Global IT Team Lead

Original Equipment Solutions (OESL) is emerging as a stand-alone global leader in the automotive sector, with over 17,000 employees and €2 billion in annual sales. Operating in 15 countries across 35 locations, including technology centers, OESL will build on Continental's rich legacy to deliver high-quality parts to major OEMs and commercial vehicle customers worldwide. 

Why Join OESL ?

• Greater Impact: Take part in shaping the future of a dynamic  organization, with the opportunity to bring ideas to life and reap significant professional rewards. 
• Growth and Innovation: Work in a fast-moving, environment that encourages innovation and offers opportunities for continuous growth and expanding your skill set. 
• Creative Space: Experience the entrepreneurial spirit of a start-up culture within a global organization, enjoying both the creative freedom and the responsibility needed to thrive in modern working environments. 
• Tight-Knit Team: Join a highly collaborative team where individuals have the power to shape their work, make meaningful contributions, and drive collective success. 

Are you an ambitious IT professional looking for challenges, growth, and flexibility? You are structured and enjoy communicating and exchanging with stakeholders while driving things forward? Then you've come to the right place.

The OESL IT department is newly conceived and being built now With this pioneering effort, OESL IT will be flexible, fast, and forward-thinking. Our IT team will become a strategic advisory partner, strengthening digital capabilities and driving business success.

In your role as Global IT Team Lead Purchasing Applications, you will work in a dynamic environment and shape the Purchasing IT landscape with us. The role handles the relationship towards our business customers as well as to our internal and external suppliers for all Purchasing applications. You will be an integral part of the OESL IT's new business applications team, having responsibility for approximately 5+ FTE`s.

Your Responsibilities:

• Define and manage the IT product portfolio strategy for Purchasing applications, ensuring seamless integration with corporate objectives and alignment with procurement, controlling, and financial reporting needs
• Develop and maintain application roadmaps that drive innovation, agility, and operational efficiency across planning, reporting and auditing
• Take full responsibility for the IT product lifecycle, including planning, demand management, delivery, and outcome reporting, ensuring continuous improvement and proactive issue resolution.
• Foster a product-oriented culture with a BizDevOps approach, managing both domestic and international teams for seamless collaboration across time zones and business units
• Build and lead product teams, promoting accountability, innovation, and high performance while empowering them to work independently using agile methods
• Ensure effective resource allocation across Purchasing IT initiatives, maintain alignment with business priorities, and provide mentorship to foster team development and career growth
• Act as the central liaison between IT, Purchasing, and key business stakeholders, ensuring IT solutions effectively support purchasing strategies, cost control, risk management, and regulatory compliance
• Maintain relationships with partners and suppliers in the Purchasing Application space, ensuring best-in-class solutions and support
• Drive IT innovation by leveraging emerging technologies (AI, process automation, advanced analytics, etc.) to modernize purchasing operations
• Promote continuous improvement, optimizing IT-enabled supplier management, financial processes, and spend analytics to enhance efficiency, compliance, and cost-effectiveness

• Degree in IT, business informatics / engineering / administration or equivalent
• Proven experience in managing a comprehensive portfolio of Purchasing applications, ensuring their seamless integration into a modern IT architecture
• Expertise in IT solutions supporting purchasing processes (e.g. SAP Ariba, Coupa, Ivalua) and reporting systems
• Experience driving digital transformation initiatives in purchasing processes, leveraging modern IT solutions to enhance transparency, compliance, and operational efficiency
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively between IT, Purchasing and external partners
• Strong knowledge of modern IT architectures, including cloud-based purchasing platforms, automations tools, and analytics-driven purchasing solutions
• Exceptional understanding of financial planning, accounting, and risk management, with the ability to analyze and optimize processes for efficiency and compliance
• Business acumen and the capability to analyze complex purchasing requirements into effective IT solutions
• Demonstrated experience in leading IT projects across multiple stakeholders and cross-functional teams, both locally and internationally
• Advanced skills in multi-project management, with the ability to manage priorities, align resources, and drive timely delivery of Purchasing IT initiatives
• Strong leadership and coaching skills, with the ability to inspire, develop, and motivate high-performing, cross-functional teams
• Ability to articulate complex technical concepts and translate them into understandable language for executives and non-technical stakeholders
• Very good knowledge of German and English is a prerequisite

Applications from severely handicapped people are welcome.

What we offer:

• Hybrid schedule – Work-life balance is important, so we offer a flexible schedule with mobile and flexible working models, sabbaticals or cross-border work
• Corporate Benefits – We collaborate with different vendors, and we receive discounts for various products - like restaurants, fitness programs etc.
• System for Rewarding Improvement Ideas – We have an internal improvement program (Continental Idea Management) that allows you to come up with ideas and to be honored with an attractive bonus (according to your improvement idea)
• Professional development - Many opportunities to develop yourself within the company
• Competitive Compensation in line with your personal contribution & company performance 

Sounds interesting for you? Click here to find out more.

Our Commitment

• Influence: We offer opportunities to have a greater impact and reap more rewards professionally
• Initiative: We encourage our people to grow, take on greater responsibilities, be innovative, and gain new capabilities
• New Work: We value the flexibility and agility that makes modern working possible and makes a customer-centric company successful
• One team: We believe in a culture of belonging to a tight team of individuals who can drive success together

These aspects influence the selection process in building our new team of pioneers. We are an exclusive unit to belong to and look forward to meeting you

Ready to drive with Continental? Take the first step and fill in the online application.