We have an opportunity in our Supply Chain Team for a Category Procurement Manager Food Categories – reporting to the Senior Procurement Manager. This role will manage selected Food purchase categories such as sauces, seasonings, produce, bakery items and other agricultural related commodities (R850 million annual spend across 35 suppliers); to ensure lowest cost and reliable (assured) supply at the right quality.   This includes the following key performance areas;

• Developing and maintaining category procurement/supply strategies and plans
• Driving the execution and ownership of category plans through formal category management and strategic sourcing methods
• Benchmarking suppliers/categories, on an ongoing basis, to ensure optimal cost and performance
• Developing existing and new suppliers’ capabilities, and capacity, to ensure a top performing supply chain
• Ensuring effective internal and external stakeholder communication, involvement and buy-in

Key Responsibilites:

100% operationally dedicated to SA but will have some exposure to Africa for support.

Strategic Thinking:

• Define and implement category strategies within SA to ensure long term success of the KFC brand in South Africa
• Ensure contingency principles are defined and ready for implementation across suppliers
• Leverage direction set by Senior Procurement Manager for commodities to setting local direction for long term assured and cost optimized supply
• Build strong and collaborative relationships cross-functionally within the RSC and with suppliers
• Understand Macros of SA as well as legislation that effects supply. Build relationship with local government where necessary to unlock supply risk
• Ensure effective supply market research, commodity/ indices tracking, sourcing, cost analysis, contracting and supplier management techniques are used which reflects professional purchasing best practice

Planning:

• Work with marketing and new product development team to provide support on innovation calendar and where your category is required to enable this innovation/change
• Work with Marketing and Customer Service & Logistics (CS & L) team to ensure the demand and supply planning across your suppliers is effectively done and that demand signal numbers are shared on a defined (monthly) frequency with your suppliers
• Ensure that your suppliers are aligned and aware of supply chain planning principles around Limited Time Offers to support Assured Supply during this time
• Actively ensure your suppliers are maintaining required stock levels to Assure Supply
• Work with Quality Assurance & Food Safety (QA & FS) team to ensure that quality from your suppliers is compliant and that corrective actions are being effectively closed out

Execution:

• Overall accountable for Quality, Cost, Supply across your suppliers. Supported by QA & FS and CS & L teams
• Drive the execution of category plans through formal category management and strategic sourcing methods
• Ensure effective negotiations of commercial terms whilst mitigating risk and exceeding stakeholders’ requirements
• Accountable for Assured supply from your suppliers
• Risk mitigation plans in place across suppliers
• Contingency execution when required
• Work closely with QA team to ensure all suppliers are Yum approved and food safe
• Conduct Monthly, Quarterly and/or Annual Performance reviews with your suppliers around quality of supply, cost of supply and supply reliability
• Implement appropriate account management practices across the supply base – which include audits, management reviews, performance and risk management
• Maintain good franchisee, distributor and supplier relationships
• Benchmark suppliers/categories, on an ongoing basis, to ensure optimal cost and performance
• Develop existing and new suppliers’ capabilities, and capacity, to achieve competitive advantage
• Consistently create opportunities to improve supply base by identifying and developing innovative ideas
• Ensure effective internal and external stakeholder communication, involvement and buy-in, including franchisees
• Ensure all category management related documentation and records are well maintained on the shared folders for knowledge building/retention and audit purposes

Qualifications:

• A completed degree in Supply Chain/Procurement/Commerce/Business/Engineering/Science

Experience:

Min 5-7 Years’ experience in senior roles involved with strategic sourcing

• Strong commercial understanding and experience in driving down cost and identifying cost saving opportunities, with a track record of delivering total cost savings
• Analytical, able to develop models and solve problems
• Possess strategic negotiating skills and experience
• Good communication, influencing and change management skills including obtaining buy-in
• Good facilitation and presentation skills
• Experience in strategic sourcing and purchase category management, including understanding supplier or product cost drivers and other factors that influence pricing
• Ability to work with ambiguity and be agile
• Ability to deliver impactful results without having all the data or support

Competencies/skills:

• Negotiation,
• sourcing/procurement,
• Project Management,
• demand & supply management,
• influencing,
• collaborating,
• strategic thinking and
• broad supply chain experience.