I am partnering with a large global FMCG/food manufacturing organisation in their search for an experienced commodities procurement professional, to be responsible for a £200M+ portfolio on a global scale. The role will have a primarily strategic focus (definition and execution) and drive category management in alignment with regional teams. The position is newly-created due to restructuring, so there is a clear opportunity to influence and manage positive changes.

A well-suited candidate will:

Have 5+ years of experience in procurement, which must include direct categories (commodities/ingredients)
Demonstrate solid experience in category management and strategic sourcing
Have worked in a large multinational FMCG/food manufacturing organisation in a matrix structure
Seek to grow professionally within the organisation

Job Description

Within the global categories team, you will report directly to the Raw Materials Categories Lead, who in turn reports into the CPO.

Key responsibilities include:

Designing, formalizing & implementing a 2 to 3 years forward sourcing strategy, after ensuring full alignment with the business
Implementing all Procurement-driven processes & tools within his/her categories
Building strong relationships across all functions (R&D, Operations, Engineering, Finance, Marketing), influencing business strategy in relation with the category (competitiveness, innovation, sustainability) and working with all key stakeholders to accelerate project implementation
Driving Procurement teams in regions to ensure a smooth and efficient implementation of global sourcing strategies, while promoting the sharing of best practices and leading benchmarks across regions
Lead AOP (budgeting process) for commodity assumptions.
Delivering top class results across all 5 strategic dimensions of our mission:
A 3-year productivity roadmap to achieve sustainable savings of a minimum of 3.5% per year, through reformulation of our materials or negotiation with our suppliers
A clear sustainability roadmap (jointly with R&D) to reach the goals set by the business on its path to carbon neutrality, while creating differentiation in the market
A clear innovation roadmap (jointly with R&D) to create extra value for consumers across our strategic innovation platforms
A robust supply continuity plan to assess, anticipate and prevent any disruption to our supply chain
A strong target to improve cash flow across our operations (payables, stocks of finished goods…).
More specifically with regards to the Category, they will be responsible to:
Map together with Regional Procurement our requirements for the next 3 years, in order to anticipate our needs as the market evolves
Map the market to identify new suppliers in those strategic areas, able to challenge our incumbent suppliers (market analysis)
Execute our Commodities cover strategy, with the support of the Procurement Head for Financial Hedging when done through financial instruments. Link with Procurement teams in Regions to ensure timely execution of our cover strategy when done through physical contracts.
Share benchmarks and best practices across all regions
Define jointly with Procurement in the Regions a Sourcing Strategy (productivity roadmap, innovation roadmap, sustainability roadmap, supplier strategy)
Build strong SRM (Supplier Relationship Management) with global & strategic suppliers, to build long-term relationships in order to leverage our size whenever it makes sense and get priority access to their sustainability / innovation programs. This includes setting up & monitoring a robust supplier evaluation program.
Negotiate frame agreements with Global Suppliers, support negotiations in all regions and align supplier selection with Procurement in the Regions
Finalize contracts with global suppliers, collecting all necessary requirements (technical, service level, expected KPIs) from the various stakeholders. Support Procurement teams in the Regions with the contract execution when significant breaches of service / quality are identified
Identify improvement opportunities, develop should-cost models, set up continuous improvement targets to drive savings & value

Education, Qualifications and Experience:

Bachelor degree minimum, Masters desirable
Experience in Procurement (a min. of 5 years, with a proven success in running a Category at regional or global level, in a worldwide organization)
Ability to deal with ambiguity within a complex and multicultural environment
Proven ability to work with cross-functional team, with a collaborative mindset.
Natural leadership & influence skills
Strong analytical skills
Ability to be hands on operationally as well as building a long term strategic vision
English is a must, proficiency in another language is desirable
Previous work experience in matrix procurement organization
Advanced Excel & Power Point skills
Available to work in west London 3 days a week / travel on request to factories & suppliers.

Please apply if this position is suited to your experience and aspirations