Category Manager, Polymers

Diageo•Plainfield, IL

2d•$102,375 - $170,625•Onsite

About The Position

The Category Manager, Polymer Packaging will play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering Diageo's NAM Polymer packaging procurement strategy, leading category management across PET and Closures; contributing to a cohesive, best-in-class 3-5 year sourcing strategy. The role is accountable for managing significant spend, driving value creation, supplier performance, innovation, and risk management across the packaging supply base. In addition to category leadership, this role is expected to be a recognized leader within the Global Packaging team, providing technical and commercial expertise, developing category capability, and coaching and leading a high-performing team. The role will have responsibility for overseeing category resources and headcount, fostering collaboration across regions and functions, and building organizational capability to deliver long-term business objectives. This role involves evaluating current procurement processes, developing and implementing PET and Closures packaging procurement strategies, partnering with the technical team to develop needs profiles, leveraging market intelligence, and maintaining an understanding of industry-leading contracting practices. The role requires leadership and commercial acumen throughout the sourcing, tendering, negotiation, and contracting processes, ensuring compliance with company policies.

Requirements

Experience in developing and executing procurement strategies.
Experience in managing significant spend.
Experience in driving value creation, supplier performance, innovation, and risk management.
Technical and commercial expertise in packaging procurement.
Experience in coaching and leading a high-performing team.
Experience in overseeing category resources and headcount.
Experience in fostering collaboration across regions and functions.
Experience in building organizational capability.
Experience in evaluating procurement processes against industry best practices.
Experience in developing and implementing procurement strategies.
Experience in partnering with technical teams to develop needs profiles.
Experience in leveraging market intelligence.
Experience in developing contract frameworks and master schedule templates.
Experience in sourcing, tendering, negotiation, and contracting processes.
Ensures compliance to company policies.
Experience in developing and refining procurement strategies for packaging projects.
Experience in supplier selection, negotiation, and contract management.
Experience in identifying and evaluating potential suppliers.
Experience in identifying, assessing, and mitigating procurement-related risks.
Experience in building and maintaining strong relationships with key suppliers.
Experience in leveraging market intelligence to inform procurement decisions.
Experience in driving insights into outcomes.
Deep commodity understanding across Resin indices.
Experience in developing, implementing, and monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs).
Experience in identifying opportunities for process optimization within the supply chain.
Experience in collaborating with cross-functional teams.
Expertise in establishing and managing supplier performance criteria.
Ability to identify potential supply chain disruptions and implement risk mitigation strategies.
Commitment to fostering innovation within the supply chain.
Experience in training and mentoring teams on supply chain excellence best practices.
Experience in influencing multiple key senior stakeholders.
Understanding of multiple cultures and market dynamics.
Management of specialist level personnel.

Nice To Haves

Experience in polymer packaging procurement.

Responsibilities

Drive the development and execution of unified 3-5 year procurement PET and Closures packaging strategies, ensuring alignment with Diageo’s broader business objectives.
Foster strong partnerships with internal stakeholders across various functions to support procurement initiatives and operational excellence. Ability to influence strategy execution at the local level.
Establish performance metrics and continuously monitor procurement activities, ensuring alignment with strategic goals and delivering value to the organization.
Develop and refine procurement strategies for PET, Closures packaging projects, integrating market insights and best practices to maximize cost-effectiveness and efficiency.
Lead for PET/oversight for Closures sourcing initiatives; category projects, including supplier selection, negotiation, and contract management, to secure favorable terms and drive quality outcomes.
Identify and evaluate potential suppliers to ensure they meet company standards for quality, cost-effectiveness, and reliability.
Identify, assess, and mitigate procurement-related risks within packaging projects, ensuring compliance with regulatory and company standards.
Build and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers, facilitating continuous improvement, performance evaluations, and collaborative opportunities.
Leverage market intelligence to inform procurement decisions and strategy adjustments, ensuring Diageo remains competitive and informed within the industry. Ability to drive insights into outcomes. Deep commodity understanding across Resin indices to drive a more competitive negotiation.
Champion a culture of continuous improvement within the procurement function, identifying process enhancements and innovations that drive efficiency and effectiveness.
Develop, implement, and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) that drive accountability and foster a culture of continuous improvement within the supply chain.
Identify opportunities for process optimization within the supply chain, leading to enhanced efficiency, reduced costs, and improved service delivery.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align supply chain objectives with business goals, ensuring seamless integration of procurement strategies across operations.
Establish and manage supplier performance criteria and conduct regular evaluations to ensure compliance with quality standards and contractual obligations.
Identify potential supply chain disruptions and implement risk mitigation strategies that safeguard against unforeseen challenges and maintain operational continuity.
Foster innovation within the supply chain, leveraging emerging technologies and practices to enhance responsiveness and adaptability.
Train and mentor teams on supply chain excellence best practices, fostering a knowledgeable workforce that drives high performance.
Act as a high-performing leader within the Packaging team, building capability through coaching, mentoring, and developing others to achieve strong individual and team performance.
Influence multiple key senior stakeholders across Supply (and/or) Demand businesses.
Create the right environment for success against a backdrop of diverse and often conflicting business needs.
Ultimately accountable for key external suppliers in the defined categories to maximize long term commercial advantage.
Manage a number of outsourced relationships.
Manage specialist level personnel.