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- Tasks: Drive procurement excellence and improve operational efficiency across the community.
- Company: Join DS Smith, a global leader in sustainable packaging solutions.
- Benefits: Be part of a diverse team with opportunities for growth and development.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on sustainability while enhancing procurement practices.
- Qualifications: 5-8 years experience in procurement or project management preferred.
- Other info: Collaborative culture focused on innovation and positive change.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
We have a great opportunity for a Procurement Excellence Manager – Functional Excellence role here at DS Smith. The role is responsible to drive and embed functional excellence, ensuring the day-to-day operational efficiency and effectiveness of the whole Procurement community.
As the Procurement Excellence Manager - Functional, you will report to the Head of Procurement Excellence within the Group Procurement Function. As the successful candidate you will be responsible for building and operating functional ways of working to ensure the efficient and effective day-to-day operation of the function, focusing on simplicity, quality and engagement across the whole Procurement community.
You will collaborate with your procurement colleagues to:
- Drive process excellence: defining and leading initiatives to simplify, improve user experience and reduce non-value add activity, across the function
- Procurement Community and colleague engagement: foster an integrated business partner culture, valued across the function
- Evolve the maturity of Procurement practices in line with external benchmarks and functional needs.
- Simplify: Drive towards clear, consistent and logical processes, tools, templates and policies which are easier to navigate
- Bring the best of the outside practices in: defining and driving the execution of a multi-year improvement roadmap, endorsed by the Procurement leadership. Includes setting ambitious and measurable KPIs and targets to improvement vs benchmarks
- Developing strategies to enhance compliance and reduce risk, in alignment with group priorities, whilst making it easier to comply with controls, policies and standards
Key responsibilities:
- Functional Governance and Operation: Deliver and coordinate the Procurement Governance plan and process; Drive initiatives to simplify, improve colleague experience and reduce non-value add activity across the Procurement community
- Improving Maturity: For functional process areas, develop and define a 1-3 year functional maturity roadmap in partnership with the business and procurement leaders. Align on target setting: KPIs and goals, leveraging external best practice insights; Lead the adoption of best practices and improved process maturity- bringing the best of the outside in. Enlist support, innovation and commitment from across the Procurement community; In collaboration with the Technology function, support the definition of key requirements and the successful deployment of digital solutions for procurement teams and business stakeholders. Partner with Technology to develop compelling investment business cases and to align on investment slate priorities and investments; Generate insights and opportunities from internal and external benchmarking across key processes, embed governance to regularly review and improvement of core processes, tools and templates
- Functional Improvement Programme Delivery: Collaborate with the team to prioritise and deliver a programme of enablement initiatives, in alignment with agreed priorities; Accountability to ensure that core process requirements are effectively digitised (per aligned Digital Roadmap), with support from Technology and Programme Delivery teams.
- Functional Communications: In partnership with the Internal Comms team, plan and deliver the functional comms plan; Drive and maintain colleague engagement, including through the timely creation and distribution of Procurement Leadership summaries and updates; Maintain all Procurement Community channel(s) e.g. SharePoint
- Procurement Programme Delivery and Performance Management: Design, build and deliver a fit for purpose Procurement Performance environment e.g. Procurement delivery pipeline governance, challenger sessions and schedules; Develop new performance reporting / scorecards – in partnership with Finance and the Procurement Services Hub
- Procurement Learning and Development: In partnership with the Learning and Development (HR) team, plan and deliver the functional L&D plan; Build new and refresh current functional playbooks; Build and deliver new digital learning tools and platforms for Procurement, in line with the 3-year plan; Develop required Procurement e-learning and training modules materials
- Functional Risk Management & Controls: Partner with stakeholders to enhance functional compliance and reduce risk, whilst making it easier to comply with controls, policies and standards; Manage functional risk and governance practices, including the delivery of regular functional education sessions across procurement teams to enhance awareness and understanding of requirements and standards
About you: Project Management, Continuous Improvement (e.g. Lean, 6 Sigma), Change Management. Procurement / Purchasing background ideal; At least 5-8 years relevant experience at the same or similar level; Experience with e-learning tools; Bachelor’s Degree Preferred; Graduate or equivalent qualification and member of professional body, e.g., CIPS.
We are DS Smith, together with International Paper, we are a global leader in sustainable packaging solutions and other fibre-based products. We believe a better, more sustainable tomorrow is possible with the right people, who challenge and support one another to enact positive change. We employ more than 60,000 colleagues in North America and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), who are experts in innovation, manufacturing, design, sales, sustainability, supply chain, and much more. Together with our customers, we make the world safer and more productive, one sustainable packaging solution at a time. Become part of a world-leading organisation and do your best work with us!
To fulfil our purpose of redefining packaging for a changing world, we aim to build a diverse, motivated, and engaged workforce. Our goal is to create a culture of inclusion where everyone is treated fairly, differences are valued, and everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed. Our people come from diverse backgrounds, bring different perspectives, ideas and experiences to generate unique solutions focused on present and future sustainability challenges. We welcome all candidates to apply, even those not meeting all criteria.
Procurement Excellence Manager – Functional Excellence in London employer: DS Smith
Contact Detail:
DS Smith Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Procurement Excellence Manager – Functional Excellence in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the procurement field and let them know you're on the lookout for opportunities. A friendly chat can lead to insider info about job openings that aren't even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its procurement practices. Understand their challenges and think of ways you can contribute to their goals. This shows you're not just interested in any job, but specifically in making a difference at DS Smith.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your pitch! Be ready to explain how your experience aligns with the role of Procurement Excellence Manager. Highlight your project management skills and continuous improvement mindset to show you're the perfect fit for driving functional excellence.
✨Tip Number 4
Don't forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you're serious about joining our team and contributing to our mission of sustainable packaging solutions.
We think you need these skills to ace Procurement Excellence Manager – Functional Excellence in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Procurement Excellence Manager role. Highlight your relevant experience in driving process excellence and improving operational efficiency, as these are key aspects of the job.
Showcase Your Achievements: Don’t just list your responsibilities; share specific examples of how you've simplified processes or improved colleague engagement in previous roles. Use metrics where possible to demonstrate your impact!
Be Authentic: Let your personality shine through in your application. We value diverse perspectives and want to see how you can contribute to our culture of inclusion and collaboration within the Procurement community.
Apply Through Our Website: For the best chance of success, make sure to submit your application through our official website. This way, we can easily track your application and ensure it reaches the right people!
How to prepare for a job interview at DS Smith
✨Know Your Procurement Stuff
Make sure you brush up on procurement best practices and methodologies like Lean and Six Sigma. Be ready to discuss how you've applied these in your previous roles, especially in driving process excellence and improving operational efficiency.
✨Showcase Your Collaborative Spirit
This role is all about working with others, so be prepared to share examples of how you've fostered engagement and collaboration in past projects. Highlight any experience you have in building integrated business partner cultures within teams.
✨Bring Data to the Table
Since the role involves setting KPIs and measuring performance, come equipped with insights from your previous experiences. Discuss how you've used data to drive improvements and make informed decisions in procurement processes.
✨Be Ready for Change Management Questions
Expect questions around change management and how you've led initiatives to simplify processes. Prepare to talk about specific challenges you've faced and how you overcame them to enhance compliance and reduce risk.