US Procurement Manager

COMPENSATION NOTE:  Indicative grade - Hay 37/S1, subject to job grade evaluation and candidate level of experience.

Role

INEOS Organization:

INEOS is a global manufacturer of petrochemicals, specialty chemicals and oil products. It comprises 15 businesses each with a major chemical company heritage. Its production network spans 65 manufacturing facilities in 16 countries throughout the world. INEOS products make a significant contribution to saving life, improving health and enhancing standards of living for people around the world. Its businesses produce the raw materials that are essential in the manufacture of a wide variety of goods: from paints to plastics, textiles to technology, and medicines to mobile phones - chemicals manufactured by INEOS enhance almost every aspect of modern life.

BUSINESS CONTEXT:

Ethylene oxide (EO) is an important building block for the preparation of a wide variety of EO derivatives (EODs), including various surfactants, as well as a host of other chemical intermediates including Glycol Ethers, Polyethlene Glycols, Ethanolamines, and Alkyl Alkanolamines. 

INEOS Oxide is one of the world’s leading producers of Ethylene Oxide (EO) and Ethylene Oxide Derivatives (EODs).  We currently have a total EO and EOD capacity of 920 kta spread across five different production units throughout Europe and the US. These units have leading cost economics, due to economies of scale, state-of-the-art technology, strategic locations, etc. Our EO project in the US is targeting the fast-growing merchant EO market, building on our experience and leadership position in Europe.

Purpose of the Job:

The U.S Procurement Manager manages and coordinates Oxide’s U.S. Procurement team’s activities. The incumbent is expected to ensure that raw materials, technical materials, plant services, and logistics are safely and reliably secured at the lowest-possible cost, guaranteeing uninterrupted operations and superior customer service.

The position requires a thorough understanding of contract law and what value the terms and conditions hold in a contract negotiation. These legal concepts include seller indemnifications, limitations of liability, warranties and guarantees (length and monetary value) and legal remedies.

Most Important Internal Factors:

Executing this role’s wide-ranging remit at both a tactical and strategic level will require the post-holder to interface directly with, and influence, the organisation far beyond their immediate procurement team.

• Board – reporting performance and agreeing procurement strategy and DOAs.
• Business and Product Managers – providing business and margin environment; how procurement can help lift results and improve the customer’s experience.
• Site Operations – understand requirements, monitor vendor performance, and provide commercial support when performance issues arise, support CFC and CAPEX target delivery.
• Procurement INEOS Oxide Europe and other INEOS divisions – network, share and look at leverage opportunities

Most Important Internal Factors:

Executing this role effectively will require a similarly wide-ranging engagement with parties in the external market:

• Suppliers – seek offers, launch RFQs, negotiate and align vendor deliverables with INEOS standards, pursue strategic partnership opportunities.
• Strong industry contacts, executive levels of major suppliers.
• Consultants/Market info – monitor market activities, trends and prices.

Highest level of customer service/satisfaction at the lowest possible cost via:

Accountability 1: 

SHE

Most important activities:

• This position – and all positions – with the INEOS Oxide organization - requires that the incumbent commit to learning, following, and practicing INEOS’ 20 Principles of Process & Behavioural Safety as applicable to the position.  These Principles are posted throughout each Oxide facility.  The incumbent must also commit to following INEOS’ Life-Saving rules on a daily basis.  These are also posted within each Oxide facility.
• Ensure the procurement team’s activities comply with industry regulations, SHE requirements, hazardous materials rules, and internal governance. This includes supplier risk assessments, documentation control, and ensuring all suppliers meet safety, quality, regulatory, environmental, and SCOC standards.

Accountability 2: 

Organization/Team Management

Most important activities:

• Organize, lead & coach an efficient procurement team – control spend and costs.  Set clear KPIs.
• Establish goals that provide direction and priorities on both tactical and strategic activities for direct reports that support the operational and business objectives and monitor progress towards their realization.
• Champion a culture where individuals are empowered to achieve and exceed, by delivering solutions that create value in the most innovative, efficient, and cost-conscious way possible.  Recognize and reward achievement.
• Mentor and develop direct reports’ capabilities and build their category expertise; elevate the team’s analytical rigor and negotiation skill. 
• Evaluate individual performance relative to goals.
• Strive for efficiency in procedures and working practices, drive continuous improvement.
• Recruitment of staff with required skill level.
• Network with other INEOS companies to improve efficiency/cost.

Accountability 3: 

Develop and deliver procurement strategies

Most important activities:

• Set sourcing strategy for all categories and guide negotiations that ensure delivery at lowest-possible cost on terms most favourable to Oxide; develop alternate sources and reduce single point vulnerabilities.
• Guide periodic market reviews, benchmarking, and renegotiation to help protect margins in volatile chemical markets.
• Coordinate with the businesses, operations, maintenance, and supply chain to anticipate needs and demand; ensuring raw materials, critical spares, materials and contracted services arrive on time; and preventing stockouts, reduced production levels or unplanned downtime.

Accountability 4: 

Delegation of Authority

Most important activities:

• Ensure that DOA is followed at all times.

Accountability 5: 

Assist in or direct contract negotiations, review contract language.

• Oversee the development, negotiation, and administration of supplier contracts across all categories. Ensure adherence to company procurement policies, legal standards, regulatory requirements, and ethical sourcing practices across the team
• Manage contractual activity and timelines, guide contract negotiations and terms towards those most favourable for INEOS Oxide. 
• Review contract language in detail, particularly indemnification, liability, insurance, and warranties. 
• Ensure that contracts are developed to an execution-ready state.

Level of Education & Experience in general

• 15+ years of front-line procurement experience within the chemical industry.
• Supervisory skills.
• Profound knowledge of Procurement and Procurement Management.
• Experience of leading teams in a diverse working environment.
• Degree in engineering preferred, or other master's degree.
• Fluency in English essential.

Technical Skills

• Commercial acumen, deep understanding of cost drivers in contracts.
• Advanced negotiation skills.
• Advanced analytical and economic analysis skills.
• Good understanding of SHE aspects in relation to production and distribution of chemicals.
• Understanding of chemical manufacturing processes and practices.
• Knowledge of contract law and ABC regulations.
• Knowledge of business accounting principles and practice.
• Fluent in KPI tracking.
• Ability to work with MS-Office and SAP tools efficiently and effectively.

Behavioral Skills

• Decisive and tenacious in pursuit of objectives, demonstrating a proactive mentality and bias for action.
• Leadership – inspire and motivate others, sell ideas internally and externally, negotiate, build team spirit.
• Perspicacious nature – commercially astute, strong intellect, adept at innovative, analytical, tactical and strategic thought.
• Highly numerate with an analytical mind-set, and attentive to detail.
• Calm under pressure, able to make quick, clear and reasoned decisions in a dynamic environment.
• Leader of people, effective at engaging others in working together towards a common goal.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, natural relationship builder.

Physical Requirements

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and perform tasks requiring repetitive use of hands. 
• The employee must occasionally walk, stand and travel by car, airplane or other means.
• Exert up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.
• Employee must have the ability to see written documents, computer screens, and to adjust focus.
• Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction.   Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication and to make discriminations in sound.
• This job is performed mainly in a temperature-controlled office environment.

• SHE Performance: Zero incidents.
• 100% ISO Compliance
• Meet all departmental annual training and progression goals: individual and direct/indirect reports as defined in annual performance assessment
• Continuous reliable and on time delivery of raw materials, technical materials, services and logistics without incidents & within specification.
• Cost control: spend within budget and target YoY savings
• Successful delivery of Procurement Strategies