Commercial Operations Senior Project Expert

Job Description

Job Description:

Senior Commercial Project Expert

Job Purpose/Overview

The Senior Project Expert is the Commercial (procurement) lead for all Product innovation, brand renovation, sustainability and network transformation projects that impact our supply base and for select complex Value leadership projects that impact multiple buying categories. This requires collaboration with diverse functional teams and the provision of end to end commercial input, to ensure positive project outcomes in line with the company's strategic objectives. This role provides leadership for Commercial in business planning sessions, and is accountable for commercial excellence in execution across the Pet Nutrition Europe network.

What are we looking for?

• Bachelors degree or Equivalent

• Preferred - University Degree Level (e.g.: Business, Supply Chain, Finance, Engineering, Economics BSc) or equivalent.

• Proven experience in Business Management, Supply Chain or Procurement roles, including 1-2 years in a Project Management capacity.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills

• Excellent planning and organizational skills

• Project Management methodologies (Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, Kanban…)

• SAP or similar ERP knowledge and understanding

• Advanced skills in MS Office, especially in Excel, as well as knowledge about intelligence tools like PowerBI or similar

What will be your key responsibilities?

Transformation and Strategy Execution:

• Lead end to end commercial implementation of growth, sustainability, innovation & value leadership initiatives, executing cross-functional projects of medium & high complexity, including projects of a sensitive or confidential nature.

• Implement highly complex value leadership projects in line with all relevant sourcing category strategies, liaising across Commercial job families, as well as with the wider cross functional community.

Project and Process Management:

• Oversee project processes, tool management, and knowledge retention, with special attention to project gate particularities and project management system input.

• Proactively engage with key departments at a regional level, including R&D, Industrial Engineering, Marketing and Supply, along with other commercial pillars. Supporting project requests relevant to Commercial, in the context of the total project pipeline for smoother approval in relevant business forums, ensuring cross-departmental alignment and efficient stakeholder communication.

• Communicate & collaborate with Suppliers regarding project timelines, requirements, prices and deployment to ensure smooth & effective project implementation, within the sourcing strategy framework defined by the sourcing managers. Escalate supplier concerns or issues for resolution or decision via the Commercial Operations Category Expert and Sourcing Manager.

• Communicate any changes in project volumes promptly to the Material Supply Planning team to facilitate accurate Demand Consolidation, ensuring efficient and responsive planning processes.

• Actively seek out & propose opportunities for process optimization and continuous improvement of project related cross functional communication, the full commercial approach to project input & management and the business planning process. Align, lead, deploy and train new processes & projects accordingly.

Knowledge Management & Operational Efficiency:

• Manage and optimize cost structures through the RFQ process, aligning with financial targets and tracking progress for accountability.

• Contribute to a culture of role standardization & best practice sharing in the Project Expert team and across all COPs job families to drive effectiveness & efficiency.

• Provide clear communication of knowledge regarding in scope projects & initiatives across appropriate teams, ensuring the Site Expert team are well informed on key projects impacting their scope & their sites.

• Support the Commercial Project Implementation Manager in on-boarding, upskilling and coaching the Commercial Project Experts, to ensure process harmonization and efficiency.

Strategic Sourcing and Commercial Excellence:

• Partner with the Commercial Project Implementation Manager to represent commercial interests in Regional supply/demand and Value Leadership forums, including attending periodic segment team meetings on a project basis or deputizing for the Commercial Project Implementation Manager, contributing to project roadmaps and the advancement of commercial initiatives.

• Fully responsible for commercial inputs in RFQ process, including price negotiation with suppliers of new formats, specs, or designs, in collaboration with other Commercial pillars.

• Lead cross-functional project teams to support continuous improvement and transformation of the Commercial aspects of project execution and relevant processes

Context and Scope

This role will attend all project Activity Task Group meetings (ATGs) within role scope and Value Leadership project teams where relevant, as well as managing critical stakeholder groups, including European Project Managers and Activity Managers, Regional IEs and Marketing Managers. By representing Commercial through all project stage gates this role will ensure excellence in execution across the network, reducing waste and non quality costs and ensuring activities are delivered on time, thus enabling Sourcing Managers to focus on external relationships and long term strategic priorities vs the PNE internal project pipeline.

What can you expect from Mars?

• Work with over 140,000 diverse and talented Associates, all guided by The Five Principles.

• Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.

• Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.

• An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.

Find out more about what Mars can offer you by visiting our Global Careers site.

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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.