About Our Client

Our Client is a leading global food and beverage company operating in three health-focused, fast-growing, and on-trend categories. With a strong focus on innovation, efficiency, and sustainability, they have established themselves as a trusted partner in the market.

About The Role

The Cycle Procurement Lead is responsible for pro-actively managing efficiently and developing the supplier base, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and third sector and voluntary sector organizations while identifying and managing any supply risks or value add opportunities.

Main Responsibilities:

• Delivering improvements in the procurement operations at the Organization 
• Interact with a large network of procurement leadership in the Organization worldwide
• Challenge the organization’s/end-user’s requirements critically for need, cost-effectiveness, and corporate social responsibility/sustainability issues;
• Identify and engage other subject matter experts as required (e.g. end user, legal, finance etc.)
• Develop a procurement strategy which requires consideration of existing and/or collaborative contracts;
• Ensure that all procurement processes are compliant with relevant legal and policy obligations
• Understand and comply with relevant legal obligations relating to the goods, services or works to be purchased (e.g. environmental/health and safety legislation)
• Ensure that procurement decisions take account of wider policy requirements and are aligned with organizational objectives;
• Conduct any procurement clarification required prior to contract award;
• Finalize the contractual agreement and formal contract documentation;
• Establish a clear audit trail (including recording the contract on the organization’s contract register)
• Notifying the outcome of bids promptly and, within the bounds of commercial confidentiality, debriefing suppliers on the outcome of the bidding process to facilitate better performance on future occasions
• Ensuring that adequate contract and supplier management arrangements are in place, supporting supplier management as appropriate 
• Sharing knowledge to develop best practice
• Handling Freedom of Information requests on procurement matters in accordance with organizational policies.

Requirements

• A master’s degree in preferably business administration, economics or supply chain
• Over 15 years of experience as a category buyer in preferably foods or FMCG
• Experience with category sourcing and/or demand management
• Proven results in leading procurement excellence projects, within a worldwide operating company
• Strong stakeholder-management and analytical abilities
• Lead a portfolio of strategic projects, manages and coach’s cross functional & diverse project teams
• Develop leading edge suppliers to sustain Organization’s growth ensuring dedicated resources maximizing value creation through selective SRM
• Lead joint improvement activities with strategic suppliers and can measure their top & bottom line contribution
• Deliver opportunities through improved customer and supplier experience, digitalization and business transformation maximizing innovation & value creation through selective SRM
• Recognized as a reliable and trusted colleague with high level networking skills, in business and lobbying environments
• Deliver under challenging conditions the most valuable option satisfying the business and consumers
• Manage, monitor & ensure Cycles & Procurement performance versus estimations for a global category across several WWBUs and identifies new external best practices to drive competitive advantage
• Explore and drive breakthrough total cost of ownership initiatives and cash flow improvement projects to maximize value creation in the long term