Associate Director, External Manufacturing Procurement di The Kraft Heinz Company

Description As the Associate Director of External Manufacturing Procurement, you will be responsible for all planning and sourcing activities for the assigned categories across the Kraft Heinz North American Zone (U.S. and Canada). You will maximise your experience and knowledge to coach and develop a team of category managers in building comprehensive strategies at the category level and implement the strategy through the sourcing process. You will manage key external manufacturing relationships as well as strategize and lead key negotiations. To be successful, the role requires a strategic procurement expert adept in the complexities related to external manufacturing to drive both financial and performance results. You will also manage key internal partners including Business Units, Operations, Finance, Quality, R&D, and Global Procurement teams. The role is ultimately responsible for full financial performance of the EM Business Unit portfolio as well as Productivity development and delivery. Essential Functions & Responsibilities Lead and facilitate the strategic sourcing process and category management of finished goods made externally.Perform market and industry analysis, external manufacturing (EM) research and review, supplier segmentation, sourcing events, analysis, negotiations, contracting, and implementation.Develop category strategy and ongoing category management resulting from sourcing activities to ensure the most effective supply base design aligned with business needs and priorities.Develop and use EM driven innovation opportunities and build platforms for transparency with Business Unit to help drive the growth agenda.Develop and build the EM Annual Operating Plan (AOP) including inflation, productivity, and cash.Lead supplier relationships within the category and own supplier collaboration initiativesStrategize and lead critical issues with EM partners on a variety of performance metrics such as attainment and capacity.Enable risk management practices and develop business continuity plans, including make vs. buy assessments within the respective categories, collaborating with supply chain development, network design, and operations.Be a thought-leader and enabler for continuous improvement of internal and external routines and business processes.Manage key cross functional partner relationships including Business Unit, Operations, Finance, Quality, and R&D to drive overall strategy execution.Own build and delivery productivity and cash targets in alignment with overarching goals and objectives, with a focus on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)Partner closely with R&D and other cross-functional teams on the development of the value engineering components of the productivity plan.Closely interact with the Procurement Global Category Leads/Director and other cross-functional senior leaders in the organization.Recruit, engage, develop, and retain impactful individuals who can bring the organization to the next level.Expected Experience & Required SkillsBachelor’s degree in supply chain management, finance, business, or related field. MBA and/or sophisticated Procurement qualifications preferred (CPM, CPIM, etc.). Candidates with a combination of extensive meaningful experience and education will be considered.Possess at least 7 to 10 years of experience in Procurement, preferably in External Manufacturing Procurement with relevant category expertise. Strong written, verbal, and analytical skills, as well as interpersonal and presentation skills.Have people management and executive stakeholder management experience.Effective negotiator and influencer with demonstrated examples with internal stakeholders and external suppliers/partners.Strong business acumen with the ability to understand and explain Procurement results and variances to non-Procurement audiences.Proven project management skills along with solid analytical and consultative skills; able to make sound, data-driven business decisions. Prior experience with business case development and multi-workstream project management is critical to success in this role.Experience in developing long-term business strategies and confidence when doing so.Extensive experience in the sourcing life cycle process and have a strong grasp of the tools needed to complete the process.Ability to multi-task, attention to detail, organized, outstanding customer service skills.Judgment to handle confidential information and complicated business situations; ability to lead and influence others; project management, problem solving, leadership and team building skills.Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook) and have an understanding for source-to-pay tools (SAP, Ariba, Workday, etc.).Work Environment & ScheduleThis position is considered a normal office environment with moderate travel to customer locations, stores, manufacturing facilities, etc.; offices are open workspaces. To create a more agile and modern workplace, we allow Chicago/Aon Center based employees to work virtually for up to two days each week and expect them to work in-person during the defined core days at their assigned work location at least three days per workweek.Location(s)Chicago/Aon Center