Supplier Relationship Specialist

Job description

A mutually rewarding experience.

Work. Realize your ambitions. And realize there's more to being in business than just making a profit. That's the Mars philosophy. And the opportunity we offer every one of our Associates. An opportunity to take what you do and make it mean more for you, for those around you and for the planet. What you get here is challenging, interesting work. You get the tools you need to do a great job and you get to have the best possible people on your side to help you do it. And at the same time as getting to find ways to do business better today than we did it yesterday and driving a great career, you also get to build a more enlightened business and drive sustainability.

Because it's never just about a single person, a single project or a single brand. It's about how you can grab everything that's within your reach here and use it to pursue mutual, long-term gain. It's about having ideas. And ideals. Being prepared to risk failure because the promise of success means we'll all be a little better off. It's that mix of integrity and ambition that makes Mars such a special place to work. And why working here is always about more than just a job.

About Mars, Incorporated

Mars is a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love. With almost $35 billion in sales, the company is a global business that produces some of the world's best-loved brands: M&M's®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, MILKY WAY®, DOVE®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, EXTRA®, ORBIT®, 5™, SKITTLES®, UNCLE BEN'S®, MARS DRINKS and COCOAVIA®. Mars also provides veterinary health services that include BANFIELD® Pet Hospitals, Blue Pearl®, VCA® and Pet Partners™. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in more than 80 countries. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire its more than 100,000 Associates to create value for all its partners and deliver growth they are proud of every day.

Job Purpose:

This position will be accountable for leading large projects that have critical impacts on the business with a specific focus on value improvement spanning across all Raws and Packs. This position is accountable for leading, guiding, and communicating all cross functional projects across the commercial enterprise that drive year over year productivity through successful RFP’s and supplier transitions. The role will collaborate across the organization to ensure the Strategic Sourcing team has the information, tools, and processes in place to drive team success .

Key Responsibilities:

Supplier Relationship Managment:

·  Lead Mars global program, Partnering for Success, with successful implementation of wave 1 and 2.
·  Partner with the Commercial Leadership Team to execute yearly Supplier Summits.
·  Bring the best of the outside in. Work with suppliers and R&D to drive suppliers’ ideas through the business and execute ‘game changing’ strategic sourcing plans for major spend categories.
·  Partner with the Center of Excellence team and Strategic sourcing managers to roll out best in class Supplier Performance Management/Scorecards.
·  Serve as project manager and point of contact for global initiatives such as Sustainability and Next Generation Supplier.

Productivity:

·  Effective and efficient implementation of productivity projects from end-to-end, ensuring all expectations and deliverables are met. This would include but not limited to forming and managing team resources, timelines, action plans, savings, expenses, and supplier relationships.
·  Communicating the project status to all relevant and appropriate associates involved in or needing to know the overall status. This could include regular reports, PowerPoint presentations, or other means of communication
·  Partner with strategic sourcing managers and new supplier development manager to identify potential new suppliers and begin laying out expectations for a successful transition if they are rewarded business through the RFP process.
·  Serve as single point of contact for suppliers going through transition.
·  Ensure all productivity projects are appropriately communicated through the S&OP+ process and within activity meetings.
·  Work with suppliers, internal customers, management and stakeholders to identify, visualize and mitigating potential risks for the projects
·  Support the development of a cross-functional rigorous RFP operating strategy and that will enable the successful implantation and transition.
·  Partner with internal stakeholders and suppliers to deliver value, continuous improvement, cost savings opportunities, and ultimately lowest total cost of ownership
·  This position will be responsible for leading large projects that have critical impacts on the business with a specific focus on value improvement and negotiation
·  Ensure delivery of business plans at or ahead of targets & plans while providing appropriate Commercial representation in internal business processes
·  Create lean ways of working, drivers and measures supporting key priorities for the business.

Commercial S&OP+:

·  Attend and actively participate in all assigned activity set meetings as the Commercial representative. Provide Commercial perspective, risks, and guidance to the cross-functional teams as various project efforts are planned and executed
·  Meet with Commercial Operations to inform of project plans that impact their specific sites. This includes helping manage the run out of material associated with the project.
·  Drive continuous improvement through the activity team and new product launches
·  Serve as facilitator for Step 3 feeder meeting for commercial.
·  Facilitate biweekly meetings to align commercial on all projects within S@OP+.

Context and Scope:

This role will also closely with the Service & Finance team, R&D, Marketing, and other key stakeholders within the business. This will include fully understanding the enterprise interdependencies and working with cross functional teams to create and implement a process that is actionable and sustainable for the future.

Additionally, this role requires the ability to deal with ambiguity due to working across functions, segments, and global.

Education and Professional Qualifications:

·  Bachelors' degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Project Management or relevant technical discipline
·  3-5 years of experience in a variety of Supply Chain and Customer Care roles
·  Ability and willingness to travel up to 20% of the time
·  Ability to maintain alignment across all functions
·  Excellent communication skills across all levels within the business
·  Strong ability to solve business problems in creative ways
·  Experience and knowledge of S&OP
·  Skill in implementing business and systems oriented change
·  In-depth understanding of sourcing, supply chain, and buying processes
·  Ability to build relationships with stakeholders
·  Business process orientation
·  Strong project management skills
·  Experience managing and delivering results against large projects, involving senior managers and Directors, requiring complex change management.
·  Experience defining a compelling vision for a large project team.

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.

Nearest Major Market: Nashville
Job Segment: Outside Sales, Project Manager, Performance Management, Change Management, Sales, Technology, Human Resources, Management, Customer Service