Sr. Manager, Indirects - Utilities and Services

Kraft Heinz • Chicago, IL

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Sr. Manager, Indirects - Utilities and Services will be responsible for building and maintaining strong internal stakeholder and supplier relationships, leading sourcing and category management for utilities and services, and setting and delivering performance goals for a high-spend category portfolio. This role will also partner with Sustainability and business stakeholders to execute strategies, lead supplier relationship management, and develop a fit-for-purpose supplier base. The manager will lead strategic supplier discussions, own escalations for critical supplier issues, and translate business needs into sourcing and category plans. They will develop multi-year category strategies, build cross-functional partnerships, and identify, evaluate, and prioritize value-generating initiatives. The role involves prioritizing and allocating work, reviewing key deliverables, leading contract negotiations, and maintaining a strong understanding of category dynamics. Driving Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) improvements and coaching/developing team members are also key responsibilities.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, finance, business, engineering or related field. Candidates with extensive relevant experience and certifications (e.g., CPM, CPIM, etc.) may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• At least 5 to 7 years of experience in Procurement, preferably in Indirect Procurement with relevant category expertise.
• Strong written, verbal, analytical, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
• Ability to prioritize multiple concurrent tasks and drive assignments to timely completion.
• Ability to understand, organize, and communicate complex information or data sets in an easily understandable format tailored to a variety of audiences.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment, support requests from, and interact directly across all levels of the organization.
• Demonstrates strong ownership, curiosity, and bias for action; results-oriented, proactive, and responsive.
• Strong planning and execution skills to deliver projects related to TCO.
• Ability to gather information to become a subject matter expert in newer areas (ask questions, synthesize, and simplify) to ensure understanding of the category dynamics and business needs.
• Supports strategy development that aligns function with organizational goals and generates results that will have a positive impact on the function/business unit.
• Must have experience in the sourcing life cycle process and have a strong grasp of the tools needed to complete the process.
• Intermediate to advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook) and have an understanding for source-to-pay tools (SAP, Ariba, etc.).

Nice To Haves

• Experience with utilities, sustainability, and sanitation industry leaders is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain strong internal stakeholder and supplier relationships to ensure alignment, responsiveness, and stakeholder satisfaction.
• Lead sourcing and category management for a portfolio of utilities and services categories, ensuring clear requirements, aligned expectations, and measurable outcomes.
• Set and deliver performance goals for a high-spend category portfolio, including a robust productivity pipeline that maintains operational excellence.
• Partner with Sustainability, suppliers, and business stakeholders to execute short- and long-term sustainability strategies in a cost-effective manner.
• Lead supplier relationship management and conduct supplier business reviews; serve as an escalation point for performance, continuity, and risk issues.
• Develop and maintain a fit-for-purpose supplier base that ensures supply continuity while reducing tail spend.
• Lead strategic supplier discussions on long-term objectives, market trends, innovation/technology, and investment opportunities.
• Own escalations for critical supplier issues; align cross-functional partners and drive timely resolution.
• Translate business needs into sourcing and category plans across AQSCI (Assurance of Supply, Quality, Service, Cost, and Innovation).
• Develop multi-year category strategies grounded in data, insights, and business requirements.
• Build strong cross-functional partnerships to influence decisions and drive adoption of category strategies across total spend.
• Identify, evaluate, and prioritize value-generating initiatives based on complexity, resources, risk, time to implement, and financial impact.
• Prioritize and allocate work across the team while personally owning key sourcing initiatives.
• Review key deliverables (strategies, RFx packages, negotiation plans, and contracts) to ensure quality, consistency, and compliance.
• Lead contract negotiations and execute agreements in accordance with procurement policies; apply expertise across categories as needed.
• Maintain a strong understanding of category dynamics (market conditions, pricing, cost drivers, and supplier landscape) and communicate key changes to business partners.
• Drive Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) improvements through analytics and cross-functional collaboration; measure and report value delivery.
• Coach and develop team members through clear expectations, regular feedback, and performance management; simplify complexity and enable execution.

Benefits

• Coverage for employees (and their eligible dependents) through affordable access to healthcare, protection, and saving for the future, we offer plans tailored to meet you and your family’s needs.
• Events, resources, and learning opportunities that inspire a physical, social, emotional, and financial well-being lifestyle for our employees and their families.
• Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental, Vision, Screenings/Assessments
• Paid Time Off, Company Holidays, Leave of Absence, Flexible Work Arrangements, Recognition, Training
• Employee Assistance Program, Wellbeing Programs, Family Support Programs
• 401k, Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, Disability

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager