Associate Manager, Procurement (Rigid Plastics)

This role is accountable for leading overall regional procurement of Rigid Plastic & Resins spend for LATAM across all Business Units with an annual spend of over USD 70MM. This is a critical, high growth portfolio with a significant level of technical and supply complexity.  In this position, you will develop strategic partnerships with suppliers to assure supply continuity and deliver on cost and cash improvements, innovation and sustainability goals.  This role will lead the process of regional supply market understanding, supplier search and selection, contracting and ongoing supplier relationship management. 

Responsibilities:

• Deliver the objectives of Supply Continuity, Cost Savings, Working Capital Improvement, Sustainability, Innovation and Service.
• Lead the regional strategy and spend. Responsible for the Rigid Plastic Portfolio including; Pumps/Triggers, Caps/Closures, Custom/Stock Injection Molded Components, Bottles and Resins for Internal Molding facilities. Develop and execute regional strategy through:
  • Development of key levers and strategies
  • Cost modelling
  • RFI/RFP processes
  • Negotiations
  • Supplier sourcing and new product support
  • Supplier evaluation and selection
  • Contract negotiation/execution
• Manage key supplier relationships across the region and develop a deep level of understanding of the market and supply base.
• Lead supplier selection and component pricing for Innovation. Support Innovation projects through  commercialization while driving speed and cost improvement.
• Lead Business Reviews for Strategic Suppliers.
• Drive alignment with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Deliver inflation forecasts used in the budgeting process. Report and update in a timely manner Cost Savings and Cash improvement against targets.
• Track commodities, mitigate inflation and provide contractual pricing information to Operations teams.
• Leverage new technology where opportunity exists to enhance product performance and/or create additional flexibility.

Competencies:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Supply Chain, Engineering or related discipline or military experience will be considered in lieu of degree requirement.
• Masters degree/MBA preferred.
• 7+ years of experience in any of the following, Procurement Portfolio/Category Management, Procurement Operations or other Supply Chain areas, preferably with a regional scope.
• Procurement skills in areas such as market analysis, negotiation, clean sheets as well as the ability to execute agreed upon strategies and project management skills.
• Preferred if experience within Plastics and also experience with Operational Procurement.
• Communication and presentation skills including the ability to interface with and influence multiple levels of an organization internally and externally with a proven track record of cross functional collaboration in a matrix organization.
• Ability to work independently and manage for results and good business orientation necessary to achieve the financial targets.
• Strong financial analysis skills, organizing and evaluating financial data to support business decision making.
• Risk and Opportunity Management, identifying, assessing, prioritizing and managing risk and its impact.
• Strategic Sourcing, identifying, evaluating and engaging suppliers in order to optimize quality and value in the purchase of materials, services and equipment.
• Manage complex projects with a high degree of ambiguity.
• Advanced level of English (required)

Inclusion & Diversity

We’re a global business, with people from every culture, ethnicity, race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age and ability. We recognize the breadth of human experience, and we work to celebrate it. It is our goal to build a diverse, inclusive and supportive work environment where all people can thrive.

We’re committed to ongoing efforts that help us attract, hire, and retain diverse talent who want to build a positive, inclusive environment. Read more about our ongoing initiatives at https://jobs.scjohnson.com/inclusion.