Specialist – Commercial Operations (Packaging)

Job Description:

Job Purpose

The job holder will be responsible for managing the India packaging supplier base across specific packaging categories, including Rigids, Paperboard Packaging, and Miscellaneous Packaging.

The role will be responsible for ensuring seamless pack-material connectivity for New Product Development (NPD) projects within the assigned categories, while also acting as a key interface between material planners and suppliers to resolve day-to-day operational challenges.

Key responsibilities include ensuring the timely and reliable supply of packaging materials to factories in line with established service and delivery KPIs defined by relevant internal stakeholders. The individual will work closely with cross-functional teams and external suppliers to identify issues, drive resolution, and ensure continuity of supply.

The role requires strong stakeholder management and supplier relationship management skills, with the ability to build effective relationships both externally with suppliers and internally with functions such as Supply Chain, Manufacturing, QFS, SQA and NPD Team.

The individual will play a critical role in translating business priorities into actionable supplier and supply-chain outcomes, while ensuring operational excellence and uninterrupted material availability.

Key Responsibilities:

Maximize value for money:

• Ensure contractual allocation made by the sourcing manager.
• Negotiate and challenge supplier's quality, price (category materials), service, lead times, minimum order quantities & payment terms to get the best value for every rupee spent.
• Provide the necessary support to INDIA sites Planning and Logistics in ensuring supply continuity.
• Manage and provide input to Strategic Sourcing on overall suppliers performance (quality and service).
• Provide the Commercial support to the NPD Team by:
• Tracking NPDs for own categories.
• Resolving supplier queries on Shade cards.
• Timely highlighting the same to stakeholders for any delays and mitigation plan to address the same.
• Support in supplier price contracting with SSM for new material codes.
• Provide Commercial leadership to help resolve supplier issues and non-conformances.
• Accountable for new supplier and specification introduction/changes including supplier screening, selection and follow up on validation with Supplier Quality Assurance and R&D.
• Support Packs Commercial Operations Manager in execution of Value Leadership Projects.

Optimize and protect the supply chain

• Contribute to World-class management of Working Capital through Day Raws and Packs Outstanding (DRPO) initiatives (e.g. stock reductions) for owned categories.
• Ensure to attend and contribute to Planning-Commercial Meeting Every week.
• Share formal Feedback on Quota allotment Vs. Actuals monthly.
• Resolving Vendor Issues + Closing Service level Tickets.
• Follow up with Planners to clear invoices in SAP to avoid payment delays.
• Contract Amendment for Deviations + Quarterly Costing Amendment + Quota Amendment in accordance with the Sourcing Strategy.
• Share Timely Raw Material Forecasts monthly to the suppliers as per their quota.
• Support SQA in Non-conformance resolutions.

Ensure responsible and continuous supply

• Provide necessary support to sites planning and logistics in ensuring supply continuity, managing stocks and pipelines.
• Ensure zero runouts due to materials availability.
• Support SQA in developing supplier performance scorecards and provide commercial leadership for the proactive measurement of supplier performance (Supplier compliance scorecards).
• Provide input to the sourcing manager on overall supplier performance.
• Ensures that Continuous Improvement plans are in place and followed through with major suppliers with SQA and R&D Support.
• Manage & develop day-to-day relationships with suppliers and provide commercial leadership to resolve disputes, supplier issues and non-conformance when site logistics and planning /SQA are unable to during the contractual period.
• Support SQA/Site Logistics and planning to ensure raw suppliers commit to resolving all reported non-conformances (quality or service).
• Responsible, in alignment with SQA, to ensure that specifications are industry appropriate and can be efficiently delivered by potential suppliers.
• Work closely with internal stakeholders & SQA to minimize the risks on the factory by developing backups for all raw materials.
• Attend FSMR Meeting and represent One Commercial Slide.
• Accumulate all Packs input by W1 end to share SQA SPOC on time for the FSMR’s.
• In addition, make sure Packs inputs are updated on time for factories FSMR to respective SPOC.
• Support in Finance, PQM, QMS and Global Audits.
• Ensure timely payment release of Vendors by resolution with and follow-ups with APP Team and Finance Team.

Job Specifications:

• Master’s Degree (MBA/IIP)
• 3-5 years of Commercial/Purchasing experience preferably in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) field
• Fluent in English