Procurement Strategy & Insights Manager - Customer Operations

EXTERNAL JOB DESCRIPTION

Procurement Strategy & Insights Manager - Logistics, Global Procurement

Manager level:           2B

Schedule:                      Full time

Location:                       India (Mumbai)

Function:                       Procurement, Supply Chain

Travel:                             Yes, 25% of time

ABOUT UNILEVER

With 3.4 billion people in over 190 countries using our products every day, Unilever is a business that makes a real impact on the world. Work on brands that are loved and improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. Our strategy begins with a purpose that places consumers at the heart of everything we do: Brighten everyday life for all. Our goal is to deliver best-in-class performance with market-making, unmissably superior brands. At the heart of what we do is our people – we believe that when our people work with purpose, we will create a better business and a better world. At Unilever, your career will be a unique journey, grounded in our collaborative, and flexible working environment. Our organizational ambition centers around creating workplaces that foster equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging across all aspects of our business. We don’t believe in the ‘one size fits all’ approach and instead we will equip you with the tools you need to shape your own future.

ABOUT PROCUREMENT

Part of the Supply Chain’s family, Procurement is responsible for over 30B Euro of material and services spend globally with more than 70,000 suppliers. Getting the right 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 brand needs, bring supplier innovation to meet changing consumer 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 calls.

With over 1400 employees globally, build a network of thousands of suppliers, more than 1.5 million smallholder farmers who in turn support communities of over 7 million people. Our strategy is ‘Procurement with Purpose’ and focuses on buying responsibly, buying better and growing together with partners around the world and we have an ambition that is based on three key drivers: Being Purpose-Led, Value-led and Future-Fit.

Our teams work closely with the business to understand procurement 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 calls.

PROCUREMENT STRATEGY & INSIGHTS

The Procurement Strategy & Insights Team is a newly formed team, serving as the nerve centre of the Unilever global procurement organization, enabling the procurement organization to design and deliver step-change across value chains, operating processes and tools, and business models. This team is responsible for:  

• Sensing, incubating, and enabling innovative ideas, new business models, transformation programs, and external understanding for disruptive value creation across procurement Logistics teams.
• Creating and implementing standardized processes and data-led decision making to ease operating effectiveness and drive better and faster outcomes.
• Developing and enabling procurement strategies with respective network VPs and portfolio and market teams based on strategic insights.
• Identifying, scaling, and spreading best practices across the global procurement organization, within and across teams
• Facilitating rapid learning, capability development, and future-fit upskilling of our people

LOGISTICS or CUSTOMER OPERATIONS PORTFOLIO

The Logistics Portfolio covers the sourcing strategy development and procurement of logistical services for Unilever globally, including transportation, warehousing, pallets, sea freight and air freight services.  This position will work closely with the Logistics Procurement eam (LPLT) to create sourcing and supplier strategies and build future fit capabilities that align with the overall business objectives relevant to Logistics. Key Facts and Figures: € 3.1 Billion Spend; 400+ warehouses globally; 4000+ suppliers globally.

MAIN JOB PURPOSE

Reporting to the Procurement Global Procurement Strategy & Insights – Head of Customer operations, the purpose of this role is:

To be a healthy forward-looking challenger, as well as a partner to the LPLT (Logistics Procurement Team), provoking and bringing new thinking. With the following key activities:

• Define and Rollout strategic transformation & Digital future fit capabilities programs such as Buying Agility, Price Transparency, Forecast automation/ AI forecasting and Sourcing Excellence
• Support and Insights creation, sourcing of data and market insight including visualisations for global logistics to Facilitate portfolio Strategy Creation/Updating, Negotiation preparation, contracting
• Derives value creation opportunities based on a deep Logistics expertise, Supplier and Industry Insights, as well as benchmarking and cost modelling in connection with WCL

KEY INTERACTIONS

The Procurement Strategy & Insights Manager will interface with the following stakeholders:

• Chief Procurement Officer & LPLT (Logistics Procurement Team)
• Head of Global Procurement Strategy & Insights & broader Strategies & Insights team
• Global and Market sourcing teams
• Procurement Finance Team
• Supplier Operations & Data and Analytic teams
• Key Suppliers and agencies/partners (Mainly market insight and consulting suppliers)
• Industry and insights resources
• Logistics operations teams

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Define and Rollout strategic transformation & Digital programs such as Buying Agility, Price Transparency, Forecast automation and Sourcing Excellence

• Development of Agile and Digital programs such as buying Methodology or price transparancy for a portfolio, delivering MVPs and supporting role out of such a strategic program
• Enable and be the Business front or co-front for procurement GPT pilot projects such as Automated and AI forecasting, Supplier intelligence, Market Intelligence GPT etc.
• Co-Create and role out 7 Steps for Logistics, including relevant standards & Best practices.

Support and guide the Insights creation, sourcing of data and market insight including visualisations for global logistics to Facilitates portfolio Strategy Creation/Updating, Negotiation preparation, contracting

• Co-front with the sourcing team the key strategic activities within the portfolio, acting as a challenger and bringing fresh thinking or tools to support negotiations.
• Masters the newly created frameworks/playbooks on key procurement skills (Strategy, Negotiation, Contracting), working in the portfolio, using the tools to upskill the sourcing team and as enablers for the execution.
• Reviews/challenges the Sourcing Strategy and agile measures ahead of upcoming contract negotiations boards.
• Member of the Warehouse of Transport strategic squad.

Derives value creation opportunities based on a deep Logistics expertise, Supplier and Industry Insights, as well as benchmarking and cost modelling in connection with WCL

• Example: Develop buying methodology, sources and visualisation with pareto views to guide users to value opportunities and increased agility, Market comparisons, External intel that can deliver structural value etc.

IDEAL BEHAVIORS

• Strategic, Systemic & creative Thinking & Entrepreneurial
• Strong Talent catalyst to bring the best out of people.
• Outstanding problem-solving and analytical skills (including interpretation and decision making)
• Strong Communication, Influencing skills & senior stakeholder management.
• High Initiative, Quick Learner, and Self-Starter
• Project management and planning

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

• Preferred 5 -10 years’ experience in a Procurement or Supply Chain roles either in Unilever / FMCG industry or in a large complex organisation with strong portfolio and market expertise.
• Consulting experience in Tier 1 consulting firms would be a plus.
• Logistics procurement knowledge in addition to strong program and project management skills.
• Strategy Development and Implementation with demonstrated success.
• Strong negotiation skills (Commercial and contractual)
• Familiarity with 3PL activity-based cost modelling and contracting strategies.
• Strong business and commercial acumen.
• Finance skills to be able to provide input on inflation impacts.
• Supply Market Intelligence, Analysis and value opportunity identification.
• Excellent critical thinking, analytical and story-telling skills to respond to multiple market/portfolio specific characteristics and influence change remotely.
• Strong process led with experience to land process transformation (Preferred)
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and peers effectively (Experience of working in cross-functional teams within a matrix environment – both F2F and virtually)
• Ability and drive to work alone and guide diverse teams, across different geographies.
• Technical skills such as GCP, SQL, PBI, prompt engineering will give an advantage.

D&I statement:

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

Unilever embraces diversity and encourages applicants from all walks of life. This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity