Assistant Procurement Manager, Food Ingredients

Join us as Assistant Procurement Manager, Food Ingredients

JOB PURPOSE Part of the Supply Chain family, Procurement is responsible for over 30B Euro of material and services spent 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, employee and customer 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.

Unilever is the place where you can bring your purpose to life with the work that you do, creating a better business and a better world. If you thrive in a dynamic environment, combine operational excellence with strategic thinking and strong negotiation skills, and are eager to deepen your expertise in agricultural supply chains, then this role could be a great fit for you.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Operations

• Enter contracts and manage daily end-to-end operations for Unilever supply across 30+ sites (both in-house and contract manufacturing) in Europe and globally with the planning team.

• Address quality deviations with the factory quality team.

• Manage supply challenges and implement risk management strategies to mitigate potential disruptions.

• Support flawless portfolio transfers based on Unilever's business strategy.

• Build strong working relationships with market teams to reflect local business requirements, including service and quality, in your portfolio strategy.

• Deliver and maintain reporting on key procurement metrics, including savings and resilience.

• Manage compliance (e.g. responsible sourcing, sustainable sourcing, etc.).

• Handle payment issues and supplier onboarding and changes.

Portfolio Strategy & Negotiations

• Conduct negotiations that deliver competitive business outcomes.

• Analyze and develop a deep understanding of supply markets, including external economic factors, and optimize the end-to-end value chain.

• Develop resilience plans and alternatives to ensure supply security.

• Deliver bottom-line savings & cash by identifying and landing key opportunities.

• Collaborate with suppliers and internal cross-functional teams to land improvement programs.

• Provide accurate price forecasting, including market conditions, price trends, and future market trends to enable Unilever Finance proper budgeting and forecasting.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum 2-3 years of procurement experience, ideally within an international environment.

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Procurement or a related field.

• Strong negotiation skills and business acumen.

• Strong analytical and Excel skills.

• Strong communication skills with the ability to engage and influence stakeholders internally and externally.

• Strong track record of cross-functional collaboration.

• Results-oriented with a strong problem-solving mindset and a high level of agility.

• Demonstrated ownership mindset with strong accountability and the ability to work independently.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a complex and fast-paced environment.

• Strong attention to detail.

• Fluent English.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Direct materials procurement experience

• Agricultural materials, agricultural commodities or food ingredients category exposure

• Experience working in regional or global business environments

• Project management experience

• SAP knowledge

• Familiarity with procurement and supply chain systems (e.g. Pega NPP, Anaplan, HICX, Velocity)

• Exposure to sustainability, responsible sourcing or supply resilience initiatives

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & BENEFITS

• Work location: Warsaw, Poland

• Scope: Europe

• Full-time role

• Right to work in the country is required

• Hybrid working model: 3 days in the office / 2 days remote.

• 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

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.