A mutually rewarding experience.

Work. Realize your ambitions. And realize there’s more to being in business than just making a profit. That’s the Mars philosophy. And the opportunity we offer every one of our Associates. An opportunity to take what you do and make it mean more for you, for those around you and for the planet.  What you get here is challenging, interesting work. You get the tools you need to do a great job and you get to have the best possible people on your side to help you do it. And at the same time as getting to find ways to do business better today than we did it yesterday and driving a great career, you also get to build a more enlightened business and drive sustainability.

Because it’s never just about a single person, a single project or a single brand. It’s about how you can grab everything that’s within your reach here and use it to pursue mutual, long-term gain. It’s about having ideas. And ideals. Being prepared to risk failure because the promise of success means we’ll all be a little better off. It’s that mix of integrity and ambition that makes Mars such a special place to work. And why working here is always about more than just a job.

About Mars, Incorporated 

Mars is a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love. With almost $35 billion in sales, the company is a global business that produces some of the world’s best-loved brands: M&M’s®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, MILKY WAY®, DOVE®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, EXTRA®, ORBIT®, 5™, SKITTLES®, UNCLE BEN’S®, MARS DRINKS and COCOAVIA®. Mars also provides veterinary health services that include BANFIELD® Pet Hospitals, Blue Pearl®, VCA® and Pet Partners™. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in more than 80 countries. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire its more than 100,000 Associates to create value for all its partners and deliver growth they are proud of every day.

 

Senior Commercial Operations Manager

 

Mars has been proudly family owned for over 100 years. It’s this independence that gives us the gift of freedom to think in generations, not quarters, so we can invest in the long-term future of our business, our people and the planet — all guided by our enduring Principles.

We believe the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. Our bold ambitions must be matched with actions today from our 130,000 Associates in 80 countries around the world.

The Senior Commercial Operations Manager is responsible to provide technical leadership in the execution of our regional and global sourcing strategies, while ensuring flawless service, identifying/executing on value creation opportunities, and maintaining the highest standards of quality. This person is responsible for driving transformational change in how MWNA manages essential raw materials ($1.6B) and/or packaging ($0.5B) by leveraging key supplier relationships and external strategic partnerships to drive optimization and standardization across the region.

This person must demonstrate an ability to influence without authority, as they will work collaboratively with cross functional partners to implement/embed sourcing strategies and standards while applying key commercial signature processes (e.g. responsible sourcing, supplier performance/relationship management, etc.). This person will be playing an active role in the design of regional and/or global best practices and will be the functional representative in the region, ensuring best practices knowledge management and implementation. This role is responsible for identifying and delivering value chain optimization opportunities and ensures that the team acts as the first line of escalation on issues between suppliers the business, all within the context of driving the supplier relationship management process. 

 

 

What we’re looking for:

• Minimum requirement of Bachelor’s degree in Procurement, Supply Chain/Logistics/Materials Management or Finance and/or the equivalent combination of education and work experience.
• MBA or other Master’s degree preferred
• CPM/CPSM, CIPS or other analogous professional certification preferred
• Minimum of 8-10 years procurement experience in a progressive procurement environment at a multinational consumer goods company. Packaging/Raw Materials sourcing experience preferred. 
• Strong experiences in strategic sourcing methodology, e-sourcing, state-of-the-art risk management tools and supplier management programs
• Effective communicator; excellent oral and written communication skills
• Strong financial and analytical skills
• Strong interpersonal skills and leadership skills enabling effective work within cross-functional teams
• Strong project management experience
• 8-10 years of professional experience, proven track record of creating/implementing large category strategies, ability to influence without authority, strong project management capabilities, substantial supplier/customer management experience & deep financial acumen

 

 

What you’ll be doing:

 

1. Understands, interprets, and executes on category strategies, managing cross-functional business partners and suppliers to deliver total lowest cost materials and mitigate the supply risks. 
2. Intimately understands the category markets and cost drivers to drive future forward category execution, and actively engages in the development of annual budgets for the Region.
3. Initiates/investigates value creation opportunities in the sourcing of raw materials and/or packaging, as well as the cost/risk analyses of these materials.
4. Influences (without authority) internal stakeholders to align with global & regional buying strategy
5. Establish & maintain relationships with key functional managers/directors (finance, plant manager, marketing director, sales director, supply chain director, etc.), and their teams to ensure understanding of their needs and to facilitate the appropriate level of challenge.
6. Acts as the liaison between the sites and, or business units and the sourcing managers to communicate changing business needs (e.g. specification, volume changes, etc.)
7. Actively participate in/lead regional/global subcategory team meetings; lead/contribute to global/regional projects as required
8. Provide input to and execute at a local level Global & Regional Mars Strategic Sourcing Methodology (MSSM), and other major work streams
9. Identifies and manages supplier collaboration initiatives (e.g. supplier owned inventory, forecast management, electronic invoicing, operational process streamlining, etc.)
10. Proactively works with suppliers to ensure the delivery of continuous improvement and technology which ultimately leads to competitive advantage and working capital reduction opportunities.
11. Execute supplier performance reviews on a regular basis.
12. Implement supply base strategy. Assess and develop suppliers to meet business needs and opportunities. 
13. Ensure effective risk management of the supply base, through robust contracts and monitoring of financial and other KPIs. Implement corrective actions as appropriate.
14. Works closely with Quality on development and monitoring of supplier performance. Partners with Supplier Quality Assurance to deliver PQM standards.  Ensure the suppliers to comply with the Social Responsibility Audit and the Quality Audit.
15. Responsible for providing support, training and guidance to junior and, or new team members.  Provide support as needed to individual buyers in complex negotiations and critical issues (e.g.: disputes that threaten continuity of supply, termination of major suppliers, suppliers causing late delivery of projects).

 

What to Expect from Mars:

 

• The opportunity to learn, develop and take charge of your own career.
• An industry competitive salary and benefits package. 
• To be respected and valued.
• The Five Principles at the center of every decision
• The opportunity to work cross functionally, add value and impact a better world for generations to come.
   

 

Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.