Associate Director, Procurement - Apollo & Doe

Job Description

Job Purpose

As the Associate Procurement Director for Apollo & DoE, you will primarily be focused on the end-to-end procurement activities related to Kraft Heinz's multi-year warehouse network restructuring and carbon emissions reduction projects, particularly the sourcing strategy related to the recent Department of Energy grant. You will be responsible for supporting the execution of projects centered on the grant which may include the designing, executing, and delivery of a well-thought-out procurement strategy that meets business needs and objectives while driving effective and efficient value. You will interact with a cross functional team dedicated to the grant as well as work directly with government officials. In all project roles, you will manage key supplier relationships, strategize, and lead critical negotiations, enabling the company to meet strategic objectives and sustainability commitments. You will be accountable for measuring the performance of these strategies and overcoming business challenges while working collaboratively with the Business Units, Operations, Finance, Procurement Sustainability, and Global Procurement. In this role, you will interact and collaborate with senior leaders within the business units, particularly the SVP Supply, the CPO of the Zone and Global, Head of NA Logistics & Planning, Heads of Finance, and other members of the North American Leadership Team (NALT).

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day Procurement responsibilities for assigned projects, including developing and implementing sourcing strategy, negotiating contracts, performing make vs buy analysis, developing alternative sources of supply, and troubleshooting supply interruptions.

• Manage contractual agreement negotiations to ensure that they meet business needs, adhere to corporate standards, and financially deliver against our value commitments. This includes assessing and advising on agreements' financial impact and risks, including early terminations, providing a long-range view of contract terminations, and estimating the lead times needed to procure alternatives. Serve as a subject matter expert (SME) in meetings with suppliers, bringing in experience from other organizations or suppliers to appropriately challenge and build effective project plans.

• Deliver productivity savings and develop a continuous productivity pipeline of savings to ensure future delivery of the strategic plan commitments related to the P&L and the balance sheet. Focus efforts and project identification on total cost of ownership (TCO), strategic sourcing strategy, and Capex of the future project (10YP).

• Develop and manage annual budgets and monthly forecasts for cash flow, purchase price variance, and other financial metrics related to the assigned projects.

• Lead the rollout of new SRM and supplier performance processes, leveraging strategic relationships to garner competitive advantage in the marketplace.

• Utilize zero-based budgeting as a tool to maximize operating efficiency.

• Review, monitor, and enhance compliance and controls related to company policies and reporting.

Key Outputs and Deliverables:

• Responsible for effective project management of critical initiatives with suppliers related to capex purchasing, warehouse network restructuring, and carbon emissions projects. Includes leading the project through critical financial approval processes, i.e., MAC and CAR.

• Foster mutually beneficial relationships with core preferred suppliers critical to executing Kraft Heinz's business strategy. Actively develop the external supply base to create competition and provide sustainable sourcing solutions for current and future projects.

• Foster strong working relationships with the commercial aspects of the business and leaders in operations, finance, and procurement.

• Oversee the critical communication for assigned projects and savings.

People Management Responsibilities

• Team (salaried): 1 direct.

Expected Experience & Required Skills

• A minimum bachelor's degree is required, and MBA and advanced procurement qualifications are preferred (CPM, CPIM, etc.).

• Possess at least 7 to 10 years of Procurement experience, with a minimum of 5 years of Indirect Procurement experience.

• Experience building high-performing teams by setting clear direction and priorities, leaning into coach and guide, empowering the team, and driving accountability.

• Strong Business acumen with the ability to understand and explain Procurement results and variances to non-procurement and government officials/audiences.

• Proven project management and solid analytical and consultative skills. Prior experience with business case development and multi-workstream project management is critical to success in this role.

• Results-oriented, adept at solving complex challenges and dealing with ambiguity; anticipates and adjusts for problems and obstacles in the team or the organization.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; proven track record of building effective business relationships. Effective stakeholder management skills, especially with senior leadership.

• Effective negotiator and influencer with demonstrated examples with internal stakeholders and external suppliers/partners.

• Strong strategic thinker who considers various perspectives and impacts of issues and can project them into the future.

• Ability to quickly develop organizational agility, e.g., knows how to get things done through formal and informal channels and is an effective delegator.

• Ability to prioritize your time and others' time on what's most important while eliminating roadblocks for the team, creating focus.

Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook) and have an understanding for source-to-pay tools (SAP, Ariba, Workday, etc.).

Location(s)

Chicago/Aon Center

Kraft Heinz is an Equal Opportunity Employer that prohibits discrimination or harassment of any type. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Applicants who require an accommodation to participate in the job application or hiring process should contact NATAI@kraftheinz.com .