Associate Director, Media Procurement

Background & Purpose of the Job
We operate at the forefront of competitive buying, sustainable sourcing and purpose-led partnerships. We seek to combine our own technology expertise and insights with our partners, to support the creation of disruptive sourcing strategies and supplier-led innovation that respond to ever-changing consumer needs quickly, flexibly and effectively.

ABOUT UNILEVER PROCUREMENT

Part of the Supply Chain family, Unilever Procurement is responsible for over 30B Euro spend of material and services spend globally with more than 50,000 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 customers needs, and drive financial value for Unilever through competitive buying. We are at the forefront of digital procurement, bringing new tools and analytics to drive data-based decisions.

ABOUT Marketing Procurement

Marketing procurement is responsible for Unilever’s sourcing and supplier strategy and execution for all third party spend across Marketing supporting the business requirements of Brands, Business Units, Business Groups, and functions to drive growth through strategic supplier management, cost and value management, sustainability and innovation. The team manages an annual spend of ~6B Euro. Within Marketing Procurement, The Global Strategy Lead will increase effectiveness of our Media procurement by creating an expertise-driven model, streamlining accountabilities, building capabilities, and leveraging knowledge, relationships, and business strategies across markets, defining the future-fit strategy for media portfolio, including data and audience strategy in the media space.
They will increase efficiency of our Media procurement by driving scale where it makes sense, decreasing fragmentation, pooling expertise across geographies, prioritizing higher impact spend 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 Marketing Procurement directors and Business Group Procurement 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.
Key Accountabilities:
• Understand the business needs and bring deep expertise and insights across the value chain and supply base to translate the business requirements into effective future-fit procurement strategies.
• Develop global sourcing strategy in demand creation (including influencer amplification), data and audience building related to media.
• Role will also be key end to end media lead for North America including, strategically leading partnerships in retail media and sponsorships.
• Connect strategy & execution aligned to Business Groups, Media & Business Units goals and priorities, aligned with Procurement strategies and principles
• Deliver transformational sourcing strategies, operating models, and supplier relationships to redefine our procurement approach to media spend to drive growth in accordance with our plans.
• Deliver against financial targets and other KPIs (including value delivery) as per business plan objectives, accountable for delivery of results from all markets, Business Units, Business Groups and functions globally
• Liaise with internal and external stakeholders globally, to support business, market, Marketing and Procurement priorities and enable rapid alignment and deployment
• Lead rigorous execution of the priorities and transformation initiatives
• Ensure Portfolio fundamentals (i.e. data consistency, data insights, recurring stakeholder communications, contracts, etc.) are all put in place
• Future proof the portfolio by driving digital approaches, while building technology enablers to help manage selected portfolio and scope
• Support internal performance management and reporting including creation and stewardship of relevant key performance indicators
Experience Required:
Qualification/experience
• 10+ years of procurement experience, proven and deep experience in Media procurement portfolio’s would be a plus
• Strategic sourcing, portfolio strategy expertise, with experience in managing complex portfolio/category, at global or multi-regional level
• Expert in negotiation and contracting
• Understanding of supply market, value chain, and FMCG knowledge. Knowledge of Media portfolios and supply markets would be a plus.
• Experience in strategic supplier relationship management
• Experience on large-scale project management
• Demonstrated and proven leadership capabilities to lead a virtual global team
• Experience in shaping and leading transformational business process reengineering, with experience driving Change Management initiatives.

General Skills & Competencies
• Best in class analytics capabilities
• Passion for new technology and disruptive ideas
• 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
• 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.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including creation and delivery of effective presentations
• High financial and business acumen
• Strong in selling ideas and concepts
• Inspiring, motivational, and accountable people leader, able to lead remote and cross-cultural teams and connect people and ideas
• Strong in project and time management for complex global projects
• Stakeholder management and people skills
• Tenacious and resilient in the pursuit of challenging goals
Travel:
International travel required. Not projected to require more than 20% on average
• Contacts:
Internal:
Procurement:
• CPO and UPLT
• Marketing Procurement VP and LT
• Sourcing teams
• Supplier Operations
• Procurement Strategy and Insights
Business partners:
• GMO
• Media
• Business Groups, Business Units
• Finance
• Legal
External:
• External Partners
• Suppliers
• Advisors and benchmarking organizations
Reporting Channel:
Reporting into Procurement Director – Media

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