Job Title: Procurement Portfolio Strategy Lead – Insights

Business Function: Business Operations / Procurement

Location: London

JOB PURPOSE

There has never been a more exciting time to be working in Procurement when you consider the sheer scale of what we are seeking to do.

As Unilever Procurement adapts to the ever-dynamic business environment, we will need to be agile in order to continue our track record of delivery in contributing to the top and bottom line. As well as ensuring that we are best in class in delivering the basics, we also have to look to the future and continuously evolve to meet the needs of our changing environment - reinventing ourselves for sustained competitive advantage. And of course, we are only half of the picture. Our suppliers are at the heart of everything we do. We need to work more closely than ever with suppliers to co-create sustainable practices and bigger and better innovations.

In this role, you will lead the Marketing – Consumer Insights Team, which is responsible for Consumer and Market research data services across the Globe. Managing agencies end-to-end, including contracting, annual negotiations, and strategic tool rollouts.

RESPONSIBILITIES

To be accountable for the development and implementation of the Consumer Insights & Market Research sourcing strategy. To maintain in scope Marketing Portfolio management and sourcing activities on a day-to-day basis.

• To build and maintain strong working relationships across cross-functional Teams, Business Units and Business Groups.

• To build and maintain relationships with key suppliers in the Market Research & Consumer Insights portfolio.

• Be a strong business partner with all key stakeholders to maintain trust and add value to the business.

• This role requires a creative, high-energy candidate who demonstrates strength in white space and is comfortable interfacing with and influencing senior leaders to land and implement new business models, delivering business growth and bottom-line impact. Key deliverables include savings and cash delivery, ROI, demand management, and cost avoidance. To deliver, it is essential to quickly learn the respective businesses in coverage, establish credibility with stakeholders, and understand vendor/market capabilities to ensure Unilever is fully leveraging supplier partnerships. As such, SRM/CRM expertise is essential. You must be viewed as a key business partner by internal stakeholders, and as a sharp, challenging steward of Unilever resources by external vendors.

• It will be critical for the successful candidate to understand and unlock the power of digital technology to identify, eliminate, and where possible, automate non-value added processes in both within Unilever procurement, and across the business more broadly. Therefore, an understanding of systems and processes and strong analytical acumen to drive insights and strategy from data around how we operate is essential.

Who You Are & What You’ll Do

You’re a strategy guru. With great analytical skills, you are able to do gap analysis and act on the insights found. Working with marketing services, you will be able to find a link between intangible assets and their outcome and determine success, always having a look at the end-to-end impact.

You’re curious about tech and innovation. You are fascinated about technology and impatient to realize the value it can bring within the portfolio. You are hooked on staying close to the marketplace, keeping up with trends and up to date with the latest developments within AI (artificial intelligence).

You’re a storyteller. You are aware of your audience and able to show passion to inform, influence and persuade. Motivate and make others want to take action.

You’re a culture and change champion. You are able to navigate into an ever-evolving environment requiring agile adaptation and reaction.

You’re a dot connector. Working with marketing services procurement, you will be the connector between internal and external stakeholders, making sure that needs are translated and understood correctly and delivered in the best way possible.

ALL ABOUT YOU

• Self-Starter

• Bachelor’s Degree

• Relevant years of procurement experience

• Experience and knowledge of indirect procurement or marketing procurement

• Experience of managing a global team

• Capabilities and skills in Strategic Sourcing

• Working with cross geographical teams and cross functional teams. And willingness to work in a virtual team.

• Experience of procurement transformation, change and business engagement.

• Experience and knowledge of business models in advertising, market research and/or marketing agencies management will be a strong plus

• Leading multiple projects simultaneously and independently

• Unafraid to work with senior stakeholders and suppliers, supported through excellent communication skills.

• Strong Excel and PowerPoint abilities

Competences:

• Strong influencing skills

• Accountability and responsibility

• Autonomous

• Strong communication (verbal and written)

• Bias for action while being able to prioritise

• Strong Analytical skills

• Project management

• Ability and willingness to work in an always changing, performance-oriented environment

NOTES

About Unilever

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Food, Home and Personal Care products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2 billion consumers a day. Unilever has more than 400 brands found in homes around the world, including Dove, Tresemme, Lynx, Lifebuoy, Shea Moisture, Persil, Domestos, Ben & Jerry’s, Magnum, Marmite, The Vegetarian Butcher, Graze and Pot Noodle.

Faced with the challenge of climate change and the need for human development, we want to move towards a world where everyone can live well and within the natural limits of the planet. That’s why our purpose is ‘to make sustainable living commonplace’.

Location

In September 2020, Unilever announced the intention to build a new sustainable campus site in Kingston, London to house the employees who currently work in 100 Victoria Embankment in Blackfriars, Lever House in Kingston and Graze in Richmond. We are creating our own Unilever sustainable, agile work environment, purposefully bringing us together in our own Unilever ecosystem. The campus is due to be completed in early 2025 and will consist of two interconnected buildings, as well as landscaped surrounding areas.

What We Offer

Not only do we offer a competitive salary and pension scheme, we also offer an annual bonus, subsidised gym membership, a discounted staff shop and shares. You’ll have the opportunity to work directly with our renowned and exciting brands in a flexible and hybrid working environment.

Whilst the role is advertised on a full-time basis, we would be happy to discuss possible flexible working options and what this may look like for you. We are a key advocate of wellbeing and offer a variety of support for our people including hubs, programmes and development opportunities. We strive to achieve a family-friendly and inclusive workplace and to, above all, create possibilities for all.

Diversity at Unilever is about inclusion, embracing differences, creating possibilities, and growing together for better business performance. We want to push boundaries, and have the flexibility needed to keep adapting in an ever-changing, more dynamic world. This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity.

As part of your hiring journey, we are happy to support requests for reasonable adjustments, to improve your recruitment experience.

To find out more, including more information about our Employee Resource Groups, please click here.

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How is Unilever tackling this?

Many of Unilever’s recruitment sites publish a warning to candidates about recruitment fraud. The Cyber Security team also proactively scan for signs of people setting up fake Unilever sites and act to close them down.

What can I do?

If you become aware of potential recruitment fraud, spot fake Unilever recruitment adverts or fake LinkedIn profiles, report them via Una Live Chat.

Unilever does not accept responsibility or liability for any candidates who are financially impacted by recruitment fraud. Your vigilance is key!