UNILEVER IS LOOKING FOR A STRATEGIC SOURCING MANAGER

Location: Weena, Rotterdam – the Netherlands

Full-time

Local conditions apply

ABOUT UNILEVER

Unilever is one of the world`s largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) businesses, with interest across Personal Care, Homecare, Refreshment and Foods product categories. We reach 2 billion consumers a day. It has 161,000 employees. We make products that people love – and that make a difference. Nutritious foods. Household care essentials. Indulgent ice creams. Refreshing teas. Luxurious shampoos. Affordable, disease-combating soaps... and many more. In fact, we make around 400 much-loved brands including global brands such as Knorr & Dove, but also local brand such as Calvé (the Netherlands) and Suave (the Americas) and of course our products of the Vegetarian Butcher. Shoppers buy them in more than 190 countries. That means you’ll find at least one of our products in seven out of ten households on the planet. And we want every one of those products to make a positive impact on the lives of the people who buy them.

We want our business to flourish, and we know that our success depends on others flourishing around us. That's why our purpose is to make sustainable living commonplace, and why sustainable, long-term growth is at the heart of our business model.

JOB PURPOSE

The Strategic Sourcing Manager, Business Group will partner and work together with our Brand teams to increase effectiveness of our marketing procurement by streamlining accountabilities, building capabilities, and leveraging knowledge, relationships, and business strategies across markets.

They will increase efficiency of our marketing procurement by driving scale where it makes sense, decreasing fragmentation, prioritizing higher impact areas, leveraging technology and data, and drive performance that unlocks 4G growth for Unilever.

The role will foster and build a culture of collaboration and agility to enable an efficient project roll out. It will ensure close alignment in strategy with functions and MBS directors by defining and utilizing a robust support network for the whole team and providing clarity on the ways of works and roles and responsibilities.

ABOUT PROCUREMENT

Part of the Supply Chain family, Procurement is responsible for over 30B Euro of material and services spend globally with more than 60,000 suppliers. Getting the right services and materials, sustainably sourced and ensuring responsible procurement is critical to ensuring our brands with purpose grow. Our teams work closely with the business to understand stakeholders needs, bring innovation to meet changing consumer, employees, and customer’s needs, and drive financial value for Unilever through competitive buying. We’re at the forefront of digital procurement, bringing new tools and analytics to drive data-based decisions.

Our strategy is ‘Procurement with Purpose’ and focuses on buying responsibly, buying better, and growing together with partners around the world. Our ambition is based on three key drivers being: Purpose-Led, Value-Driven, and Future-Fit.

MBS, Unilever’s Marketing and Business Services Procurement team, is responsible for Unilever’s sourcing and supplier strategy and execution for all third party spend across Marketing, Business Services, and IT, supporting the business requirements of Brands, Business Groups, Markets, and functions to drive 4G growth through strategic supplier management, cost and value management, sustainability, and innovation, aligned with Unilever’s Compass. The team manages an annual spend of ~9B Euro with a supplier base of about +30,000.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Understand the business needs related to marketing spend portfolios, and bring deep expertise and insights across the value chain and supply base to translate the business requirements into effective future-fit procurement strategies
• Connect strategy & execution aligned to Unilever Compass, Global Business Groups & Business Unit goals and priorities
• Together with Business Group and Brand teams create effective and efficient brand operating models that are best fit for brand and category.
• Balance where to maximize the power of Unilever and where to drive brand specific solutions
• Act as the voice of the Business Group and brand to the wider marketing procurement community
• Lead rigorous execution of the priorities and transformation initiatives across the marketing value chain with a brand & consumer lens
• Ensure Marketing procurement delivery of OKR’s and financial targets (including value delivery) for the Business Group
• Accountable for leading the business plan and delivery of results from all BU’s, for the Business Group
• Liaise with internal and external stakeholders globally, to support business, market, MBS and Procurement priorities and enable rapid alignment and deployment
• Ensure Portfolio fundamentals (i.e. data consistency, data insights, recurring stakeholder communications, contracts, etc.) are all put in place for the Business Group
• Support future proofing the marketing portfolio by driving digital approaches that help simplify the life for our brand teams, while unlocking efficiencies in the marketing value chain
• Support internal performance management and reporting including creation and stewardship of relevant key performance indicators for the relevant Business Group and Brand teams.

ALL ABOUT YOU

Qualification/experience

• Bachelor’s Degree required.
• 2 to 5 years of relevant experience
• Managing cross geographical teams
• Experience and knowledge of the in-scope products and services being managed.
• Experience within or in service of the function being supported by procurement.

• Capabilities and skills in Strategic Sourcing
• Experience of procurement transformation, change and business engagement.
• Experience and knowledge of business models in digital marketing, advertising production, marketing agencies management will be a strong plus.

General Skills & Competencies

• Ability to work under pressure and in a complex global environment balancing a broad spectrum of stakeholder requirements
• Comfortable working in conditions of ambiguity and leading through change
• Ability to build and evolve mutually beneficially strategic stakeholder relationships from a previously service base delivery, with the goal of growing presence and influence.
• Able to create and drive adoption and execution of a shared vision and strategy for change.
• Ability to interact with senior stakeholders cross effectively and efficiently functionally to understand their needs and deliver effective balanced solutions
• Delivers change whilst managing the interface between “day to day” and improvement projects.
• Passion for continuous improvement
• Strong verbal and written communication & selling skills, including creation and delivery of effective presentations
• High financial and business acumen, and ability to interpret data to generate data-led insights
• Strong in project and time management for complex global projects
• Tenacious and resilient in the pursuit of challenging goals

Travel:

Limited international travel required. Not projected to require more than 20% on average (may vary based on location)

WHAT WE OFFER

Unilever is the place where you can be yourself and bring your purpose to life with the work that you do – creating a better business and a better world. We offer an exciting & dynamic work environment where you can make things happen. Furthermore, we offer some great reward and benefits!

• Attractive total remuneration package; excellent company pension, bonus, share scheme.
• Flexible cross-disciplinary career opportunities and a wealth of training opportunities & wellbeing resources whenever and wherever.
• Plenty of company-paid holidays to further ensure your work-life balance is maintained.

• We encourage an inclusive culture, which comes to life with interchangeable public holidays, paid paternity leave of 6 weeks and our transgender policy.
• Under the Hybrid Working principles, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 40% in the office or at customers, suppliers or partners to connect and collaborate. For the time you work from home, we will ensure you are well equipped. When you are at the office, you can enjoy our tasty canteen with prepped food and own products.
• Informal culture and being the first one trying our new products.
• My Fitness Plan (reduction on your Fitness Subscription).
• Homework allowance

• Company laptop and mobile phone
• Green Mobility Policy.

Excited?

Join Unilever and our team! To apply, you must do so online. Please do not forget to upload your CV and a motivation letter. Your application will be reviewed against our requirements, and we will be in touch shortly after the closing date to provide you with an update on the status of your application.

Looking forward to meeting you!

Please note this is a Direct Search led by Unilever. Applications from agencies will not be accepted, nor will fees be paid for unsolicited CVs.

Equal Opportunity Employer: Unilever is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, disability or any other basis protected by applicable law, and will not be discriminated against.

By highlighting the gender diversity at the workplace, Unilever encourages women equally men to apply. If you look for a job after a long career break or after any type of leave, do not hesitate to apply.

NOTES:

Please save a copy of this vacancy for personal use as it will disappear from the website after closing of the role. Deadline for applying is at 23.59 the day before the Job Posting End Date.