Sr. Procurement Manager - Lakmé, Incubation and H&W Lead, B&W

Job Title- Procurement Manager – Lakmé, Incubation and H&W Lead, B&W

Function- Procurement

Location- Mumbai HO Req ID- R-1187113

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. We are driven by our purpose: to make sustainable living commonplace, and it is our belief that doing business the right way drives superior performance. 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 inclusive, collaborative, and flexible working environment. 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.

JOB PURPOSE: The Beauty & Wellbeing (B&W) division contributes to approximately 20% of Hindustan Unilever Limited’s (HUL) turnover, with over 500 suppliers partnering closely to drive service and growth. While brands like GAL, Ponds, and Vaseline cater to our core business, there has been a significant push to develop premium brands with superior products and higher margins. Lakmé, along with incubation brands such as Novology and Nexxus, represents HUL B&W’s strategic focus in the premium segment. You will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of these key initiatives.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead end-to-end Raw Material and Packaging Material procurement for Lakme, Incubation brands (Novology, Nexxus), Simple, LBP, Minimalist and Health & Wellbeing brands (Liquid I.V., Oziva), managing a spend portfolio of over €50M and supporting one of the fastest-growing segments within Beauty & Wellbeing.

• Define and execute the procurement strategy for the portfolio, delivering against business priorities across cost competitiveness, innovation, supply resilience, sustainability, cash and service.

• Lead the ODM and supplier ecosystem strategy for Beauty & Wellbeing, identifying and unlocking local and global partners to bring differentiated products, Sassy Packaging technologies and premium experiences to market.

• Partner closely with Category Business Teams, Brand, R&D and Supply Chain to shape growth agendas, accelerate innovation pipelines and land strategic business priorities.

• Drive competitive sourcing and strategic negotiations across locally sourced packaging materials and raw materials, leveraging should-cost models, market intelligence and value engineering to improve profitability.

• Build future-ready supplier networks and alternate sourcing strategies, strengthening business resilience, reducing dependencies and improving speed to market.

• Enable R&D's 5S, agility and simplification agenda by developing agile supplier capabilities, reducing lead times and removing supply chain constraints.

• Own innovation procurement delivery from concept to launch, ensuring OTIF execution of innovation and renovation projects across premium and incubation brands.

• Champion forecasting and demand alignment for Lakmé and Incubation brands, proactively managing risks, opportunities and supply continuity across the value chain.

• Lead localization, capacity expansion and resilience programs to improve responsiveness, reduce supply risks and enhance service levels across the portfolio.

• Drive the premiumization agenda for Beauty & Wellbeing India, building future-fit capabilities in packaging, decoration, materials and supplier partnerships that enhance consumer desirability and brand value.

• Deliver procurement-led competitive advantage through global scouting, supplier innovation roadmaps, ODM partnerships, cost transformation and external trend identification.

• Develop and coach a high-performing team while acting as a talent catalyst, fostering capability building, cross-functional collaboration and leadership development across the procurement organization.

WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED:

• Growth mindset.

• Strong negotiation skills, financial and business acumen.

• Exceptional complexity management and prioritization skills, with keen attention to detail.

• High personal resilience.

• Proven team leadership abilities, fostering a collaborative environment.

• Excellent communication skills.

• Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration.

• Adaptability and continuous learning skills.

EXPERIENCES & QUALIFICATIONS:

• University degree in Operations or Supply Chain Management

• Minimum 8 years in procurement manager role with strong track record of negotiations and partnership management

• Experience in team leadership

SKILLS:

• Procurement strategy creation.

• Advanced, excellent negotiation skills in complex portfolios

• Building partnerships

• Team leadership

• Stakeholder management

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