Sr. Manager- Procurement - Agile Disruptive Innovation

General information
All posting locations Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
Job Function 02 - Procurement
Date Published 20-Mar-2023
Ref # R-67966
Description & Requirements
Role
Are you ready for a challenging and unique type of Procurement role?
This position is on a team of agile pods that deliver against our biggest bets as a company. In this role- the individual will be challenged to build Kraft Heinz external innovation supplier eco-system for our Incubator and Accelerator innovation pipeline- covering all categories of procurement. They will work collaboratively with the Agile Disruptive Innovation R&D and marketing teams to develop new disruptive food-based solutions. The individual in this position should be a strategic sourcing expert who will work closely with small to medium-sized suppliers- Finance- Operations- Legal- Quality- and directly with procurement category managers.
The Sr. Manager will advise the Agile Pods on all aspects of sourcing- supplier development- negotiations- commercialization- and process development. They will work collaboratively with functional experts (Product R&D- Regulatory- Food Safety- etc) to develop new fit for purpose ways of working. They will provide procurement leadership in all phases of the project- including initial feasibility assessment and be a critical part of the Build and In-Market Validation Phases of the project where promising disruptive concepts are brought to life.
The Sr. Manager will also support cross-functional aspects of the project in areas related to consumer insights- marketing- and financial viability.
Primary Responsibilities

• Support Procurement Category Managers on commercialization on scale-up innovations.
• Execute the External Innovation Deployment process for new product innovations- taking product concepts and ideas from incubation at small scale pilot facilities through accelerated test market launches to full-scale factory production and national launch.
• Embrace Agile WOW- implement Agile @ Scale playbook- provide feedback on developing process
• Coordinate hand off to IGP team for Scale Up launch
• Execute the external innovation strategy development and deployment for KHC’s ADI pipeline.
• Execute the supplier selection process by Identifying and developing suppliers capable of delivering products that meet or exceed KHC requirements
• Be a leader on cross functional workstreams to deliver fit for purpose practices (R&D- quality- regulatory- legal- sales- etc.)
• Establish trust and build effective business relationships with suppliers for long-term partnership.
• Participate in Design-to-Value workstreams as the procurement representative.

Qualifications

• Ability to effectively negotiate and influence business decisions and change
• Growth mindset- model lifelong curiosity and learning
• Enjoy working in a fast-paced environment with other driven stakeholders
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in Procurement (i.e. Indirect- Capex- Ingredients- Packaging)- with another 3 years of applicable business experience in the food industry (ie-Finance- process engineering experience a plus)
• Minimum Bachelor's degree- MBA preferred.
• Expert in Excel and PowerPoint.
• Demonstrated relationship and stakeholder management skills.
• Priority Setting – Spends his/ her time and the time of others on what’s most important
• Eliminates roadblocks and creates focus
• Organizational Agility – knows how to get things done both through formal and informal channels
• Results oriented- driven and able to execute innovation strategy
• Process-thinking mindset to drive new processes and value streams.
• Demonstrated knowledge or experience in food or beverage manufacturing process

About Us
The Kraft Heinz Company is one of the largest food and beverage companies in the world, with eight $1 billion+ brands and global sales of approximately $25 billion. We’re a globally trusted producer of high-quality, great-tasting, and nutritious foods for over 150 years. Our brands are truly global, with products produced and marketed in over 40 countries. These beloved products include condiments and sauces, cheese and dairy, meals, meats, refreshment beverages, coffee, infant and nutrition products, and numerous other grocery products in a portfolio of more than 200 legacy and emerging brands.
No matter the brand, we’re united under one vision To sustainably grow by delighting more consumers globally. Bringing this vision to life is our team of 39,000+ food lovers, creative thinkers, and high performers worldwide. Together, we help provide meals to those in need through our global partnership with Rise Against Hunger. We also stand committed to responsible, sustainable practices that extend to every facet of our business, our consumers, and our communities. Every day, we’re transforming the food industry with bold thinking and unprecedented results. If you share our passion – and are ready to create the future, build a legacy, and lead as a global citizen – there’s only one thing to do join our table and let’s make life delicious!
Our Culture of Ownership, Meritocracy and Collaboration
We're not afraid to think differently. Embrace new ideas. Dream big. We empower our people at every level – from entry-level intern to senior leader – to own their work. We share a responsibility to think like Owners – to be mindful of the collective and sustained success of Kraft Heinz – which we apply to every situation, every day.
As part of Kraft Heinz, you're supported to grow and achieve. You’re expected to bring your authentic self to work every day, to lead with humility, and drive outstanding performance at every level – and you’ll be rewarded. You’re given opportunities to leave a mark and build a legacy. But you won’t do it alone. You’re supported by passionate teammates along the way, and our collective, collaborative spirit fuels our incredible progress.
Vaccination & Office Collaboration Expectations
Our highest priority is always the health, wellbeing, and safety of our Kraft Heinz family. We require our office-based, home-based, R&D, and sales team members to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless approved for a medical or religious accommodation.
We believe our office environment fuels our collaboration, connection & community as an organization and allows our employees to grow toward greatness. We also believe providing a more flexible and agile model is essential in today’s workplace. A majority of our office-based employees will be able to work remotely for up to two days each week. Additionally, employees who are subject to this hybrid model will be eligible to work from anywhere for up to six weeks in a rolling 12-month period (in maximum two-week increments and according to benefits and tax guidelines). Some jobs may be required to be performed fully in office depending on the role’s responsibilities and requirements.