Foods people love. Brands people trust. And a career that nourishes your future like no other.

If you're driven by the passion to do something meaningful that changes lives, Nestlé is the place for you. Nestlé USA is one of seven operating companies that make up Nestlé’s presence in the United States. We're in 97% of American homes, and as the leading food and beverage company, our goals are to continue to deliver quality food and beverage products, strengthen our local communities, and reduce our environmental and climate impact.

We’re determined to challenge the status quo and be better tomorrow than we are today. As individuals and teams, we embrace our entrepreneurial culture and have created a workplace where collaboration is essential, courage is rewarded, speed is expected, and agility is the norm to delight our consumers every single day. Here, you will find limitless opportunities to learn and advance your career and feel empowered to succeed in the workplace and beyond. Because our focus is not only on nourishing our customers, but also about enriching you.

This position is not eligible for Visa Sponsorship.

POSITION SUMMARY: 
The Procurement Category Buyer is responsible for creating and executing a Category Strategy for each assigned category, based on business objectives and understanding of the supply market using the 7 steps to strategic sourcing process. This role involves ensuring Business Continuity Plans (BCPs) for materials, identifying cost savings initiatives, developing strategic relationships with suppliers, facilitating innovation opportunities, making contracting decisions, conducting negotiations, and reducing Nestle's total cost of ownership. The Procurement Category Buyer also plays a crucial role in maintaining a strong understanding of Purchase Price Variance (PPV), representing it in monthly meetings with Business Partners and Procurement Leaders, managing supply incidents, and driving improvements in on-time delivery and quality through Vendor Evaluation Scorecard conversations. The Category Management Lead will also indirectly lead the team by mentoring and delegating to lower-level team members and accelerating key focus areas such as Negotiation prep and execution, and PPV excellence. 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop comprehensive Category Strategies for each assigned category, in context of business objectives and utilizing the 7 steps to strategic sourcing process to understand and integrate category expertise, to set the direction of sourcing for the categories. Annually present strategies to Procurement and cross functional teams.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with suppliers, fostering collaboration and innovation
• Identify opportunities for cost reduction and cost avoidance projects including Simplex, and present analysis & category expertise driven insights to Business Partnering and Technical Application Group (TAG) teams, drive execution of projects and maintain accurate records in Oscar
• Ensure Business Continuity Plans (BCPs) are in place for materials within the assigned categories
• Identify and present innovation opportunities from suppliers to Procurement Business Partners and innovation to launch (i2L) specialists to drive innovation
• Conduct RFPs and negotiations with suppliers to achieve the most favorable price, incoterm and payment terms to reduce Nestle Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), make contracting decisions accordingly
• Proactively maintain accurate material and freight pricing to drive Purchase Price Variance (PPV) accuracy. Credibly and effectively communicate aggravation and favorability of PPV for assigned categories to Business Partnering teams
• Collaborate with factory supply chain teams and suppliers to minimize or eliminate disruptions to contracted supply
• Initiate Vendor Evaluation Scorecard conversations and drive for improvements in on-time delivery and quality with suppliers
• Stay updated on market trends, industry best practices, and regulatory requirements related to the assigned categories to reduce and communicate risk and understand price changes
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Finance, Legal, and Quality Assurance, to ensure compliance and alignment with company policies and standards
• Collaborate with suppliers to identify regenerative agriculture and carbon reduction opportunities and work with the Procurement Sustainability team to capture projects that contribute to Nestle’s Greenhouse Gas reductions (GHG) reduction goals
• Suggest improved ways of working, introducing new processes or re-engineering existing ones in support of key priorities
•  

In addition to the responsibilities above, Lead role is expected to embody Nestle Leadership Framework behaviors not only as Employee but demonstrate leadership behaviors. This can evolve through (but not limited to): Identify and develop business case for meaningful intern project, and Lead/guide intern developing key performance indicators (KPIs). Embody mentor/leadership role across category teams, act as subject matter expert (SME) within strategic areas in order to level up skills and understanding of team. Responsible for coaching on key procurement processes and metrics

EXPERIENCE: 

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Economics, or a related field
• Minimum 7 years of experience in Strategic Buying, supplier relationship management, and managing financial business impacts of decisions
• Proven results with purchase price variance excellence, managing financial impacts and communication with functional teams and leadership
• Proven experience with e-auctions, successful external negotiations to drive cost out of materials or services sourced and successfully influence internal cross functional teams
• Strong understanding and demonstration of procurement processes, category management, and supplier relationship management.
• Proven ability to create strong and comprehensive category strategies that drive savings and/or innovation to the businesses they support. 
• Ability to independently navigate complex problems and make decisions to change processes to drive improvements with cross functional teams considering end to end impacts, and make decisions that drive value for the businesses they support. 
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain relationships with internal stakeholders and external suppliers.
• Ability to coach, review, and delegate work to lower-level professionals, mentoring and helping them to build capability. 
• Proficiency in using SAP, Microsoft Excel, Prism, PowerPoint, Word, and Power BI

SKILLS:

• Interpersonal skills to effectively build relationships with and influence a dynamic and diverse set of stakeholders, including the ability to listen and understand differing perspectives
• Strategic mindset with quantitative, problem-solving, project management, and negotiation skills and a strong desire for progress and continuous improvement
• Proven ability to analyze and present findings in a clear and cohesive manner
• Adept at managing change and working through ambiguity to identify and drive to a solution, both independently and collaboratively with cross-functional teams
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to liaise across boundaries and boarders and influence with integrity 

REQUISITION ID:

337179 

It is our business imperative to remain a very inclusive workplace.

To our veterans and separated service members, you're at the forefront of our minds as we recruit top talent to join Nestlé. The skills you've gained while serving our country, such as flexibility, agility, and leadership, are much like the skills that will make you successful in this role. In addition, with our commitment to an inclusive work environment, we recognize the exceptional engagement and innovation displayed by individuals with disabilities. Nestlé seeks such skilled and qualified individuals to share our mission where you’ll join a cohort of others who have chosen to call Nestlé home.

The Nestlé Companies are an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer seeking diversity in qualified applicants for employment. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, gender, gender identity, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, perceived disability, medical condition, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other protected status, as defined by applicable law. Prior to the next step in the recruiting process, we welcome you to inform us confidentially if you may require any special accommodations in order to participate fully in our recruitment experience. Contact us at accommodations@nestle.com or please dial 711 and provide this number to the operator: 1-800-321-6467.

This position is not eligible for Visa Sponsorship. 
 

Review our applicant privacy notice before applying at https://www.nestlejobs.com/privacy