Job Description

:Segment: Royal CaninLocation: Johannesburg, GautengEverything we do is driven by our passion for the health and wellbeing of every cat and dog. You can now join us at Royal Canin on this mission. Our deep understanding of cats and dogs needs makes it possible for us to design the world's most precise pet health nutrition. We never stop learning and never take anything for granted. Thats why we collaborate with leading scientific, veterinary and behavioral experts, breeders and other pet professionals and maintain an ongoing dialogue with cat and dog owners worldwide.Job OverviewTo provide the RC industrial network with a flow of safe, innovative, qualitative, competitive & sustainable raw materials.To drive continuous improvement with the RC suppliers portfolio in respect of the sustainability policy and to support RC growth towards health nutrition and individualization.This position's core objective is to source raw materials and/or packaging materials and ensure the continuity and secured supply of these materials within the assigned portfolio.The role operates in a pet friendly, open office environment supporting natural pet nutrition and making the world a better place for pets.What are we looking for?Bachelors Degree or equivalent in Purchasing, Supply Chain, Engineering or Agronomy, MBA is advantageous.A minimum of 4-5 years of experience in raw materials and/or packaging strategic purchasing processes, including 3 years portfolio strategy development and execution (non-negotiable).Experience of working with raw materials and/or packaging materials used in Feed / Food applications will be an added value.English - AdvancedGood knowledge of MS Office (Excel) - Intermediate to Advanced Level.Knowledge and ExperienceStrong engagement, communication, and negotiation skills.Self-motivated to develop and drive own portfolio activities and to take initiative.Conscious of food safety and nutritional quality.Strong questioning and probing skills to discover issues and to verify the accuracy of information, results, and data.Demonstrated troubleshooting ability.Effective written and oral communication skills.Agility and ease of adaption to change.Strong project management skills and ability to prioritize own workload.Ability to make timely, consistent, and well-balanced decisions.Be conscious of risk and be able to effectively identify and mitigate risk including the ability to escalate risk appropriately.The ability to drive efficiencies and unlock new value.The ability to translate strategy into performance.Strong research and application skills to analyze market trends and assess applicability at a strategic and tactical level.Strong numerical ability to interpret financial data, and develop, apply, and understand in-depth costing models.The ability to interpret complex contracts from a Commercial perspective, including the ability to draft and apply Commercial clauses.Demonstrated sense of urgency.Excellent presentation skills.Comfortable working in a multicultural team, speaking French is a plus.50% travel is required.What will be your key responsibilities?Purchasing Strategy & ManagementDevelop and Implement a Purchasing Strategy for the assigned portfolios.Develop the supplier base and maintain business partnerships with the suppliers.Support the continuous improvement at the supplier level with the SQA community.Lead the quality exceptions and crisis management process to minimize business impact.Optimize the negotiations of raw materials and/or packaging for the categories assigned.Ensure that raw material and/or packaging requirements are communicated to suppliers, and that contracts with suppliers are created and finalized timeously to ensure continuity of supply.Has accountability for the total supplier management.Be the interface between suppliers and supply chain operations to solve and prevent supply issues, enabling a high-level of service to production sites and driving excellence in execution.Evaluate optimal inventory levels, implement inventory programs with suppliers, monitor supplier adherence to both inventory and lead times to minimize the risk of obsolescence.Work in collaboration with other buyers in the region and from other regions.Support and exchange with the responsible global category leads from the various categories.Identifies cross-functional initiatives including Regional/Global initiatives that may assist in portfolio strategy development and execution to aid innovation, quality, and savings.Ensure sound contractual governance is maintained within portfolio (contractual drafting and finalization with internal legal assistance, implementation, and review - including SLA and KPI matrix adherence).Ensure Commercial Governance is maintained within portfolio.Raw Material & Supplier DevelopmentProspect the local and regional market in search of new potential suppliers and new raw materials.Leverage the innovation suppliers capabilities for RC and other suppliers.Leverages existing suppliers within RC/Mars network, where applicable.Actively works to support the overall BCM strategy to ensure sustained and reliable quality supply from a range of suppliers on assigned portfolio as part of a mono-supply risk mitigation strategy.Operating Plan & Performance ManagementCreate Operating Plan vision and pricing - responsible for the assigned category budget and execution.Monitor the performance (Vs Market vs OP).Provide ongoing price forecasts, reports and explain price variances vs. forecast and previous actual periods. Mitigate price variances as far as possible.Identify cost savings and cash saving initiatives and successfully deploy them within assigned categories.Assures the adherence of the budget, follows, anticipates and explains the market trends.Interpret and assess detailed costing models applicable to portfolio to aid with supplier costing and review.Cooperation with StakeholdersShares the strategy and market vision to forecast business exposure (cost & availability).Leverages expertise to bring innovative ideas & lean processes.Contributes to a High Performing Collaboration culture.Manages interfaces with internal/external stakeholders and/or other Mars/RC Associates.Participates in market information exchanges within Mars/RC Global Commercial departments.Context and ScopeThe Sourcing Manager: Raws and/or Packs is strongly involved in the supplier / Raw and/or Packaging development process, driving the continuous improvement of current and future supply partners. The function reports directly to the Country Commercial Director.To succeed in his/her mission, needs to build collaborative links internally with R&D, Q&FS, and Supply department, and externally with our suppliers to mitigate risks of shortages and overstocks and to focus on continuous improvement and to leverage their innovation capabilities.By being in the field, is able to share with the commercial community all the information related to business opportunities, quality management, and sustainability management of existing RC suppliers or potential prospectsWhat can you expect from Mars?Work with over 130,000 diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.Join a purpose driven company, where were striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.

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