Operations Buyer

Job Description

Job Description: Job Purpose: MGS commercial Operations Buyer General Services (GS) MEA is responsible for the execution of the General Services and Demand Portfolio (including but not limited to, Travel, P&O services, Professional services, and Marketing Services) across MEA for all Mars segments reporting directly to the Commercial Operations Manager MEA. This person will execute cross segment specific strategies for the businesses as appropriate in regards to the Petcare, Food, Mars Wrigley Confections and Multi sales segments in MEA. Additionally, they are responsible to connect and align with the MEA GS/FS Category Manager, the MEA M&S Sourcing Manager and the APMEA Sourcing Category leaders in order to implement locally the sourcing strategies for MEA (GS & MS) in regards to the regional and global contracts by leveraging supplier relationships and strategic partnerships to drive standardization across regions and segments where feasible. They will be responsible for optimizing investments in terms of cost, quality, risk and availability as per the Mars commercial manual and its processes as well as following MGS Commercial governance.  This person will be responsible for ensuring supplier performance and acts as the first point of contact for suppliers and internal clients.  He/She will be responsible for the delivery of an enterprise wide Annual Execution Plan (AEP) for $30-$50M in spend in the categories by executing the documented 3 year portfolio strategy that is aligned to the business strategies of the Mars Segments including Petcare, Mars Wrigley Confections and Food and multi-sales segments.  Responsible to execute an enterprise wide annual execution plan (AEP) for  MEA  across the GS & MS Categories in their respective subcategories not limited to the activities of value creation in terms of P&L impact, cost avoidance, contribution to the productivity programs of each Segment and cash, drive innovation through excellence in category management. Collaborate with the MEA GS/FS and MEA M&S  Category Leads to ensure MEA market knowledge is included in the Global and regional strategies and implement regional and global strategy MSSM process locally within the requirements of the local market conditions.  Participate in the regional collaborative community within the Category that includes the Operations team members responsible for that category based within each of the APMEA clusters including China, ANZ, NSEA India and MEA that together will deliver the AEP for each category by executing the activities of value creation as above (point 1) Purchase GS and MS services by securing price, capacity & service levels in line with commitments to the business and as per the sourcing strategies by applying a wide range of sourcing tools (e.g. negotiation, e-procurement, strategic collaboration, tenders/RFP’s etc.) Performs spend analysis based on market and financial insights for the category and executes sourcing roadmap for 3 years focused on cost savings, process improvements and supplier management. Develop local market Category insights including benchmarking externally and importing best practices locally. Share best practices across the Sourcing-Operations Category teams in APMEA Responsible for the relationships with local suppliers to drive performance management, deliver continuous quality and cost improvement as well as develop supplier enabled innovations. Create and implement supply base strategy ensuring effective risk management through robust contracts and monitoring of financial and other KPIs. Ensure KPIs are recognized and approved by the Business and translated into P&L impact. Act as a key contact for supplier relationships. Ensure the supplier base is optimized to enable the implementation of Keystone which is an end to end procure to pay process in category management. Establish and maintain relationships with all functional stakeholders including (P&O Business partners & Workplace Team, Sales Associates, P2P Team, S&F Associates, Brand Managers) and other key stakeholders to ensure understanding of their needs and to facilitate the appropriate level of challenge for alignment with regional strategies. Provides market and financial insights and inputs to the internal financial planning and review processes. Review and approve all Purchase Requisitions above agreed thresholds and be the primary custodian of P2P ensuring effective operations and compliance. Be the first point of contact for all stakeholders and suppliers on all operational activities including Vendor Registration, Contract Management, Supplier performance Management, payment issues, and any other activities. Develop & implement a continuous improvement action plan ensuring knowledge share with regional team. Monitor changes and adjust the plan as needed to sustain performance results. Ensure compliance with policies, systems and controls according to Mars standards. Communicates business risk and opportunity. Education & Background: Bachelor degree in business, supply, procurement or related field. > 2 years of category experience, ideally with supplier/customer management experience & financial acumen. Indirect buying experience preferred with Travel, Professional services, supply, capital, MRO, factory services, and marketing services. 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.