3PM Procurement Assistant Manager

Job description

Local Procurement Manager

Location: Leatherhead

Salary/WL: Up to £39,000 + Excellent benefits package. Competitive pension scheme, bonus scheme, Bupa Healthcare, on site gym, onsite Unilever shop and flexible working arrangements.
Travel: max 15%

Main job purpose:

The Local Procurement Manager, works within the European External Manufacturing team, which is part of the global Unilever Procurement and Supply Chain organization.
The role reports to the Portfolio Manager – 3rd Party Manufacturing Europe and is seen as the Procurement business partner to the Country supply chain team.

Key responsibility areas include:

· Develop strategic principles for sourcing network changes involving external manufacturing partners with the Country Supply Chain team to meet Unilever ambitions while considering external commitments such as the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan
· Build market knowledge on trends, market capabilities, strategy shifts, geo-political influences to provide market insight to internal partners and support strategic decision (bringing the outside in)
· Analyze production cost and craft benchmarks for make or buy decisions together with the supply chain and finance teams
· Prepare negotiation strategy and handle negotiations jointly with the Country Supply Chain teams
· Deliver on key financial targets such as gross margin improvement through savings and cash flow improvement by applying for example smart buying tools
· Leading supplier relationships as first point of contact and developing them
· Scouting for new suppliers that are fit for purpose and in line with the Supply Chain strategy
· First point of contact for cross functional teams as quality, R&D, legal, Finance etc. as projects require
This role requires a drive for continuous improvement, through applied market knowledge, supplier development and external/internal stakeholder's management as well as Supply Chain E2E understanding.
A curious mindset and out-of-the attitude is vital, as a lot of the role content is linked to developing new supply relationship models. Additionally, an affinity for numbers and financial flows combined with strong influencing and presentation skills is critical.

Expirience and skills:

· Experience in business management, preferable in Procurement or Supply Chain
· Master's Degree preferred
· Proven experience in Procurement or Supply Chain with a Finance experience being a plus
· Strong Negotiation skills
· Self-starter mentality
· Strong analytical capabilities (incl. finance)
· Experience in Cross Functional working
· Experience and understanding of business processes and SAP systems
· Ability to interact with people from different cultures and backgrounds
· Strong communications skills and ability to engage and influence others
· Strong ability in handling multiple stakeholders, projects and deadlines, with strong analytical & negotiation skills and “can do” mentality
· Appetite for change and eagerness to collaborating with partners to motivate change & improvements