Procurement Manager - Ingredients

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At Nestle USA, we're all working towards the same goal - to delight and deliver for our consumers. With a rich portfolio of beloved brands, including DiGiorno, Toll House, and Coffee mate, in 97% of U.S. households, we have a unique opportunity - and responsibility - to be there for every moment in our consumers' lives.

Joining Nestle means becoming part of an inclusive workplace that inspires innovation, encourages strategic thinking and creativity, and celebrates your achievements. No matter where you work within the organization, you are empowered to challenge the status quo, embrace risk-taking, and pioneer new ideas. Our supportive and collaborative environment encourages bold ambitions and continuous learning so that everyone can grow and thrive.

This position is not eligible for Visa Sponsorship.

The Ingredients Procurement Manager leads a team of Procurement Specialists focused on Ingredient categories. They provide guidance, support, and strategic direction to align with the goals of the function and the business. Responsibilities include maintaining procurement category strategies, achieving savings targets, managing procurement risks, and driving Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives. The Procurement Manager serves as an escalation point for their team and collaborates with cross-functional teams and stakeholders to meet business needs, support continuous improvement, and execute procurement category strategies. This role involves setting goals, allocating resources, and ensuring team objectives are met. The Ingredients Procurement Manager is expected to follow Nestle's Ways Of Leading to enable exceptional leadership within their team.

Job Duties/Deliverables:

Category Management

• Developing and implementing procurement strategies in partnership with Business Partners & Nestrade (a global trading company within the Nestle group) to identify and select suppliers that meet the organization's needs in terms of quality, cost, and delivery. This involves conducting market research and evaluating supplier capabilities. Above market category negotiations flow through NesTrade.
• Managing relationships with suppliers to ensure timely delivery of goods and services, resolve any issues or disputes, and maintain a strong supplier base. This includes monitoring supplier performance, conducting supplier audits, and implementing improvement plans when necessary.
• Identifying cost-saving opportunities and implementing strategies to optimize procurement spend. This involves analyzing pricing trends, negotiating favorable terms and conditions, and implementing cost reduction initiatives.
• Identifying and mitigating risks associated with the procurement process, such as supply chain disruptions, quality issues, and compliance risks. This involves implementing risk assessment procedures, developing contingency plans, and ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulations.
• Collaborating with internal stakeholders, such as Procurement Business Partners, Technical Applications Group, Quality, Finance, Operations, and Legal departments, to understand their procurement needs and align procurement strategies with overall business objectives. This includes participating in cross-functional teams and providing procurement expertise and guidance.
• Continuously improving procurement processes and systems to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and increase productivity. This involves analyzing current processes, identifying areas for improvement, and implementing best practices and automation tools.
• Promoting supplier diversity and sustainability initiatives by identifying and engaging with diverse suppliers and implementing sustainable procurement practices.
• Analyzing procurement data, such as spend analysis, supplier performance metrics, and market trends, to identify opportunities for improvement and provide regular reports to management.
• Ensuring compliance with internal policies and procedures, as well as relevant laws and regulations, such as ethical sourcing practices, anti-corruption laws, and data privacy regulations.

Leadership

• Ensure the new team members gets the necessary training to integrate into the team.
• Responsible for setting performance expectations, providing feedback, and conducting performance evaluations. They should regularly communicate with employees about their performance, identify areas for improvement, and recognize and reward achievements. Employee development:
• Responsible for identifying and supporting the development needs of their employees. This may involve creating individual development plans, providing training opportunities, mentoring, and coaching to help employees enhance their skills and reach their career goals.
• Work with their team members to set clear and achievable goals that align with the overall organizational objectives. They should ensure that goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART), and provide guidance and support to help employees achieve them.
• Create a positive and engaging work environment. They should foster a sense of belonging, promote teamwork and collaboration, and recognize and appreciate the contributions of their team members. This helps to boost morale, motivation, and productivity.
• Identify and develop potential successors within their team or department. They should assess employee skills and potential, provide growth opportunities, and prepare employees for future leadership roles.

Critical Experiences/Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Economics, or a related field.
• Minimum 7 years of experience in Strategic Buying, supplier relationship management, and managing financial business impacts of decisions.
• Proven results with purchase price variance excellence, managing financial impacts and communication with functional teams and leadership.
• Strong understanding and demonstration of procurement processes, category management, and supplier relationship management.
• Proven ability to create strong and comprehensive category strategies that drive savings, innovation, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) benefits to the businesses they support.
• Ability to independently navigate complex problems and make decisions to change processes to drive improvements with cross functional teams considering end to end impacts and make decisions that drive value for the businesses they support.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain relationships with internal stakeholders and external suppliers.
• Ability to coach, review, and delegate work to direct reports, mentoring and helping them to build capability.

Skills

• Strong strategic thinking with skills in analysis, problem-solving, project management, and negotiation, focused on continuous improvement.
• Ability to analyze information and present findings clearly.
• Skilled in managing change and navigating uncertainty to find solutions, both independently and with teams.
• Excellent communication skills, capable of collaborating across different areas and influencing others with integrity.
• Proficiency in using SAP, Microsoft Excel, Prism, Powerpoint, Word, and Power BI
• Prior People Leadership experience preferred

#procurement2025

It is our business imperative to remain a very inclusive workplace.

To our veterans and separated service members, you're at the forefront of our minds as we recruit top talent to join Nestle. The skills you've gained while serving our country, such as flexibility, agility, and leadership, are much like the skills that will make you successful in this role. In addition, with our commitment to an inclusive work environment, we recognize the exceptional engagement and innovation displayed by individuals with disabilities. Nestle seeks such skilled and qualified individuals to share our mission where you'll join a cohort of others who have chosen to call Nestle home.

The Nestle Companies are equal employment opportunity employers. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Prior to the next step in the recruiting process, we welcome you to inform us confidentially if you may require any special accommodations in order to participate fully in our recruitment experience. Contact us at accommodations@nestle.com or please dial 711 and provide this number to the operator: 1-800-321-6467.

This position is not eligible for Visa Sponsorship.

Review our applicant privacy notice before applying at https://www.nestlejobs.com/privacy.

Job Requisition:356581