Procurement Director - Innovation, Operations and Resilience EU

If you are in the Unilever Ice Cream business or consider choosing to work for the Unilever Ice Cream business, you will work for the Global, leading Ice Cream player with €7.9bn Turn Over in 2023. The Ice Cream business is operating in a highly attractive category, as we are part of the 1 trillion snacking and refreshment industry, growing consistently at high pace. We have strong brands equities: 5 of top 10 selling brands including Wall’s, Magnum, Ben &Jerry’s. We are investing to unlock the full growth potential of Ice Cream as a standalone entity, once we separate from Unilever, which is planned to happen by November 2025.

Ice Cream has distinct characteristics from Unilever’s other operating businesses and the growth potential of Ice Cream will be better delivered under a different ownership structure. As Ice Cream company we are committed to developing and nurturing talent within our Ice Cream company. You will have ample options for career growth and exploration, allowing you for you to explore roles and opportunities across the new organisation. Your career development will be a priority for us, and we are dedicated to supporting your growth journey within the new company. We hope that you will want to build the new chapter of our Ice Cream history together with us.

Unilever Ice Cream is the largest global Ice Cream Company in the world, with over 100 years of experience delivering a diverse range of indulgent, yet responsible, craft food experiences and treats delighting consumers. Committed to innovation, quality, and sustainability we have 35 brands, including 3 one billion Euro brands (Magnum, Wall’s, Ben & Jerry’s), a strong presence in over 60 countries, generating annual revenue of over $8 billion. All brands are driven to transform moments into memories through indulgent yet responsibly made and marketed products. We have a well-developed strategy to deliver growth and value creation which is clear on where to play and how to win.

We turn the ordinary into the extraordinary by designing unique and innovative Ice Cream experiences that make life taste better, creating joyful experiences. In our Ice Cream business, we’re crafting the future through innovation and imaginative minds, creating unique products. We spark moments of happiness for people and within the communities where we operate. However, it is not as simple as it may seem. As Ice Cream makers we are serious about happiness. With warm hearts, we create the coolest products.

JOB PURPOSE

Deputy Head of Procurement EU and Spain Center of Excellence lead, taking responsibility for Europe BU Ice Cream Operational activities, supporting in day-to-day operations, ensuring efficient workflow, assisting with strategic plan execution, Team coordination and helping to achieve the organization's growth objectives.

The Procurement Director – Market Operations & Resilience will be part of the Procurement ICLT, coordinating procurement strategies with Head of Procurement EU and E2E business partnering the Ice Cream Europe Busines Unit (2.9Bn€ turnover) interacting and driving cross functions activities with Brand, SC, R&D and Finance Teams to drive operational efficiency and deliver impactful Procurement P&L results through strong supply strategies developed with Portfolios covering Innovation, Sustainability, Quality, Competitive Sourcing & Service Optimization.

If you have a founder mentality, willing to embark in the exciting Ice Cream New Company journey and join a strong creative multicultural team, join us!

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Contribute and own Ice Cream Supply Chain transformation with Procurement Value Driven ESG Approach to support Founding the Ice Cream Company and Industry leading productivity to grow our market shares and become the world best snacking company

• Support the New Ice Cream Company procurement organization transformation to meet EU BU strategic growth objectives and strategic plans execution
• Connect the business strategy and IC EU BU priorities with the procurement strategy developed by the portfolio groups, engaging with the global procurement organization
• Effective team management, problem-solving skills, and the ability to meet performance targets. Monitor and analyze operational performance metrics

• Business partner EU BU Ice Cream leadership in costs optrimization value creation (Product Logic, Smart Specs, CM, E2E Operations with suppliers) and P&L delivery
• Deliver business goals to enhance market shares growth and Drive industry competitive advantage through OTIF Innovation, Material NMI, Service, Quality and F4G
• Build strong global Procurement and suppliers’ networks to deliver fast and brilliant savings / innovation projects
• Lead continuous F4G cost competitiveness pipeline plan for re-investment in our brands
• Accountable for forecast of savings, inflation and net impact in the P&L
• Monitor capacity and capability at suppliers in line with the Business Plan to assure continuity of supply and lead material resiliency strategy development for Europe; identify and follow up on opportunities to add flexibility to the supply chain.
• Able to quickly build knowledge on various buying portfolios to take fast decisions to ensure business continuity
• Build a solid network within the company and with the main suppliers
• Lead Quality Reviews and strategic improvement programs with suppliers together with Product Group Quality.
• Drive short- and long-term service and quality improvement projects together with suppliers.
• Lead the talent development, workload and priority management
• Ensure that the team is giving the right level of support and responsiveness on issues related to quality and services from the suppliers of the categories
• Support the relationship Development with strategic suppliers in support of the European Ice Cream Business
• Business partner IC key indirect procurement projects for MBS and Logistics portfolios
• Establish clear and measurable goals that challenge procurement to continuously improve; use financial and quantitative data to manage performance and deliver the financial targets

WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED:

SKILLS & LEADERSHIP BEHAVIORS REQUIRED:

• Excellent leadership, interpersonal, team building, coordination, and communication skills
• Consumer and Customer Focus: both internal and external Unilever
• Accountability and Responsibility: taking responsibility for IC EU BU overall performance, working in partnership and teamwork with Internal and external organizations to deliver results
• Bias for Action: being able to work independently, with a clear pro-active approach.
• Drive for results - Is passionate about and perseveres in the pursuit of challenging stretch goals. Demonstrates energy, drive and enthusiasm when striving to accomplish and improve results
• Managing change - Develops a shared vision and strategy for change. Delivers change whilst managing the interface between “day to day” and improvement projects. Tenacious in the pursuit of change goals
• Drive Change Management initiatives, intelligent risk taking while managing risk, managerial courage and willing to make hard, fact-based decisions - comfortable with ambiguity
• Problem solving & decision making - Defines problems, systematically gathers and analyses data, identifies cause & effects and establishes root causes & achievable solutions. Makes good and timely decisions
• Maintain, build, and grow supplier relationships, cultural sensitivity / communication / global thinking
• Interpersonal effectiveness - Flexible use of accomplished interpersonal behaviors that facilitate in building trust and engagement amongst others whilst reducing the opportunity for conflict

EXPERIENCES & QUALIFICATIONS:   

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Procurement, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred. Minimum of 10 years of experience in procurement, with at least 5 years in a leadership role within portfolio or category, in FMCG context
• Proven track record in strategic sourcing, supplier management, and contract negotiation
• Good interpersonal skills for business influencing and ability to interact with senior stakeholders effectively and efficiently across the company
• Demonstrate the different standards of leadership, such as talent catalyst, business acumen, agility, and passion for high performance
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of procurement professionals and Promote a culture of accountability, continuous learning, and excellence within the procurement organization
• Effective trouble shooter – able to remain calm in times of crisis.
• Good analytical skills, combined with a pro-active attitude and clear skills to enable and lead/drive decision making processes
• Strong project management skills, with experience in leading complex, multi-countries procurement initiatives
• Excellent organizational and multitasking abilities
• Deep understanding of the Ice Cream ecosystem

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. 

For the recruitment of this position, we would like to emphasize that local conditions apply to the position and for this vacancy in principle we will first consider candidates based in the Netherlands. If you are based outside of the Netherlands and you are interested to apply, please feel free to do so but we can only take your application on if a decision is made to also recruit outside of the Netherlands.

Please be aware if you are applying for this role from outside the Netherlands, if successful, your internal application will be treated as a self-initiated Change Location Outside of Country (CLOC) transfer.

You will be eligible for relocation support in the form of flights (to NL), immigration and tax support (in the year of move) and a lump sum in cash to be paid out during the first salary paymentin the Netherlands. No further relocation support will be provided in a self-initiated CLOC. 

ARE YOU EXCITED TO CRAFT THE ICE CREAM FUTURE?

To apply, you must do so online. Please do not forget to upload your CV, latest EoY and a motivation letter.  If you have been informed that you are at risk of redundancy, please make sure to tick this box during your application. Please also attach your letter of redundancy to the application.

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.

By applying for this vacancy, you are confirming that you have made your Line Manager aware of your application and that you are at a point in your career with Unilever where it is appropriate for you to apply for other positions.

Disclaimer

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, or any other basis protected by applicable law, and will not be discriminated against based on disability. 

Unilever is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion and diversity 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. At Unilever we are interested in every individual bringing their ‘Whole Self’ to work and this includes you! Thus if you require any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.