Senior Procurement Category Management Specialist - Packaging (Remote)

Food & Beverages
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Food Science, or related field preferred; relevant experience may substitute.
  • 5+ years' expertise in packaging categories including corrugate, folding cartons, and flexible packaging.
  • Strong procurement experience in food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, or consumer goods manufacturing.
  • Broad knowledge supporting manufacturing, commercial, and corporate functions.
  • Proven ability to communicate effectively across various organizational levels.

Responsibilities

  • Develop and implement long-term Category Strategies and annual sourcing plans for procurement.
  • Manage a continuous improvement pipeline to enhance productivity and track savings with Finance.
  • Conduct market research to inform robust Category Strategies while adapting to market needs.
  • Optimize sourcing and supplier selection to ensure quality and value through effective negotiation of agreements.
  • Mitigate risks through proactive strategies in collaboration with supply planning teams.
  • Establish dialogue with commercial teams for alignment on business needs and industry trends.
  • Support the launch of new products or technologies by leveraging supplier partnerships.

Benefits

  • Primarily remote work with preference for candidates in the Tri-State area for in-person needs.
  • Opportunity to manage a substantial portfolio of spend between $50M to $70M.
  • Engagement with various teams to influence and support major organizational priorities.
Full Job Description
Position Summary:

Lead the procurement strategy for key packaging categories supporting Nestlé Health Science U.S., managing a portfolio of approximately $50M to $70M in spend. In this highly visible role, you will develop and execute category strategies, negotiate supplier agreements, and build strong partnerships with internal stakeholders and suppliers to drive cost savings, innovation, quality, service, and supply continuity.

The ideal candidate brings deep packaging expertise within the food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, personal care, or chemical industries, along with strong sourcing, supplier management, and contract negotiation experience.

Location Preference:
  • This role is primarily remote; however, candidates located on Tri-State area (New York, New Jersey & Conneticut) are strongly preferred to support in-person trainings, meetings, and other business needs.
  • This role will report to Holistic Health


Key Responsibilities:

  • Develops and implements long term Category Strategies and yearly sourcing plan for Procurement of several categories of spend for Nestle Health Science US (10-15%)
  • Develop and manage continuous improvement pipeline to deliver significant year-over-year productivity. Ensure saving tracking in partnership with Finance. (5-10%)
  • Executes market research in various areas, resulting in robust Category Strategies. Keeps abreast of market conditions and maintains an agile mindset to flex resources and external capacity as needed to meet changing business needs. (10-15%)
  • Ensures optimize sourcing, supplier selection, pricing, contracting and commercialization while meeting quality and service level requirements for their spend area. This results in ensuring negotiation and implementation of supplier agreements to deliver the greatest overall value. Monitors supplier performance on an ongoing basis and develop improvement plans as required. (10-15%)
  • Ensure proactive risk management strategy as well as partnering with supply planning team to ensure timely problem solving of supply issues. (5-10%)
  • Liaises with various commercial teams to ensure two-way dialogue and understanding of business/brand needs as well as industry trends and opportunities in their area of expertise. (5%-10%)
  • Supports new products, new technology or new initiative launches as applicable. Leverage supplier partner in securing differenced ingredients and technology. (5%-10%)
  • Support various transformation projects (such as Network optimization, complexity reduction) on as needed basis (5%)
  • Ensure timely and accurate maintenance of Procurement data in ERP. (5%)
  • Manage monthly price forecast review process. (5%)


Experience & Education Requirements:

  • Bachelor's degree preferred in Business, Engineering, Food Science, or a related field. Relevant professional experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
  • 5+ years of knowledge of packaging categories including corrugate, folding cartons, labels, flexible packaging, rigid containers, closures, and related materials preferred
  • Strong experience in packaging materials procurement, preferably within food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, consumer goods, or related manufacturing industries.
  • Broad background in Procurement supporting manufacturing/ commercial/ corporate functions in various operating models.
  • Has the ability to work and communicate effectively at all levels and functions of the organization.
  • Multiple years of increasing responsibility, experience in both procurement and the subject matter area are preferred.

SKILLS:
  • Highly self-motivated with the ability to thrive in ambiguous environments and establish effective processes and procedures.
  • Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive resolution of complex business challenges.
  • Strong knowledge of strategic sourcing, category management, and supplier relationship management.
  • Excellent project management and organizational skills.
  • Proficient in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including data analysis and process improvement.
  • Customer-focused mindset with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively across all levels of the organization.
  • Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
  • Experience with Oracle ERP systems preferred.
  • Supply chain experience, including planning and logistics, preferred.
  • Ability to effectively partner with technical stakeholders and understand technical requirements.<

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