Procurement Manager - Myanmar & Malaysia Market Lead

Job Position: Procurement Manager - Myanmar & Malaysia Market Lead

Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Business Context and Main Purpose of the Job
Malaysia and Myanmar are two important businesses within our 1UL APAC organization, with a combined Turnover contribution of EUR 450m. These markets cover a diverse consumer pool of 90 million people and offer tremendous opportunity alongside exciting challenges. If you are seeking an opportunity to join a dynamic and high-performing team, where you can operate as a Procurement Lead for a country business, and motivated by making an outsized business impact, then this is the perfect job for you.

As the Procurement Manager, you will have the responsibility of leading the procurement function and partnering with the Myanmar and Malaysia market teams, working jointly to build a future-fit business, to secure Unilever's competitive position as the FMCG leader in the market.

You will be reporting to the Supply Chain Lead for Myanmar and work closely with the Supply Chain Lead for Malaysia, and will be part of the 1UL APAC Procurement community. Beyond procurement and Supply Chain, you will be working closely with the Country Head (CEO), Finance Head (CFO), and cross-functional teams across supply chain, marketing, R&D, and more. Ownership, independence, communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skills are a must.

Main Accountabilities

1. Procurement Strategy Development: Develop a comprehensive procurement strategy that aligns with the organization's overall objectives and maximizes growth potential in the respective markets.
2. Supply Resilience: Build and maintain a robust supply chain network, identifying potential risks and implementing contingency plans to ensure uninterrupted supply of goods and services.
3. Cost Improvement: Identify cost optimization opportunities, negotiate favorable terms with suppliers, and implement strategies to drive cost reduction initiatives while maintaining high quality standards.
4. Supplier Management: Establish and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers, ensuring compliance with procurement policies, evaluating supplier performance, and driving continuous improvement initiatives.
5. Stakeholder Engagement: Directly engage with the Leadership team on various tasks and topics, aligning co-developed procurement priorities with the business plan to support overall organizational objectives.
6. Compliance and Governance: Ensure compliance with relevant regulations, procurement policies, and ethical standards, providing guidance and training to team members as required.
7. Team Leadership and Development: Build and lead a high-performing procurement team, providing coaching, mentorship, and guidance to team members, fostering a culture of continuous learning and professional development.

Direct Reports

The role is expected to eventually have the following direct reports:

1. Malaysia - 4 WL1 Assistant Managers
2. Myanmar - 6 WL1 Assistant Managers

Key Interfaces

1. Country Leadership Team: Country Head, Finance Head, Supply Chain Head.
2. X-Function Teams: R&D, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain.
3. Procurement (Portfolio, Strategies, etc).
4. Suppliers.

Critical Success Factors for the Job

Key Skills

1. Sourcing Direct &/or Indirect Spend, OR Procurement Leadership.
2. Business Story Telling: Strong ability to present complex topics in an effective and concise manner, effective strategic influencing at all levels, grounded through financial acumen and credibility.
3. Negotiation, Objection Management: Ability to find common ground and commercially acceptable solutions, with risk identification and management.
4. Team Leadership: Promote a shared vision and inspire others to embrace learning, experimentation, and development.
5. Creative Problem Solving: Awareness and intervention through the value chain to seek disruptive, impactful solutions.
6. Personal Effectiveness: Effective and proven strategic planning, ability to learn quickly, handle multiple tasks and assignments simultaneously, resilient and determined towards success. Calm in the face of ambiguity.
7. Familiarity with business and contract law as applied to supplier relationships.
8. Proficient with productivity tools, data analysis, create insights from data.
9. Excellent verbal and written communication skills are required.
10. Working with virtual teams.

Relevant Experience

1. University degree.
2. At least 7 years experience in Procurement or SC. Given focus on Collaborative Manufacturing (Malaysia) and Service & Material Availability (Myanmar), strong supply chain talent who looks to extend expertise into Procurement may also be considered.
3. Experience on large-scale, cross-functional projects leadership, change management.

Unilever is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion, and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever, we are interested in every individual bringing their 'Whole Self' to work and this includes you! Thus if you require any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.