Japan - Purchasing Excellence & Business Partner Buyer (DOP)

A Day in the Life 

As the Purchasing Excellence & Business Partner Buyer, you will be at the heart of our governance, digital transformation, and strategic sourcing within the Operations division. Reporting to the Business Partner Team Manager, this unique hybrid role combines a primary focus on driving operational maturity and purchasing excellence (70%) with strategic buyer responsibilities (30%). 

Your core mission is to define a standard purchasing framework, establish a procurement knowledge house, ensure compliance, and drive key performance indicators (KPIs). Simultaneously, you will act as a strategic business partner, optimizing spending across select indirect categories and delivering tangible value and cost savings for L'Oréal.

Your main responsibilities will include:

Purchasing Excellence, Governance & Systems (approx. 70%)

• System, Tools, and Data: Lead the establishment and implementation of L'Oréal's indirect procurement eco-system in S2C and P2P under the global procurement system roadmap. You will act as the key user of procurement systems, facilitate system enhancements with global IT, and maintain procurement master data in a structured way to achieve remarkable improvements in process efficiency.
• Compliance & Risk Management: Drive compliance-related campaigns in collaboration with global and local teams, maintain compliance dashboards, and partner with Internal Control on supplier audits and due diligence activities.
• Governance and Animation: Take ownership of purchasing KPI governance to ensure transparency on our performance. Establish a knowledge hub to streamline purchasing processes, lead communications, and develop training on policies, rate cards, and processes for all stakeholders.
• Sustainability & Social Commitment: Act as a key driver of our "L'Oréal for the Future" commitments by deploying sustainability initiatives to our supplier network and gathering the necessary data to track our progress and impact.
• Purchasing Operations: Oversee the performance of purchasing processes and policies, ensuring accuracy, timely execution, and optimal value delivery.

Business Partner Buying (approx. 30%)

• Strategic Business Partnership: Build strong, trust-based relationships with assigned business divisions, acting as a central point of contact for their specific purchasing matters. Develop and execute purchasing strategies that align with their business goals.
• Cross-Domain Sourcing & Value Creation: Manage bidding processes across a targeted range of indirect categories (e.g., Marketing, POS, Digital, IT, HR, etc). Identify cross-domain synergies and opportunities for spend consolidation.
• Strategic Initiatives & Integration: Take the lead on complex, ad-hoc projects that require strategic thinking and agility, including supplier forums and the seamless integration of suppliers during M&A activities when applicable.

We Are Looking For

We are looking for a highly organized, proactive, and results-oriented 

professional with a strong sense of ownership. You are a strategic thinker who can navigate 

ambiguity, manage complex tech and governance projects, and act as a hands-on executor and 

business partner in a fast-paced environment.

You're a great match if you have:

• Analytical & System Skills: High proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and BI tools to manage dashboards and deliver data-driven insights. 
• Project Management: Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects, establish 
• Strategic Sourcing Expertise: Proven experience in procurement or supply chain, combining a strong focus on compliance, risk management, and P2P processes with experience as a buyer in indirect areas. 
• Advanced Communication & Stakeholder Management: Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to create engaging training content, build trust-based relationships, and train diverse internal and external stakeholders.
• Resilience & Agility: A hands-on approach to managing multiple priorities, adapting quickly to changing business needs, and thriving under pressure.
• Language Proficiency: Business-level fluency in both Japanese and English is required for this role.

It's also a great plus if you have:

• Experience in a multi-national company, preferably in the FMCG or luxury industry.
• Experience with advanced procurement systems such as SRM, Ariba, or SAP. 

What’s In It For You

• A place for you to leave your comfort zone and grow beyond your potential (here, you’ll be encouraged to try new things and take risks). As part of our integrated Operations team, you’ll gain unique insights into the entire value chain, from supply chain to logistics.
• Real responsibility from day 1, there’s no sitting on the sidelines at L’Oréal.
• An environment where people of every ethnicity, social background, age, religion, gender and sexual orientation as well as people with disabilities are accepted, can speak up, will thrive and are celebrated.