Strategic Programme Manager - Marketing, Business Services & IT

ABOUT UNILEVER

With 3.4 billion people in over 190 countries using our products every day, Unilever is a business that makes a real impact on the world. Work on brands that are loved and improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We are driven by our purpose: to make sustainable living commonplace, and it is our belief that doing business the right way drives superior performance. At the heart of what we do is our people – we believe that when our people work with purpose, we will create a better business and a better world.  

At Unilever, your career will be a unique journey, grounded in our inclusive, collaborative, and flexible working environment. We don’t believe in the ‘one size fits all’ approach and instead we will equip you with the tools you need to shape your own future.

​​CATEGORY/FUNCTION INTRODUCTION

​​MBS, Unilever’s Marketing, Business Services and IT Procurement team, is responsible for Unilever’s sourcing and supplier strategy and execution for all third party spend across Marketing, Business Services, and IT, supporting the business requirements of Brands, Business Groups, Business Units, UniOps, and functions to drive 4G growth and competitive advantage through strategic supplier management, cost and value management, sustainability and innovation, aligned with Unilever’s Compass. The MBS team manages an annual spend of about 10 B Euro with a supplier base of about 35,000.

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JOB PURPOSE

Find your purpose at Unilever. You will lead innovations, big and small, that will make our business win and grow. You will learn from brilliant business leaders and colleagues in a truly global and diverse culture to ultimately become a better you. If you are  comfortable working in white space, leading through change, get your energy from working fast paced, performance-oriented, are excited about high-value impact, and can interact with senior stakeholders to understand their needs and deliver effective balanced solutions  then this role is just for you.

WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE

• ​​Support the Head of MBS Procurement and MBS LT in developing, driving, and executing the strategic agenda.

• ​Manage strategic transformation projects and on-going initiatives to ensure successful delivery and value creation in alignment with business objectives.

• ​Lead, manage, and monitor the implementation of agreed projects and workstreams within and across MBS.

• ​Plan and lead management routines and agendas, including MBS LT and MBS Worldwide Community Connects, including managing minutes and action tracking.

• ​Own and champion an effective MBS communication strategy to support clarity, engagement, and high performance across MBS, responding to evolving business needs and a multi-stakeholder environment.

• ​Champion a culture of high engagement, learning, trust and well-being, globally networked to nurture team members and business outcomes. Serve as leader and liaison among the community to build connections and solve problems.

• ​Act as single point of contact for MBS on various initiatives, including contract board, business planning, and overhead management. Work collaboratively with Finance, HR, Strategy & Insights, Supplier Operations, UniOps VMO and other internal and external business partners.

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WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO SUCCEED

Experiences & Qualifications

• ​​Bachelor's degree in engineering or business administration, MBA being a plus

• ​Strong professional Procurement skills and experience (5-8+ years) including supply market intelligence and analysis, supply strategy development and implementation, managing alliances and relationships, and negotiation.

• ​Project & change management, particularly on large scale global programmes

• ​Interpersonal and networking

• ​Demonstrated ability to motivate/influence colleagues and in the process holding oneself as well as others accountable for reaching ambitiously set targets

• ​Experience in managing complex/multicultural environments

• ​Experience in MBS, marketing, IT, or business services areas is highly preferred

• ​Must be a self-starter with a strong Bias for Action, Accountability & Responsibility, and Growth Mindset.

• ​Must be able to manage and lead senior relationships with senior internal stakeholders

• ​Must be a strong executor, being able to work independently and virtually.

• ​Must lead both processes and people across a broad and diverse geographic and business environment.

• ​Strong at selling ideas to his/her business partners, internally and externally, translating these into effective proposals conveying value and communicating it accordingly.

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Skills

• ​​Ability to work under pressure and in a complex global environment balancing a broad spectrum of stakeholder requirements

• ​Comfortable working in conditions of ambiguity and learning through change.

• ​Able to support the adoption and execution of a shared vision and strategy for change, whilst managing the interface between “day to day” and improvement projects

• ​Strong negotiation and influencing skills

• ​Ability to interact with stakeholders effectively and efficiently functionally to understand their needs and deliver effective balanced solutions.

• ​Passion for continuous improvement

• ​Robust verbal and written communication skills, including creation and delivery of effective presentations as an added advantage.

• ​Working knowledge of financial and business acumen

• ​Stakeholder management and people skills

• ​Passion and practical creativity

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Leadership

• You are an inclusive motivator of people. Your team deliver with real passion, growing and learning from each other whilst delivering quick wins.

• You are still responsible for your own results and as a manager, you also need to motivate others to deliver with passion, creating an inclusive and engaging climate around you. You can balance challenge with support and coaching. You understand the wider business context and you are emotionally intelligent enough to motivate people to deliver what is needed.

• Critical SOL (Standards of Leadership) Behaviors

• PERSONAL MASTERY: Sets high standards for themselves.Has emotional intelligence to take feedback, manage mood and motivations, and build empathy for others.

• PASSION FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE: Generates intensity and focus to motivate people to deliver results at speed.Takes personal responsibility and accountability for execution and results.

• TALENT CATALYST: Invests in people – coaches individuals and teams to realize their full potential.Creates an inclusive climate, empowering everyone to be at their best.

• PURPOSE & SERVICE:Has humility, understanding that leadership is service to others, inside and outside Unilever.

• CONSUMER LOVE:Invests time inside and outside to understand the needs of consumers.

• BUSINESS ACUMEN:Creates sustainable growth with purpose, engaging different partners across the system for change.

Unilever embraces diversity and encourages applicants from all walks of life! This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity.