Part of the Supply Chain family, Procurement is responsible for over 30B Euro of material and services spend globally with more than 60,000 suppliers, over half of them in MBS. Getting the right services and materials, sustainably sourced and ensuring responsible procurement is critical to ensuring our brands with purpose grow. Our teams work closely with the business to understand stakeholders needs, bring innovation to meet changing consumer, employees and customers needs, and drive financial value for Unilever through competitive buying. We’re at the forefront of digital procurement, bringing new tools and analytics to drive data-based decisions.

Our strategy is ‘Procurement with Purpose’ and focuses on buying responsibly, buying better, and growing together with partners around the world. Our ambition is based on three key drivers: being Purpose-Led, Value-Driven, and Future-Fit.

ABOUTMBS

MBS, Unilever’s Marketing and Business Services Procurement team, is responsible for Unilever’s sourcing and supplier strategy and execution for all third party spend across Marketing, Business Services, and IT, supporting the business requirements of Brands, Divisions, Markets, and functions to drive 4G growth through strategic supplier management, cost and value management, sustainability and innovation. The team manages an annual spend of ~9B Euro with a supplier base of about 40,000.

Within MBS, the Global Strategic Sourcing Lead IT is responsible for development and implementation of the sourcing strategy for IT in the areas of CD, Marketing, ecommerce, as well as Data & Analytics. This role will be business-partnering the IT VPs in this area.

You will be fully responsible for all global IT spend in the areas where the mentioned VPs are responsible. This includes but is not limited to for example Software, Hardware, Services, Infrastructure, etc, total spend adding up to around 300mE p.a.

In this portfolio, Unilever is more and more embarking on long term strategic relationships with global IT companies. The Global Strategic Sourcing Lead IT needs to be able to build and drive these relationships with these companies, and with key people in these companies over many years in a non-confrontative way, while still being able to represent and defend Unilever’s interests.

The Global Strategic Sourcing Lead IT will increase effectiveness of our procurement by creating an expertise-driven model, streamlining accountabilities, building capabilities, and leveraging knowledge, relationships, and business strategies across markets.

He/she will increase efficiency by driving scale where it makes sense, decreasing fragmentation, pooling expertise across geographies, prioritizing higher impact spend areas, leveraging technology and data, and drive performance that unlocks growth for Unilever.

The role will foster and build a culture of collaboration and agility to enable an efficient project roll out. It will ensure close alignment in strategy with MBS directors and Market Procurement Directors by defining and utilizing a robust support network for the whole team and providing clarity on the ways of works and roles and responsibilities.

Key Accountabilities:

• Understand the business needs and corresponding IT needs related to Go to Market/Customer Development, Marketing and Data & Analytics spend portfolios, and bring deep expertise and insights across the value chain and supply base to translate the business requirements into effective future-fit procurement strategies

• Deliver transformational sourcing strategies, operating models, and supplier relationships in close collaboration with the strategy & insights team to redefine our procurement approach in the areas of Go to Market/Customer Development, Marketing and Data & Analytics to drive growth in accordance with our plans.

• As all solutions are becoming more and more digital, develop an integrated procurement approach together with Marketing procurement for ecommerce and digital Marketing.

• Deliver against financial targets and other KPIs (including value delivery) as per business plan objectives, accountable for delivery of results from all markets across the globe, Performance Management Units, Divisions and functions globally

• Lead Supplier relationships and implement Partners with Purpose strategy, balancing a portfolio of global and local suppliers

• Lead a geographically dispersed team to inspire, develop, and support our people, deliver results, and create and promote a healthy business culture

• Liaise with internal and external stakeholders across the globe, to support business, market, MBS and Procurement priorities

• Lead rigorous execution of the priorities and transformation initiatives across the globe

• Ensure Portfolio fundamentals (i.e. data consistency, data insights, recurring stakeholder communications, contracts, etc.) are all put in place

• Future proof the portfolio by driving digital approaches and supporting the MBS digital agenda

• Lead internal performance management and reporting including creation and stewardship of relevant key performance indicators

Experience Required:

Qualification/experience

• Procurement experience, including proven and deep experience preferably in IT procurement, alternatively in related field or indirect procurement portfolio’s

• Strategic sourcing, portfolio strategy expertise, with experience in managing complex portfolio/category, at global or multi-regional level

• Expert in negotiation and contracting

• Understanding of supply market, value chain, and FMCG knowledge. Knowledge of Go to Market/ Data + Analytics / Customer development portfolios and supply markets would be beneficial.

• Experience in strategic supplier relationship management

• Experience on large-scale project management

• Demonstrated and proven leadership capabilities to lead a virtual global team

• Experience in shaping and leading transformational business process reengineering, with experience driving Change Management initiatives.

• Knowledge of and passion for sustainability, including social sustainability

General Skills & Competencies

• A true team player

• Being able to work with strategic suppliers in an open and truly partnership approach, while still strongly representing Unilever’s interests

• Ability to work under pressure and in a complex global environment balancing a broad spectrum of stakeholder requirements

• Comfortable working in conditions of ambiguity and leading through constant change

• Able to create and drive adoption and execution of a shared vision and strategy for change.

• Ability to interact with senior stakeholders effectively and efficiently to understand their needs and deliver effective balanced solutions

• Delivers change whilst managing the interface between “day to day” and improvement projects.

• Passion for continuous improvement

• Fluent in English, strong verbal and written communication skills, including creation and delivery of effective presentations

• High financial and business acumen

• Strong in selling ideas and concepts

• Inspiring, motivational, and accountable people leader, able to lead remote and cross-cultural teams and connect people and ideas

• Strong in project and time management for complex global projects

• Stakeholder management and people skills

• Passion and practical creativity

• Tenacious and resilient in the pursuit of challenging goals

Travel:

Regular international travel is required. Depending on location, not projected to require more than 10-20% on average.

Contacts:

Internal:

Procurement:

• Chief Procurement Officer and Unilever Procurement Leadership Team

• MBS VP and MBS Leadership Team

• Sourcing teams

• Supplier Operations in UniOps

• Procurement Strategy and Insights

• Procurement Partners and Purpose team

Business partners:

• HR

• Finance

• Supply Chain

• Legal

• UniOps

External:

• External Partners

• Suppliers

• Advisors and benchmarking organizations

Reporting Channel:

Reporting into IT Global Procurement Director

Leads a team geographically dispersed across globe, in addition dotted lines within the newly created Geo-IT procurement team.

Diversity & Inclusion

While we have an idea of the experience required to succeed in this role, we have no pre-requisites. 

Diversity at Unilever is about inclusion, embracing differences, creating possibilities, and growing together for better business performance. We embrace diversity in our workforce. 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