VMO Contract Manager

Title: VMO Contract Manager, CustOps

Location: Bangalore

ABOUT UNILEVER:

Be part of the world’s most successful, purpose-led business. Work with brands that are well-loved around the world, that improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We promote innovation, big and small, to make our business win and grow; and we believe in business as a force for good. Unleash your curiosity, challenge ideas and disrupt processes; use your energy to make this happen. Our brilliant business leaders and colleagues provide mentorship and inspiration, so you can be at your best. Every day, nine out of ten Indian households use our products to feel good, look good and get more out of life – giving us a unique opportunity to build a brighter future.

Every individual here can bring their purpose to life through their work. Join us and you’ll be surrounded by inspiring leaders and supportive peers. Among them, you’ll channel your purpose, bring fresh ideas to the table, and simply be you. As you work to make a real impact on the business and the world, we’ll work to help you become a better you.

​

Purpose

Reporting to the VMO CustOps Lead, this role will drive the Vendor Management Office (VMO) activities. Collaborating closely with MBS Procurement portfolio leads, and key business partners in IOps, to support delivering the programme, increase value and optimise spend across Unilever’s current and future business process supplier landscape.

The Contract Manager will be a subject matter expert for all Service line contracts, acting as a first point of contact for issues and escalations, governing and executing contract changes processes and coordinating a consistent Unilever way of working. The role will interact with a wide network of stakeholders both in Unilever and at the suppliers and will be a key contributor to the success of the service line. Act as a contract subject matter expert, a first point of contact for internal and external questions, issues and escalations. Support commercial operations and contract management opportunities for providers and contracts in scope Track and ensure adherence to key contract rights and obligations by liaising with multiple internal stakeholders and the vendor Interact with Service Operations and Service Delivery teams on continuous improvement agenda by providing fit for purpose analytics and work in associated projects as required. Working closely with service operations and service provider teams to drive best practice ways of working globally. Working collaboratively with Procurement, Service Lines, Finance, to ensure E2E connectivity for all Vendor relations, enabling strategy development, performance management and savings across CustOps contracts

Support and provide input for the supplier performance and governance meetings as needed. Engage in commercial discussions with third party providers and service lines, ensuring compliance with contract rules and agreed governance processes.

Business Context

The Vendor Management Office (VMO) is an agile, cross-functional organisation that will transform the way we manage suppliers and the value we gain from our supplier spend. The VMO will:

• Coordinate the change to a new proactive operating model, building collaboration across functions to maximize value from our supplier spend.

• Be the engine that amplifies delivery of value from a new Collaborative Procurement Model that plans supplier decisions much further ahead, across whole areas of spend rather than individual contracts, and ensures best alignment with our business strategies.

• Assure the performance and compliance of suppliers and will ensure that we have the right data to deliver ever more value year on year.

• Provide end-to-end orchestration, and governance of vendor management activities across UniOps.

Objectives

Closely partner with Service Line, Finance and Procurement teams to support the contract management for Customer Operations (CustOps) and the Global Customer Hub Leads.

Ensure 3rd party budgets, costs and suppliers are optimally managed, highlighting risks as needed.

Continuously improve relationships with suppliers and internal stakeholders to drive value for Unilever

Key Accountabilities

• Work with Service Line and Procurement teams as required in the specification of new or amended services and the identification and selection of suppliers.

• Support the Procurement Manager during negotiation of contracts or contract change to ensure that commercial and supplier performance requirements are reflected in any subsequent contract or service agreement and define the consequences of non-compliance

• Operate an effective governance model for managing the supplier relationships within the portfolio.

• Operate an effective supplier management command structure and escalation process, to ensure that the requisite operational methods, procedures, facilities and tools are established, reviewed and maintained. Procures goods/services necessary to ensure the continuity of the service.

• Manages supplier performance at the ‘aggregate level’ across all services delivered by the specific Service Providers.

• Lead Contract Compliance and Commercial review meetings with suppliers and meets key stakeholders regularly to monitor progress against issues and to ensure that an agreed level of performance is maintained.

• Identify and drive opportunities to deliver savings for service line.

• Lead digital agenda for VMO- Cust Exp team. Focus on identification and implementation of efficient processes via available tools & technologies.

• Hold supplier and stakeholders to account to minimize value leakage on account of noncompliance to contractual obligations.

• Ensures that quantitative and qualitative data is collected and analysed to monitor the suppliers’ performance against agreed requirements, publishes the results, and initiates actions based on results

• Reviews SLAs and extensions to existing SLAs. Liaises regularly with service providers and customers to review and improve performance against SLA.

• Works with key stakeholders to establish qualitative assessment of the service provision, from the customers’ perspective, and initiates actions for improvement, where appropriate.

• Identifies and investigates opportunities for own organisation to achieve greater cost effectiveness from externally procured products and services.

• Monitors Supplier spend and carries out Billing Validation & booking of monthly charges.

• Manages the forecasting for respective service line and perform forecast vs actual analysis

• Drives adherence of No PO No Pay policy and POT (Payment on Time) target achievement with business entities and service providers.

• Owns the contract change management process to efficiently manage ongoing changes to scope, commercials. Ensures timeliness and accuracy.

• Carries out Consumption analytics to identify insights related to cost drivers and identifies optimization opportunities.

• Drives continuous improvement and Innovation initiatives. Contributes to Supplier strategy board activities and Key commercial initiatives in line with the org objectives from time to time.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Process owner for:

  • Supplier Governance

  • Service Performance Management

  • Service Knowledge Management

  • Issue Management

  • Continuous Improvement and Innovation Management

  • Governance Reporting & Review

KPIs:

• Establishing & maintaining Win-Win relationships with the Strategic Vendors

• Achievement of Aggregate Performance by Suppliers against targets set in the Contracts

• Strong engagement & collaboration with the Innovation Leadership Teams in implementing the Sourcing Strategy

About You

At least 8 years’ experience of contract management in a global organization, with a strong track record of contract, vendor and commercial management.

Experience of partnering / governance cross a multi stakeholder landscape.

Strong leadership skills with experience leading multinational teams

A strong team player, with the ability to grow effective relationships across a complex organisation.

Excellent communication skills (verbal and written).

Interfaces

This role will report to the VMO CustEx Lead and assist in managing VMO CustEx team, responsible for end-to-end delivery of contract management office, ensuring delivery of Unilever and supplier activities to drive value.

Service Lines

Global Procurement

Supplier Operations

Finance

Global Vendors

Preferred

• Bachelor’s Degree

• Contract management & Supplier Relationship Management experience

• Sound functional knowledge and at least +4 years hands on experience with the management or operation of outsourced and third-party contracts.

• Good knowledge of forecasting.

• Strong appreciation of the service and governance processes and challenges.

• Proven experience of leading and managing a team in a diverse and globally distributed environment

• Good commercial awareness and understanding of contracts.

• Good networking and influencing skills.

• Confident leadership and influencing style, being able to make an immediate impact with suppliers and customers.

• Flexibility to adjust to changing business requirements.

• Strong analytical skills with attention to detail while keeping the broader picture in scope.

• Line management experience

• Strength in holding others accountable, particularly peers and senior leadership.

• Strength in building and managing a complex network of internal and external stakeholder’s

• Strong organisation and prioritisation skills

• Ability to work independently.

• Experience in driving service performance

"All official offers from Unilever are issued only via our Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Offers from individuals or unofficial sources may be fraudulent—please verify before proceeding."