation of tools to automate C-Parts purchasing (Mercateo with connection to SAP)
- Lead for Indirect Purchasing for Belgium and Finland
- Functional leadership for the Material Master Management in SAP
- Advising the Head of Purchasing and the Executive Board on relevant topics incl
- Business case calculation
- Regular training of purchasers and internal customers on the use of procurement tools and SAP functions
- Leadership responsibility for employees in Germany, Belgium and Finland
- SAP Power User
- Special Project June 2023 - January 2024: Ensure RKW's readiness for the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Law (LKSG) including major process changes
- Maternity leave: March 2022 - May 2023
Head of Procure to Pay (P2P) Center of Expertise
SAP SE
11.2015 - 01.2020
- Manage, develop and motivate a high performing team of P2P professionals (approx
- 15 direct reports in Argentina, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany and the USA)
- Drive Process and System improvements along the operational P2P process such as
- Global implementation of the procurement system 'SAP Ariba P2O'
- Global implementation of the third-party procurement system 'SAP Fieldglass'
- Drive organizational change projects within P2P and lead related Change Management activities
- Drive and support Post Merger Integration activities for P2P and Travel and Expenses (T&E)
- Perform analysis on efficiency and workload distribution within P2P and develop and measure related Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Work on de-escalations and ad-hoc inquiries from the board and executive management as well as professionally handling global escalations
- Develop and regularly update relevant process documentation
- Provide regular trainings to operations teams on new processes and systems
- Maternity leave: June 2019 - July 2020
Senior Procurement Specialist
SAP SE
02.2014 - 10.2015
- Development and implementation of Procurement Strategies and Procurement Mission and Vision derived from Corporate Strategy
- Project management for global cross-category projects as well as process improvements
- Leading initiatives and projects related to stakeholder management and customer satisfaction
- Leadership for continuous improvement activities related to a major re-organization project within the Global Procurement Organization
- Overall responsibility for meaningful analytics and Key Performance Indicators for indirect Procurement along the end to end process
- Responsibility for headcount controlling and forecast in close collaboration with CPO and HR
- Budget and forecast creation in close collaboration with Controlling
- Best practice sharing with other companies
Executive Assistant to the Chief Procurement Officer
SAP AG
01.2012 - 01.2014
- Support of cross-functional initiatives and projects with focus on Procurement and Shared Services
- Lead function for all Change Management activities related to a major re-organization project within the Global Procurement Organization
- Work on Procurement specific problems and create decision matrix for management
- Creation of presentations for Senior Management audience with focus on Procurement and Shared Services
- Overall responsibility for regular Procurement Strategy Meetings (from logistics to development of content and meeting material and moderation of all slots)
- Responsibility for headcount controlling and forecast in close collaboration with Chief Procurement Officer and HR
- Budget and forecast creation in close collaboration with Controlling
- Creation of analysis and calculation of relevant Key Performance Indicators for indirect procurement
- Independent escalation handling
- Internal and external correspondence management for CPO
- Support creation of academic papers and books
Assistant and Project Associate
SAP AG
02.2011 - 12.2011
- Project management support mainly related to Shared Services Migration projects
- Independent calculation of Migration Business Cases
- Lead function for support team consisting of students including HR responsibilities like hiring, daily leadership and performance evaluation
- Budget controlling for overall department and forecast creation in collaboration with Controlling and head of department
- Assistance to head of department
Education
Master of Arts - Procurement and Logistics
University of Applied Science
01.2016
Bachelor of Arts - international Management
University of Applied Science
01.2011
Apprenticeship in Hotel Management -
BASF SE
01.2009
Skills
- Proficient in Microsoft Excel, Word, Power Point und Outlook
- Proficient in SAP R3 and SAP S/4HANA, SAP SRM, SAP Analysis for office, SAP Analytics Cloud
- Proficient in Ariba P2O with Guided Buying, Fieldglass, Ariba Spend Visibility
- Basic knowledge in other Ariba Solutions
- Basic knowledge in several applications for managing hotline and live chat services
International Experience
09/01/09, 06/30/10, Two semesters study at the 'Universidad de Oviedo' on the campus in Gijón in northern Spain and work as an English teacher at a primary school
Further Qualifications
02/01/18, 06/30/18, Participation in the 'Global Leadership Development Program' (GLDP) at SAP
Personal Information
- Place of Birth: Stuttgart, Germany
- Date of Birth: 11/15/86
- Marital Status: Married, two children
Hobbies and Interests
- Cooking
- Sewing
- Sustainability
Languages
German
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
English
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
Spanish
Advanced (C1)
French
Elementary (A2)
Timeline
Manager Purchasing Lead Buying and Strategy & Excellence
RKW SE
02.2024 - Current
Manager Purchasing Strategy & Excellence and Buying Center Indirect
RKW SE
07.2020 - 01.2024
Head of Procure to Pay (P2P) Center of Expertise
SAP SE
11.2015 - 01.2020
Senior Procurement Specialist
SAP SE
02.2014 - 10.2015
Executive Assistant to the Chief Procurement Officer
SAP AG
01.2012 - 01.2014
Assistant and Project Associate
SAP AG
02.2011 - 12.2011
Master of Arts - Procurement and Logistics
University of Applied Science
Bachelor of Arts - international Management
University of Applied Science
Apprenticeship in Hotel Management -
BASF SE
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