Associate Procurement Manager - Capex & Mro, North America

Background & Purpose of the Job:

• Perform Cluster Buying of all Capex and MRO equipment and MRO materials.
  • Responsible for contracts and all P2P activities related to suppliers.
  • Perform E- Tender/Bids for all items above 50K.
  • Support stakeholder on all project timelines, cost, and issue resolution with suppliers.
  • Oversee delivery of own share of procurement targets, driving and supporting the implementation of VIP savings and creditor terms.
  • To be the contact person for Global Capex Buyers. Support them in local implementation of supply arrangements and sourcing strategies
• To be accountable for Cluster stakeholder management and develop and maintain working relationships with business stakeholders, providing a key point of contact for the business.
• Provide Buying Support, such as driving compliance and automation, new vendor master set up, driving simplification and resolve local supplier/supply issues as required.
• Provide Spend Support by helping to promote portfolio sourcing strategies in the Business, driving spend to preferred suppliers, educating the business on NoPo NoPay policy, support as required and provide specific Cluster procurement related data not readily & automatically available and ensure data integrity and quality of PO transaction through rigor of commodity coding.

A successful procurement professional is expected to be:
• Outstanding in idea generation, ideas that are forward thinking, and that contribute to creating sustained competitive advantage.
• Strong at selling ideas to his/her business partners, internally and externally, translating these into effective proposals conveying value and communicating it accordingly.
• Appreciative of the value and impact of outstanding execution - an eagle eye for detail.
• Act as an entrepreneur, treats business as his/her own, sets trends and is willing to lead, follow or get out of the way.
• Behave as a Partner to Win ambassador and demonstrate the value Procurement adds to the business.
• Genuinely committed to Unilever's sustainably lead business model, connected with Unilever and the business agenda.
• For positions with people reporting to them talent mastery, which includes: spotting, fostering, encouraging and retaining talent is a non-negotiable.
Responsibilities
Overall

• Identify and drive implementation of automation opportunities, vendor reduction, local savings and cash opportunities
• Follow Portfolio sourcing instructions and use preferred suppliers where available
• Help educate end users and drive spend to preferred suppliers, contracts and catalogues
• Ensure Purchase Order quality reviews (attachments, commodity coding, reject if catalogue available, preferred suppliers, etc)
• Support, develop, implement and drive procurement strategies for tactical sourcing in the cluster
• Ensure Personal Development plans are complete, training plans executed and that training effectiveness is monitored

Business relationship management

• Ensure relationships with the relevant business stakeholders are fostered: engage and manage business stakeholders, ensuring
  • efficient, timely and transparent communications with key stakeholders
  • provision of timely supply market knowledge to regional stakeholders, relaying current and future impactful events and their potential consequences
  • satisfaction with the Procurement goods or services provided by suppliers
• Act as escalation point of contact for the business for issues/questions relating to the assigned areas of scope.
• Drive contract compliance in the Cluster.
• Where applicable represent at local governance meetings, to provide intelligence on commercial supply perspectives and to ensure shortage/lengthening of supply markets and effects on available material/labour is understood and managed in production planning. Arrange for key portfolio representation of Procurement Manager / Director to attend when required.

Procurement management

• Deliver supplier services in line with Cluster / Portfolio Strategies and contracts for the assigned portfolio / scope.
  • Support global/regional contracts implementation, including communicating changes to cluster managed local users & stakeholders as required.
  • Manage supplier interactions during the term of all pertinent supply contracts locally, supported by the Cluster Procurement Manager.
  • Manage local partnerships/relationships with key local suppliers, supported by the Cluster Procurement Manager.
  • Timely and transparent communication to local suppliers
  • Address / escalate supplier non-performance as appropriate

• Run local tactical buying events and drive spend to preferred suppliers and catalogues in line with Procurement Strategies.

• Support Portfolio Teams by:
  • Collaborating with both local business stakeholders and Portfolio teams to establish Cluster business requirements
  • Translating local conditions (tariffs, taxes, logistics, etc) and providing information to ensure they are included in Portfolio led Sourcing events where appropriate.
  • Providing operational feedback during supplier negotiations/selection.
• Report Cluster savings in tool (SRS) and the implementation of Cost Savings, Cost Avoidance, and Cash (via payment terms extension), in the assigned scope.

Procurement Transformation

• Support the roll out of all initiatives to improve
  • procurement technology performance & processes; including supplier adoption of e-invoicing, auto goods receipt, etc
  • compliance, process and governance interfaces for procurement, including:

• Process gaps and improvement projects
• Performance cascades, activity reporting and communications

• Support compliance activities

• Compliance to prescribed buying channels
• No PO No Pay policy & PO Bypass avoidance in country/ cluster
• Compliance to internal and external business policies, reporting and continuous improvement feedback of breaches

Talent management: Develop Key talent in the procurement operations function and act as an entry point for future procurement talent from category functions (R&D, SC and BD)
Challenges

• Ability to work under pressure and in a complex environment;

• Helping translate the business needs and requirements and share within the procurement organization;
• Negotiation of complex contracts and innovations;
• Working cross-functionally across teams with varying priorities;
• Strategic thinking and medium/long term view;
• Results driven and strong analytical capability;

• Ability to present and explain complex ideas to a senior audience;
• Understanding of the financial aspects related to procurement activities (spend, payment term impacts, savings and cost avoidance, P&L, etc.);
• Ability to work quickly with great accuracy;
• Implementing Unilever best practices without compromising flexibility and speed;
  What You'll Need To Succeed:

• Bachelor'sdecree in any of the following areas desired: Engineering, Business, Economics, Supply Chain
• Minimum of 3 years of Supply Chain experience working cross functionally with Procurement function is required

• Procurement experience is strongly desired
• Familiar with business and finance concepts
• Results driven with a strong ethical behavior
• Strong negotiation skills
• Strategic thinking and business vision

• Excel and data management proficient
• Microsoft Office suite, SAP Business
• Good communication skills
  What We Can Offer You
  Culture for Growth | Top Notch Employee Health & Well Being Benefits | Every Voice Matters | Global Reach | Life at Unilever | Careers with Purpose | World Class Career Development Programs | Check Out Our Space | Focus On Sustainability

Pay: The pay range for this position is $83,200 to $124,700. Unilever takes into consideration a wide range of factors that are utilized in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, qualifications and education, and other business and organizational needs.
Bonus: This position is bonus eligible.
Long-Term Incentive (LTI): This position is LTI eligible.
Benefits: Unilever employees are eligible to participate in our benefits plan. Should the employee choose to participate, they can choose from a range of benefits to include, but is not limited to, health insurance (including prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage), retirement savings benefits, life insurance and disability benefits, parental leave, sick leave, paid vacation and holidays, as well as access to numerous voluntary benefits. Any coverages for health insurance and retirement benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.
Unilever is an organization committed to diversity and inclusion to drive our business results and create a better future every day for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.
Employment is subject to verification of pre-screening tests, which may include drug screening, background check, credit check and DMV check.
If you are an individual with a disability in need of assistance at any time during our recruitment process, please contact us at NA.Accommodations@unilever.com. Please note: This email is reserved for individuals with disabilities in need of assistance and is not a means of inquiry about positions or application statuses.