Be yourself at Protolabs
Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. We are an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to building a diverse team that feels they are valued in the workplace. So do you feel you do not meet every single requirement but still intrigued? We encourage you to still apply! You can help make our company even better. We do not discriminate based on race, colour, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, age, mental or physical ability, or any way you represent yourself. We strongly believe diversity makes for more successful teams.
Why Protolabs?
We are the leaders in digital manufacturing. We hire doers, makers, and creative thinkers who tackle our roles with an entrepreneurial spirit. Our culture is centered around meaningful work that brings new and innovative products to market at unprecedented speeds. We are a diverse team that comes from all walks of life and take pride in our team who is smart, genuine, humble, and passionate about what we do. It’s our people who fuel our creativity and make our culture feel like home.
The Sr. Indirect Buyer is responsible for leading the sourcing, negotiation, and management of non-production goods and services across the EMEA region.
This role focuses on supplier strategy, contract governance, cost optimization, and risk mitigation, while operating with a high level of independence and aligning to global procurement standards.
- Lead sourcing activities across indirect categories including software, professional services, facilities, and non-production spend
- Own and lead supplier negotiations and contract discussions, balancing cost, risk, and service outcomes
- Develop supplier strategies aligned to business needs and regional market conditions
- Partner with stakeholders across EMEA to translate business requirements into sourcing strategies
- Build and maintain strong relationships with both suppliers, internal and external stakeholders to ensure procurement strategies meet operational and strategic needs
- Ensure compliance with procurement policies, contract governance, and financial controls
- Manage end-to-end procurement lifecycle from intake through supplier performance management
- Act as the primary EMEA contact for indirect procurement, aligning regional execution with global standards
- Identify and drive process improvements toward scalable global procurement practices
- Collaborate across teams to optimise category strategies, share insights, and drive continuous improvement towards scalable global procurement practices.
- Perform additional tasks as assigned.
- 5+ years of procurement or sourcing experience (indirect preferred)
- Experience working across regions or global teams preferred
- In-depth knowledge and experience in managing categories, including risk and opportunity management, to deliver value and ensure effective sourcing strategies
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Strong negotiation and stakeholder management skills
- Ability to work independently and manage competing priorities
- Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities
- Ability to manage and execute projects
- Demonstrated ability to identify and implement new opportunities for process improvement, problem-solving, and collaboration—ideally within a procurement or similar environment
- Growth-oriented company with a focus on your development journey through regular feedback and discussions.
- Open and welcoming corporate culture globally.
- Extensive e-learning platform with 300+ training courses and on-site sessions, including internal leadership training
- Onsite car parking, bicycle storage, and convenient public transport links.
- Newly built canteen with free hot drinks.
- Employee Discount scheme with savings across thousands of UK retailers.
- Employee wellbeing culture with mental health support, wellbeing portal, and psychologist assistance.
- Monetary-based Reward Schemes for recognition, referrals, anniversaries, and life events.
- 37.5 hours per week, permanent contract with regular breaks
- 25 days holiday entitlement plus Bank Holidays, increasing with length of service.
- Life insurance policy for eligible employees – 4 x base salary
What to expect in the hiring process
Alignment call
Kick-off with an initial screening with one Talent Acquisition Partners, not really an interview, but the chance to learn more about how we do things, our process and a chance for you to ask all the things you want to know
Interview
A deeper dive into the role, what we're looking for the hiring manager and you to get to know one another
Further interviews
We always try to streamline our recruitment process as much as possible but may sometimes need to carry out further interviews. This may be to meet other members of the team or more senior employees. It may also be an opportunity to see the site or working area
