Senior Manager, Global Procurement - Strategic Programs

Avery Dennison•Mentor, OH

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Manager, Global Procurement - Strategic Programs will be responsible for execution of Global Procurement initiatives that align with Avery Dennison’s Plan to Win. This role will be a strategic enabler to the global procurement function, implementing industry best practices, driving execution of strategic initiatives and governance. As a member of the Procurement Center of Excellence (CoE), you will support a global team of direct and indirect category managers by accelerating strategic programs, managing procurement projects, and tracking functional KPI performance. Reporting directly to the Senior Director, Strategic Programs and Operational Excellence, this role will enable execution of the functional strategies developed by the Global Materials Procurement Leadership Team (GMPLT). The successful candidate will lead execution and governance of highly complex global programs to achieve desired outcomes that truly position procurement as a value creator vs. just being a cost cutter.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Information Technology, or a related field (Master’s degree or MBA preferred).
Active Project Management Professional (PMP), PRINCE2, or equivalent certification (Change Management, Agile/Scrum, or Lean Six Sigma certifications are strongly preferred).
7–10+ years of progressive experience in strategic sourcing, category management, or procurement operations for direct and indirect, with a strong preference for individuals who have operated within a Procurement Center of Excellence (CoE) or global corporate environment.
Experience in managing Chemicals, Paper and Films categories is preferred.
3-5+ years of dedicated project management experience, with a proven track record of managing large-scale, global projects.
Proven track record of designing, launching, and managing large-scale global procurement initiatives, specifically Supplier Relationship / Risk Management (SRM) programs, Category Strategy frameworks, Contract Lifecycle Management, and Tail Spend rationalization programs.
Demonstrated experience leading or heavily supporting digital procurement transformations, including the integration of AI, automation, or advanced data analytics into the sourcing lifecycle.
Experience acting as an internal consultant or advisor, with a history of facilitating cross-functional workshops, guiding senior stakeholders, and driving change management across fragmented matrix organizations.
Experience navigating matrixed, global organizations; the role may require some global travel.
Expert knowledge of end-to-end category strategy development, including Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) models, shoulder-to-shoulder peer review mechanics, and value-creation tracking.
Strong foundational knowledge of the end-to-end sourcing lifecycle, RFx construction, commercial contracting principles and advanced negotiation strategies for high-stakes commercial agreements.
Comprehensive understanding of Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM), Business Continuity Planning (BCP), and sole-source mitigation strategies.
Ability to utilize data-mining techniques to identify fragmentation, drive catalog compliance, and automate low-value tail spend transactions.
Strong background in vendor governance frameworks and SLA/KPI management methodology.
Hands-on experience with enterprise procurement systems (e.g., Oracle, SAP Ariba, Coupa).
Proficiency in data visualization and business intelligence tools to build and maintain KPI dashboards.
People Leadership: Lead change whilst simplifying & prioritizing actions.
Business Leadership: Able to provide strategic leadership, think outside in and nurture innovation.
Self Leadership: Ability to be agile, champion collaboration and deliver holistic results at rapid speed.
Mindset: Optimistic & situational leader who will nurture a cohesive and united team and inspire them to reach newer heights. Collaborative mindset with every internal and external partner and ability to support and inspire peers as well as senior leadership team.
Structured Thinking: Ability to break down ambiguous strategic goals, complex outsourcing models, and high-level OGSMs into clear, actionable steps.
Problem Solving: Ability to translate complex corporate policies into practical, agile workflows for business partners.
Exceptional Communication: Capable of translating complex project metrics into clear narratives for C-level executives, operational teams, and external vendor leadership.
Influence & Diplomacy: Adept at gaining buy-in and holding both internal cross-functional team members and external partners accountable without formal reporting authority.
Adaptability: Comfortable pivoting strategies in response to shifting global market dynamics, internal business priorities, or vendor performance.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or MBA
Change Management, Agile/Scrum, or Lean Six Sigma certifications

Responsibilities

Refine and execute upon the framework that has been established and accelerate the supplier partnerships that are critical to our success. Drive progress on the fronts of competitiveness, delivery, quality, reliability, supplier innovation and sustainability.
Design, structure and partner with internal as well as supplier partners in driving successful tail rationalization and spend tightening across our global spend.
Support the digitalization and automation of our procurement processes. Identify and support the implementation of AI solutions to bring efficiency and improved outcomes across the procurement lifecycle. Champion the adoption of digital procurement tools, providing ongoing coaching and troubleshooting for Category teams.
Design, implement, and maintain a standardized, end-to-end Category Strategy framework. Act as an internal consultant to direct and indirect Category Managers, facilitating strategy workshops and peer reviews to challenge and elevate their category plans. Establish and govern the mechanisms for tracking category performance, value creation, and total cost of ownership (TCO) reductions.
Act as a strategic partner to Category Managers, providing hands-on support, tool training, and advisory guidance for complex RFx structuring and high-stakes contract negotiations. Assist in injecting macroeconomic data, category insights, and supplier risk metrics into the sourcing lifecycle to empower data-driven decision-making.
Guide Category Managers through standard contract playbooks, legal parameters, and preferred commercial terms to accelerate the negotiation cycle. Act as the primary conduit between Category Management, Legal, and Risk teams to quickly resolve bottlenecks in complex contract negotiations.
Drive centralized tracking, design and development of various programs such as - Sole Source Reduction, Business Continuity Planning, and Third Party Risk Management.
Gather real-world insights and pain points from Category Managers to continuously refine and modernize CoE templates, processes, and technologies.
Direct the full lifecycle of strategic global procurement initiatives, driving everything from initial resource planning and scheduling to final execution.
Serve as the primary liaison and escalation point for external partners; establish robust governance frameworks, SLAs, and KPIs to ensure performance commitments are met.
Manage project budgets and financial commitments while proactively identifying, tracking, and mitigating risks to keep initiatives on track.
Facilitate cross-functional workshops and steering committee reviews across multiple time zones, delivering clear, executive-level status reports.
Oversee the governance and performance tracking of the Global Procurement OGSM (Objectives, Goals, Strategies, and Measures) and KPIs. Facilitate regular strategic review cadences with procurement teams to assess OGSM progress, identify operational bottlenecks, and drive course corrections.