VMO Portfolio Lead – D&A & Consumer

Title: VMO Portfolio Lead – D&A & Consumer

Job Location - Bangalore

Purpose :

Reporting to the VMO Technology Lead, this role will drive the Vendor Management Office (VMO) activities for a specific Technology sub portfolio (D&A, Consumers) Collaborating closely with MBS Procurement IT portfolio leads and key business partners including D&A, Consumers Service Lines to deliver strategic initiatives, increase value and optimise spend across Unilever’s current and future Finance, Supply Chain, IT and business process supplier landscape.

About Unilever

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Food, Home and Personal Care products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2 billion consumers a day. Unilever has more than 400 brands found in homes around the world, including Persil, Dove, Knorr, Domestos, Hellmann’s, Lipton, Wall’s, PG Tips, Ben & Jerry’s, Marmite, Magnum, and Lynx. Faced with the challenge of climate change and the need for human development, we want to move towards a world where everyone can live well and within the natural limits of the planet. That is why our purpose is ‘to make sustainable living commonplace’.

Business Context

The UniOps organisation provides the resilient digital platform for the Unilever business. UniOps spends more than €1B each year with external vendors, and the quality and value of vendor services are critical to the success of Unilever.  

The Vendor Management Office (VMO) is a new agile, cross-functional organisation that will transform the way that UniOps manages 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 the Procurement organisation and UniOps D&A and Consumer (Technology sub-portfolios) to ensure alignment of business strategy and planning to Procurement Collaborative Procurement Model (CPM) sourcing and supplier strategies across the portfolio, with Technology needs consistently prioritized and mapped to the most effective vendor services.

Closely partner with service lines and Finance to identify demand management opportunities, ensuring visibility and alignment to budget and Forecast reporting

Fully leverage UniOps data & analytics resources to inform and improve portfolio operational & strategic activities

Ensure proactive contract management providing clear and consistent visibility over vendor obligations and compliance across the contract lifecycle.

Partner with Procurement to develop mature and strategic vendor relationships to maximize sustained value and innovation for Unilever.

Drive execution of a robust and proactive VMO governance for Technology and the sub-portfolios programs/projects, with resources prioritised against highest value activities from Strategic Relationship Management.

Key Accountabilities

Working collaboratively with MBS IT Procurement Portfolio Leads, support End-to-end vendor management strategy execution including governance and program management for Technology sub-portfolio initiatives, ultimately supporting delivery of business financial and operational targets

Support Business Planning and Strategic alignment, including the elicitation and aggregation of Technology sub-portfolio Service Line strategies to support Plan and Spend Better initiatives within the Collaborative Procurement Model  

Lead D&A & Consumer Sub-portfolio Demand management (~100 Mn spend) including forecasting and planning for Service Line demand, dispute / escalation / performance management

Maintain Vendor relationship management to ensure delivery of Unilever’s goals and objectives.

Working collaboratively with key business service partners and procurement leads, deliver proactive Vendor Contract management, ensuring management and delivery of the commercial terms and conditions, managing strategic vendor relationships through contract life cycle and identifying continuous improvement opportunities

Deliver supplier Performance management, including adherence to contractual and operational objectives, value and satisfaction metrics, continuous improvement, and innovation.

Identify Risk management needs, with a holistic, life cycle approach that monitors and mitigates financial, operational, and strategic risks.

Lead and develop capability of the VMO D&A & Consumers sub-Portfolio team, cultivating a learning and collaboration, driving best practice, and advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Support execution of the robust and proactive VMO governance for sub- portfolio programs/projects, with resources prioritised against highest value activities.

Drive and deliver the SI strategy and the spend rationalization program for IT along with Procurement & service lines

About You

At least 5 years’ experience in Commercial & Contracts management in a global procurement environment

A highly collaborative individual, strong listening skills with ability to interpret key business needs

A results-driven, business focused leader with a passion for working strategically.

Proven delivery of programs of strategic business change and continuous improvement.

Deep understanding of vendor performance and relationship management.

Experience in effectively leading and developing specialist teams.

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

Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) for interaction with C-level executives.

Attention to detail, supported by sound financial and analytical understanding.

Experience of Technology Services, Finance, Supply Chain, and business process services an advantage.

Behaviours

Candidates would be required to demonstrate the Unilever Standards of Leadership & live the Values through showing the following behaviours:

• A Passion for High Performance through Accountability - Strive for high quality and success, hold yourself and others accountable for decisions. Challenging the status quo, be bold & passionate about value, think outside of the box and be keen to improve.

• Demonstrate Consumer Love through a Customer First approach - Think about our customers constantly and strive to providing the best services and experiences.

• Be a Talent Catalyst through Collaboration - Work in an openly creative culture, where all ideas are welcome, encouraging innovation and transparency.

• Show Agility through Empowerment - Always be one step ahead, embrace change and challenges, initiate solutions and make decisions in good faith.

• A proactive, constructive attitude, driving collaboration both internally with business partners, externally with vendors

Reports

The role will lead the VMO Technology sub portfolio team, an agile team of specialists responsible for driving value from UniOps Technology sub-portfolios/service lines.

Interfaces

Service Lines – D&A, Consumer

MBS and Global Procurement

Supplier Operations

Finance

Data and Analytics functions

External 3rd parties

Required

Preferred

Bachelors Degree

Masters or Advanced Business Degree

Professional Certifications (e.g. Six Sigma)