On behalf of my client in the APAC region, I am pleased to introduce an exciting senior procurement opportunity within the airline industry: Category Director – International Operations. This role is designed for a seasoned procurement leader with deep experience managing complex, multi‑country spend across airport and airline operational categories.

The successful candidate will shape the sourcing strategy for international ground handling, airport agreements, station operations, and government‑linked contracts, defining what the airline buys, selecting strategic suppliers, and securing long‑term commercial value. Operating at the intersection of procurement, operations, and commercial strategy, this position requires a leader capable of balancing cost efficiency, service performance, regulatory requirements, and operational continuity across diverse international markets.

Key Responsibilities

Category Strategy Leadership

• Develop and continuously evolve the category strategy and roadmap for assigned international operational spend.
• Build a multi -country sourcing and supply strategy that ensures operational resilience, cost efficiency, and regulatory compliance.
• Drive initiatives that strengthen a reliable, competitive, and sustainable supply base across international stations.

Business & Operations Partnership

• Act as a strategic business partner to International Operations, Ground Operations, Network, Legal, Finance, and Regulatory teams.
• Translate operational realities into commercial and sourcing strategies.
• Interface with business units to capture business requirements, technical specifications, regulatory constraints, and legal inputs for contracting.
• Present sourcing strategies, risks, and recommendations confidently at senior executive and leadership levels .

Sourcing & Supplier Strategy

• Translate category priorities into structured sourcing pipelines with clear supplier selection criteria.
• Lead sourcing initiatives across countries, balancing cost, service reliability, operational risk, and regulatory complexity .
• Ensure alignment with standard ground handling agreements, airport frameworks, and international aviation norms .

Commercial & Contracting Leadership

• Lead commercial negotiations with suppliers, airports, ground handling companies, and government -linked entities.
• Drive pricing, service -level agreements, performance clauses, and commercial terms.
• Oversee contract consolidation, renewals, change management, and governance , ensuring long -term value creation and compliance with procurement standards.
• Manage complex multi -country agreements, including airport agreements, ground handling contracts, and regulatory -linked contracts .

Supplier Management & Governance

• Lead supplier management frameworks to monitor performance, compliance, service delivery, and risk .
• Build supplier improvement programs and risk mitigation strategies .
• Foster long -term partnerships that drive operational reliability, innovation, and continuous improvement across the international network.

• 8+ years leadership role in procurement related functions in Aviation/Airline/Airport/ Groundhandling , etc.
• Solid understanding of Southeast Asia / APAC market dynamics is preferred.
• Strong exposure to: Airport agreements, Ground handling contracts, Government -linked and regulatory contracts, Multi - country operations
• Bachelor’s degree in Management, Business, Economics, Engineering, or related field.
• Master’s degree or equivalent executive education preferred
• Deep commercial and financial acumen.
• Strong analytical capability and understanding of airline/airport operations.
• Executive presence and credibility.
• Strategy development & stakeholder/supplier management
• Negotiation skills and Contract Management

Remuneration : negotiable based on candidate's experience

• Permanent Hire
• Positioning Flights
• Staff Travel Benefits: unlimited Domestic flights and 6 International round-trip tickets for you and your family members
• Annual Profit Sharing based on the company's overall performance and Annual Merit Increase based on the employee's performance.
• Coverage of Group Life Insurance
• Health Coverage
• Annual leaves: 13 days per annum
• Sick leaves: 12 days per annum
• Retirement Benefits for a minimum of 10 consecutive years of service and in accordance with Company policy.

Our client also welcomes strong talents within the airline industry who are currently at the Manager or Senior Manager level and have the capability and ambition to step up into a broader, more strategic leadership role.

Interested and qualified candidates, please submit a copy of your CV/Resume and relevant qualifications. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality. 

In case you have any queries, please contact julie@brookfieldav.com