MARKET Category Procurement Assistant SKIN & HAIR

Job description

There has never been a more exciting time to be working in Procurement when you consider the sheer scale of what we are seeking to do in growing our business, whilst decoupling our environmental footprint from our growth and increasing our Positive social impact.

As Unilever Procurement adapts to the ever dynamic business environment, we will need to be agile in order to continue our track record of delivery in contributing to the top and bottom line. Inevitably, given the consistent and high quality of our delivery over the past few years, we will be asked to continue this rate of performance and indeed go over and above this standard to ensure the value provided is further enhanced across the scope of our remit.

As well as ensuring that we are best in class in delivering the basics, we also have to look to the future and continuously evolve to meet the needs of our changing environment - reinventing ourselves for sustained competitive advantage. And of course, we are only half of the picture. Our suppliers are at the heart of everything we do. We need to work more closely than ever with suppliers to co-create sustainable practices and bigger and better innovations.

This places great demands on the skills and expertise of all of us as Procurement professionals.

With C4G and 5S strategies introduced in 2017, the SKIN & HAIR Category has embarked on a great journey with exciting and challenging projects. The Category (circa 1.3b TO for a 650m€ Raw/Pack/FG spend) covers a variety of well-known brands such as Dove, Axe, Simple, TRESemme, Andrelon, Radox... used every day across Europe by millions of consumers.

JOB PURPOSE

The Category Procurement Assistant will support the Category Procurement Manager by being the interface between Portfolio Procurement Teams (buyers) & suppliers and our internal business partners, in order to introduce, in a timely manner, new raw and pack materials within the Unilever SC, at a competitive price, ensuring supplier selection is in line with our Procurement Strategies and with sufficient capacity for growth.

Key elements of the role are the support and co-ordination of the Innovation & Regulatory and Value Improvement Programs, through close co-operation with the Procurement teams, R&D, Brand Development (BD) and Supply Chain, with the 5S and C4G (Connected for Growth) framework.

The role requires development of good relationship management skills with internal customers, including the wider Supply Chain, Quality Assurance teams, R&D, Brand Development teams and Material Procurement Managers. It also offers the opportunity to build a network with the Global Category Procurement team as well as contact with multiple suppliers.

Due to the nature of this role and the importance in the business agenda, the person will get significant exposure to higher management and the role can be seen as a good step into a career within Procurement and Supply Chain.

WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE?

Operational (not exhaustive)

· Identify new raw and pack materials introduced by Innovation projects together with business partners
· Align supplier selection with Procurement strategies
· Brief Portfolio Procurement on upcoming innovations to get accurate quotes for the project
· Secure supplier capacity and capability for strategic growth
· Follow-up with Portfolio Procurement and suppliers to ensure contract creation and 1 st delivery in a timely manner
· Lead Procurement input for decision making at leadership team level (STM for example) e.g. pricing of materials, risk statements, lead times and financial impact
· Deliver the Targeted material cost Savings via Smart Buying and Smart Product (in category meetings such as the Blue funnel) and filling the pipeline for the value improvement workstream, in line with USLP strategy.
· Support organization of annual 5S workshops.
· Constantly monitor Gross Material Cost Impact and ensure business partners are clear on how much our savings program contribute to the GM ambition of the category.
· Appreciative of the value and impact of outstanding execution – an eagle eye for detail.

Mindset
· Be outstanding in idea generation, ideas (savings or disruptive innovations on raw and packaging materials) that are forward thinking and that contribute to creating sustained competitive advantage.
· Strong at selling ideas to his/her business partners, internally and externally, translating these into effective proposals conveying value and communicating it accordingly.
· Act as an entrepreneur, treats business as his/her own, sets trends and is willing to lead, follow or get out of the way.
· Behave as a Partner to Win ambassador and demonstrate the value Procurement adds to the business.
· Genuinely committed to Unilever's sustainably lead business model, connected with Unilever and the business agenda.
SKILLS YOU SHOULD HAVE


· Self Management (priority setting, risk analysis, resources)
· Take ownership and responsibility; have energy and drive
· Be result and solution oriented
· Networking and relationship management
· Excellent communication skills
· Analytical skills
· Drive for team alignment; be able to work in networks; be able to work independently
· Ability to work in virtual teams
· Project management skills
· Good understanding of business economics
· Supply Market Intelligence and Analysis - Collecting Relevant Information; Analysing Supply and Demand Market Behaviour and Understanding Key Cost Drivers and Price Trends
· Managing Alliances and Relationships (e.g. managing the Ongoing Relationship to Deliver Value to the Business)

EXPERIENCE YOU SHOULD HAVE

· Minimum 2 years experience in Procurement or Innovation Management preferably in FMCG.
· University/Bachelor degree or relevant experience – Engineering preferred

EXCITED ABOUT THE ROLE?
To apply, you must do so online. Please do not forget to upload your CV, latest PDP and a motivation letter. If you have been informed you are at risk of redundancy, please make sure to tick this box during your application. Please also update your letter of redundancy.

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 be applying for other positions.