Buying Manager - Direct Spend (Ingredients & Packaging)

Join this dynamic team focused on delivering better nutrition for every step of life’s journey.

This high impact role, reporting to the Head of Procurement, is key to the broader success of the business, as procuring our packaging and ingredients at best value is key in Glanbia Performance Nutrition delivering industry leading products. Overall spend is ~75-100M USD including dairy products, proteins, sweeteners, flavours, amino acids, and specialty ingredients that drive the performance of our products and the packaging solutions which make our products stand out.

You will work closely with suppliers to help deliver best total value, engage internally with supply/logistics teams to help drive operational excellence. You will also work closely with functions in R&D, Operations, Quality and Packaging teams to help meet our sustainability and quality agenda and support a robust and exciting NPD/Innovation pipeline. You will partner with procurement colleagues globally to leverage scale and seek out and share common best approaches and will also collaborate with our finance teams in construction and updating budgets.

This is an engaging “hands on role” in which you can make a real contribution to the business, a role in which you will:

• Devise, own and drive the associated procurement strategies, becoming expert in the market dynamics of the categories in scope.
• Maintain responsibility for the contracted supply base meeting all forecast and service requirements.
• Seek pricing improvements through engaging in quarterly/annually price updates with suppliers and ensure pricing is updated in relevant systems.
• Input into preparing the annual savings plan and Procurement KPIs and provision of data to the Finance Team.
• Own and manage the category vendor base risk exposure and contingency process, with early flagging to supply & business leadership to allow appropriate decision making at pace.
• Work collaboratively across functions including Supply, Logistics, Innovation, R&D, Quality, Packaging, Finance and Commercial.
• Partner with inbound materials team to help secure availability and systemically overcome supply challenges.
• Elevate and Champion Global Working and Collaboration across our broader procurement enterprise.
• Be responsible for all SAP procurement requirements and operational interface with finance, master data and others to ensure supplier set-up, pricing and contracting changes are met.
• Leverage the use and effective deployment of relevant Procurement IT systems and tools, and identify and recommend changes to systems and processes, as appropriate.
• Be the central Subject Matter Expert for all spend data mining and spend analysis from SAP BO; collate regional Procurement performance monthly, quarterly and annual reports.
• Provide data and insights to set and support budget positions for your categories and revise as appropriate to support Finance in the forecasting processes.
• Through close relationships with key suppliers advance opportunities for closer working on process & project.
• Be an active participant in building & sharing Glanbia culture both internally and externally. Be an advocate for our Brands, Our Values and Our Mission through your daily work and support events that educate, celebrate and advance these and our DE&I agenda.

Qualification & Experience Requirements

• Proven procurement delivery and experience (5 years minimum) working in a fast-paced environment ideally in a FMCG company.
• Experience in ingredients and packaging procurement is desirable.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with internal and external stakeholders.
• Able to demonstrate an understanding of budgets and cost management, along with KPI management and reporting experience.
• Knowledgeable of legislative requirements relating to purchasing goods and services.
• Able to think strategically and contribute to the strategic business agenda.
• Excellent proven negotiation and purchasing skills focused on the long term and best total value.
• Strong analytical approach to performance management and reporting.
• Able to demonstrate a full understanding and user experience of online Procurement systems, an intermediate to advanced MS Excel and PowerPoint experience, and experience of SAP and SAP BO.
• A willingness and ability to partner across functions so to deliver the best company-wide.

If you think you have what it takes, but don't necessarily meet every single point on the job description, please apply!

Where and How You Will Work

The opportunity will be based in Middlesbrough with hybrid working arrangements available, which allows you greater choice in how you work and live, giving you a better work-life balance.

What We Would Like to Offer You

The opportunity to develop your career on a global stage, continuous learning through an on-demand learning platform, and a competitive compensation package including staff discounts, generous family leave policy, health plan, pension and competitive salary.

About Glanbia

Glanbia is a better nutrition company with three divisions: Performance Nutrition, Health & Nutrition and Dairy Nutrition. Collectively and with our partners we offer an incredible breadth of expertise in nutrition. We employ a team of 6000 people, work with global food and beverage companies, and sell our award-winning and market-leading brands and ingredients in more than 100 countries worldwide.

At Glanbia, we celebrate diversity, because we know that our individual strengths make us stronger together. We welcome and encourage interest from a variety of candidates. We will give your application consideration, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, or disability status.