Procurement Portfolio Lead for Workplace Services

ABOUT UNILEVER

With 3.4 billion people in over 190 countries using our products every day, Unilever is a business that makes a real impact on the world. Work on brands that are loved and improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. Our strategy begins with a purpose that places consumers at the heart of everything we do: Brighten everyday life for all. Our goal is to deliver best-in-class performance with market-making, unmissably superior brands. At the heart of what we do is our people – we believe that when our people work with purpose, we will create a better business and a better world. At Unilever, your career will be a unique journey, grounded in our collaborative and flexible working environment. Our organizational ambition centers around creating workplaces that foster equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging across all aspects of our business. We don't believe in the 'one size fits all' approach and instead we will equip you with the tools you need to shape your own future.

ABOUT PROCUREMENT

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. 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.

JOB PURPOSE:

Find your purpose at Unilever. You will lead innovations, big and small, that will make our business win and grow. You will learn from brilliant business leaders and colleagues in a truly global and diverse culture to ultimately become a better you.

If you are a strategic, systemic thinker with an entrepreneurial mindset to push the teams 3 steps ahead towards excellence, a leader seasoned with procurement experience, capable of bringing the best out of people with excellent influencing skills, then this role is just for you.

You will own and drive a key enabling portfolio for Unilever contributing directly to the lean agile supply chain and net productivity pillars of Unilever's Growth Action Plan.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

Unilever's Marketing and Business Services (MBS) Procurement team is responsible for Unilever's sourcing strategy and execution for all third-party spend across Marketing, Business Services, and Information Technology categories of spend.

The prime objective is to source for business growth and productivity of brands, markets, and functions through strategic supplier management, cost and value management, and innovation, aligned with Unilever's Compass and the Growth Action Plan. The MBS team manages an annual spend of ~10B Euros with a supplier base of about 35,000.

Within Business Services, the 'Workplace' portfolio supports various areas of people experience 3rd party spend including facility services, travel, and fleet. The Procurement Portfolio Lead for Workplace Services role focuses on the procurement strategy for Facility Services, Real Estate, and Workplace fit-outs, with flexibility for deployment on other Workplace and MBS programmes.

In addition, the role is expected to deliver the strategy in the United Kingdom & Ireland, one of Unilever's key geographies in terms of global stakeholder presence and spend.

The Procurement Portfolio Lead for Workplace Services is responsible for the development and implementation of the Procurement-as-a-Service (PaaS) programme for their categories globally. The PaaS programme aims to include much of the Business Services spend as a newly formed way to operate procurement by leveraging third-party procurement expertise, retaining a focused group of Unilever resources among which the Procurement Portfolio Lead for Workplace Services will ensure the programme delivers to its ambitions.

The role will have 1 direct report at assistant manager level based in Warsaw, Poland, to support with preparing the strategies, executing large contract negotiations, and securing data and analytics for the respective categories of spend.

The role will need to build a culture of collaboration and support with internal and external stakeholders, including supplier partner relationships at (sub-)C-suite level.

WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE:

Key Accountabilities:

1. Define the global multi-year procurement strategy for the assigned portfolios, coming from a deep understanding of spend, supply markets, and stakeholder requirements.
2. Negotiate contracts with and manage delivery of the strategy for large global contracts.
3. Drive execution of the strategy with stakeholders, procurement peers in Unilever, the PaaS provider(s), and strategic suppliers.
4. Deliver against financial targets and other KPIs (including value delivery) as per business plan objectives.
5. Lead direct reports and other MBS team members to inspire, develop, and deliver results, and create and promote a healthy business culture.
6. Work in tandem with Strategic Insights teams for external credible market data and supplier segmentation, and with the Vendor Management Office to drive stellar supplier performance.
7. Fluently follow the MBS standards and policies relative to 7-step sourcing and compliance.

The Procurement Portfolio Lead for Workplace Services will interface with the following stakeholders:

1. Global Procurement leadership team.
2. (Executive) VPs in Business Operations and Supply Chain.
3. Procurement teams in markets and Procurement-as-a-Service providers to land the strategies through collaborative procurement projects.
4. Key Suppliers at (sub-)C-suite level.
5. Industry and insights resources.

WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED

Experience & Qualifications:

1. Extensive experience in a strategic procurement role either in Unilever or other large complex organizations.
2. Strong business and commercial acumen; portfolio knowledge is a plus.
3. Experience of working in cross-functional teams within a matrix environment – both face to face and virtually.
4. Proven experience in supplier relationship management.
5. Proven experience on large scale project management.
6. Fluent in written and spoken business English.

Skills:

1. High initiative, quick learner, and self-starter.
2. Ability and drive to work independently and lead diverse teams across different geographies.
3. Excellent analytical, strategic thinking, and story-telling skills to respond to multiple market/portfolio specific characteristics and influence change remotely.
4. Ability to interact with senior stakeholders effectively and efficiently functionally (including Business Services, Finance, Legal, Service Lines amongst others) to understand their needs and deliver effective balanced solutions.
5. Comfortable working in conditions of ambiguity and learning through change.
6. Passion for continuous improvement and practical creativity.
7. Inspiring, motivational, and accountable people leader, able to lead remote and cross-cultural teams and connect people and ideas.
8. Robust verbal and written communication skills, including creation and delivery of effective presentations as an added advantage.
9. Digital and analytics savvy.

LEADERSHIP:

You are energized by delivering fantastic results. You are an example to others – both your results and your resilience. You are constantly on the lookout for better ways to do things, engaging and collaborating with others along the way.

As an individual, you are responsible for your own wellbeing and delivering high standards of work. You must also focus on the Consumer and what they need. You are humble and have your head up, looking around to interpret evidence and data smartly, spot issues and opportunities to make things better.

SOL (Standards of Leadership) Behaviours

1. PASSION FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE: Takes personal responsibility and accountability for execution and results. Generates intensity and focus to motivate people to deliver results at speed.
2. PERSONAL MASTERY: Sets high standards for themselves. Actively builds own wellbeing and resilience.
3. CONSUMER & CUSTOMER LOVE: Brings the voice of the consumer into everything we do, always.
4. PURPOSEFUL IMPACT: Has humility, understanding that leadership is service to others, inside and outside Unilever.
5. AGILITY: Explores the world around them, continually learning and developing their skills.
6. TALENT CATALYST: Inspire people to grow, with support and honesty.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Hybrid work and flexibility.
• Opportunities for the development and improvement of qualifications.
• Sharing the cost of professional training & courses.
• Benefits: life insurance, private medical care, pension fund, sharing the cost of sports activities, Benefits System – Cafeteria and many others.
• Extra days off to take care of yourself and others.
• Unilever store - Our products at attractive prices.

Equal Opportunity Employer: Unilever is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, or any other basis protected by applicable law, and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

Unilever embraces diversity and encourages applicants from all walks of life. 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.

Unilever is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion, and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever, we are interested in every individual bringing their 'Whole Self' to work and this includes you Thus if you require any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.