About the role Work Location: Kuala Lumpur (KL) OR Johor Bahru - 'Work from Home' for the time being Reporting to: Category Director, APMEA The Regional Category Manager will have accountability for over €150 M of Ingredient spend across the APMEA (Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa) region with primary responsibility for sourcing and supply and supplier relationship management. Reporting to the Procurement Director based in Singapore, the ideal candidate should be capable delivering value in an efficient and effective manner, and supporting our growth strategy in APMEA. Key responsibilities Sourcing and Supply: Procurement of Ingredients required by the Kerry APMEA in a timely, cost effective manner to meet both internal and external customer requirements Collaborates with the Global and Regional procurement team to set appropriate risk management and coverage strategies for Ingredients and executes the same in Kerry APMEA Responsible for the quality of Raw Materials delivered to our factories and the effective and prompt resolution of any raw materials and Supplier Audit non-conformances Raw Material supply lead-time management to ensure customer OTIF is met Selection of best in class suppliers for Raw materials working with Regional Procurement team as appropriate Works in partnership with Integrated Office functions (Supply Chain, Quality, Operations & Engineering) to ensure all quality, costs, supply and sustainability goals are met Commercial Management: Drives costs reduction and profit improvement programmes in Kerry APMEA on Raw Materials by working closely with R&D and the Regional Procurement team Performance Management / Measurement: Establishes Key Performance Indicator (KPI) measurement objectives that align with the Kerry APMEA Business objectives as well as the Procurement global functional objectives Monitors, tracks and manages tea performance against KPI’s to ensure targets are met Supplier Relationship Management and Negotiations: Develops and maintains supplier relationships with key suppliers Drives Innovation from our supply base to help support both our cost reduction objectives as well as revenue growth objectives Measures and reports supplier performance to drive improvement Contract Management: Ensures we have adequate contractual coverage on Raw Materials Drive e-Sourcing initiatives as part of the Procurement Digitalization Strategy Qualifications and skills Bachelor's degree or higher and a successful track record within the Food Manufacturing Industry with a minimum of 5-7 years Procurement / Purchasing experience incliding demonstrated accomplishments and continuous improvements Food Ingredients industry experience is required, with experience in Direct / Soft Commodity procurement experience being most preferred Excellent interpersonal communication, relationship-management and influencing and stakeholder management skills to be able work across all levels within the organisation A change agent - energised by making a difference and comfortable dealing with ambiguity Results-focused, service delivery mind-set and pragmatic approach Commercially strong with a natural focus on ROI, project and budget management and control Strong communicator who can operate, influence and achieve results; some travel (up to 25%) may be required
