Strategic Procurement Specialist

The Strategic Procurement Specialist, Direct Materials will head the strategic plan within the Americas in owning the preparation, negotiation, and management of suppliers and agreements for identified raw materials & packaging.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develops and executes end-2-end strategy with Sr. Procurement Mgr, from business needs to sustained value creation and spend performance for category.
• Drives initiatives that include cost savings and complexity reduction partnering with Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, R&D and Marketing.
• Owns, develops and continually improves relationships with suppliers, including co-owning (alongside R&D, Operations, Quality and Supply Chain) strategic plans, agreements and their tactical execution.
• Owns and collaborates to consistently deliver and continuously improve supply performance targets (cost reductions / avoidance, supplier / portfolio rationalization, reliability, compliance, sustainability).
• Manage sourcing materials and supplier footprint, participating alongside our NPD process to ensure value driven material & supplier selection on NPDs and long-term innovation projects.
• Managing supplier performance in partnership with Buyer/Planner to ensure optimal, on target inventory management, inventory turns, working capital, customer service and On Time In Full fulfillment.
• As necessary, support tactical functions such as, but not limited to, creating PO’s, reviewing inventories, ensuring confirmations & system updates and invoice reconciliation.
• Works with stakeholders across all functions to establish the optimal sourcing for materials into inventory, delivery schedules, packaging and space demands.
• Negotiates and delivers savings to meet business requirements and Operations’ objectives. Ensures competitive pricing service versus industry trends and marketplace dynamics.
• Identifies and drives continuous improvement throughout the business as part of our collective Operational Excellence culture.
• Ensure all applicable ISO 9001 procedures are followed and make recommendations to procedures to continually improve efficiency and service within CRC as well as to customers.
• Perform other duties deemed necessary to support CRC’s business operations.

Experience:

• 8+ years’ purchasing, planning, and inventory control experience in an ERP environment, preferably in Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Operations and Finance.
• Proven expertise in negotiation and supplier management.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills for effective team building and collaboration.
• Proven track record of success delivering on operational goals and business KPI’s.
• Proficiency in procurement software and tools.
• Procurement experience with Aerosol, Chemical and/or Packaging commodities in a manufacturing environment is preferred.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Supply Chain Management, or related field.
• Masters or MBA beneficial.
• APICS Certification beneficial.

Skills:

• Demonstrated competency with purchasing principles and MRP (Material Resource Planning) including Sourcing, Category and Supplier Management preferably in a Supply Chain Environment.
• Experience working across technical, supply chain and other functional and business partners.
• Strong business and finance acumen, deep understanding of managing for impact in matrix environment, broad-based understanding of business operations and practices and core Procurement areas of focus (Spend Management, Category Management and Supplier Management).
• Strategic ability to select supply partners in terms of commercial terms, quality, service, cost and capability.
• Proven ability to lead, influence, partner on and shape projects without direct team authority.
• Must be detailed oriented, analytical, organized and able to function effectively and productively in a fast-paced environment.
• Possess strong interpersonal, presentation, verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong systems knowledge including Microsoft PowerBI, Teams, SharePoint, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook proficiency.