Procurement Project Specialist

Nestle Operational Services Worldwide SA•Solon, OH

4d•$71,047 - $103,796

About The Position

The person in this role will leverage project management skills to drive assigned projects on behalf of the procurement organization. The scope of projects is broad, with a heavy focus on innovation and varying degrees of technical complexity. For each project, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of business requirements for prioritization, manage the end-to-end timeline, and drive toward key milestones. You will apply project management best practices to coordinate across stakeholders, ensuring all parties are aligned, tasks are completed on time, and risks are identified early. In this role, you will actively engage with cross-functional project teams to clearly communicate sourcing constraints, supply risks, and mitigation strategies as they relate to the project.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in applicable fields required.
2+ years purchasing and/or material management experience and/or technical/manufacturing experience preferred.
Experience managing tasks and/or projects; knowledge of stage gate or similar methodologies preferred.
Knowledge of and experience with global procurement and sourcing processes.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including but not limited to Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
SAP experience preferred.
Interpersonal networking skills to effectively build relationships with and influence a dynamic and diverse set of stakeholders, including the ability to listen, understand differing perspectives and collaborate effectively in a team environment.
Strategic mindset with quantitative, problem-solving, project management, and negotiation skills and a strong desire for progress and continuous improvement.
Ability to be organized and understand how to prioritize projects and workload.
Adept at managing change and working through ambiguity to identify and drive to a solution, maintaining strong curiosity and growth mindset.
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to liaise across boundaries and borders and influence with strong integrity.

Responsibilities

Understand business requirements, challenges, priorities, and key value-drivers for each assigned project.
Transmit this understanding to the cross-functional project teams at the appropriate level to ensure project priorities are defined accordingly.
Own and measure projects toward identified KPIs.
Report progress and escalate risks to Procurement leadership, business partners, and project stakeholders as appropriate.
Serve as a representative of Procurement in cross-functional meetings regarding assigned projects and/or business areas.
Seek proactive feedback regarding project activities to enable focus on high priority, high value return projects for Procurement and the business.
Orchestrate information flow between the relevant business partner and category teams to effectively deliver against project objectives.
Track activities and hold owners accountable for on-time completion.
Ensure early Procurement involvement in projects within Innovate to Launch (I2L) Framework.
Serve as Procurement lead on I2L projects and share requirements of projects with relevant category teams.
Start to develop a deeper understanding and expertise of the assigned businesses’ challenges, opportunities, and industry trends.
Develop a network of relationships across the business, category teams, and relevant functional groups to support the business MBS.
Perform other duties as assigned.