Procurement Manager

Company Overview
Global FMCG Company

Job Description
Japan Procurement Manager – Job Description

Responsible for procurement of all the Indirect spend categories in scope in terms of sourcing activities related to the acquisition of goods and services across Japan market, with a heavy focus on Advertising and Promotion, Professional Services and FM categories.

The role has end-to-end procurement responsibility over delivery and execution of procurement projects, as well as annual strategy setting and outcome based delivery. While technical skills are paramount, a great interpersonal approach with strong stakeholder management experience would be required in this role for the candidate to be successful.

The role has one direct report and reports to Asia Cluster Procurement Manager, based in Taiwan, with a dotted line to General Manager Japan.

We’re a forward-thinking global company with growth plans on the horizon, so someone who is willing to grow, be proactive and agile will be a perfect fit.

Requirements
The role requires the following competencies and skills:

Procurement processes:

Category Management:

• Understands the specific nature of Categories, either technically or commercially within their job remit.
• Carries out relevant countries research and adjusts strategy to relevant countries conditions.
• Understands the importance and principles of a strategic approach. Influences the development of strategies.

Procurement Supply and Demand forecasting:

• Fully understands the principles of supply and demand forecasting.
• Has good experience at successfully conducting the collation and setting of demand for a number of categories of products and services.
• Can adapt to the changes in demand and understands any follow on changes that may need to be made to supplier contracts or business usage of products and services.
• Is able to identify trends in demand to influence a number of other processes such as Category Management, Source to Contract and supplier negotiations.

Supplier performance and Relationship Management:

• Experience of supplier management and how to ensure ongoing value for money throughout the lifetime of the contract.
• Applies supplier management techniques planned through the lifetime of a contract.
• Develops and applies aspects of partnership working and supplier management with specific organizations within the supply base, while maintaining suitable scrutiny and transparency.
• Is able to segment suppliers into tiers with supplier development/management plans developed for each tier of the supply base
• Carries out joint process improvement with suppliers, structured, joint sharing of benefits across all operating units
• Regular supplier update meetings. Consistently uses performance metrics across supply base.

Supplier Risk management:

• Incorporates key risk assessments into decisions, typically with guidance
• Occasionally uses sensitivity modelling to understand implications of risk
• Performs regular supplier financial health checks
• Provides input to complex risk analyses and uses concepts in own work, by considering appropriate mitigating and contingency actions proactively.
• Understands audit and compliance needs and acts accordingly to ensure processes are used and adapted accordingly.

Source to contract:

• Advises on and assists internal customer in the development of technically demanding specifications.

• Can articulate and specify requirements relating to contracts for which they have responsibility.

• Builds, or has already established, a very sound understanding of technical subject. Demonstrates creativity and innovation in the development of complex specifications.

• Is responsible for creating and amending the sourcing and tendering process.

• Can recognize weaknesses in the process and implement changes based on policy and organizational needs.

• Is responsible for directing strategy and tactics for major contracting and tender evaluation work ensuring compliance with policy.

• Is responsible for ensuring the organization that all contracts are awarded in compliance with all appropriate legislation.

• Takes responsibility for the award of contract in relation to major complex procurements.

• Manages and resolves disputes arising from supplier debrief, liaises with legal advisors where appropriate.

Contract (Framework) Agreement:

• Fully implements contract management strategies and techniques on a project by project basis, and within the procurement function.

• May provide contract management advice or training to others.

• Works with customers to ensure that materials/services are delivered according to contract.

• Resolves commercial and contractual disputes, interacting with the Legal department as appropriate

Procurement Cost Management:

• Fully conversant in total cost of ownership (TCO) and will take into account non direct commercial implications, such as corporate social responsibility, environmental, contract/relationship management and quality as part of Procurement Cost Management.
• Provides guidance to other staff.
• Strong track record in the development of business cases.
• Able to lead business case development for Procurement activity, or contribute commercial aspects to business cases developed by others.
• Experienced in the use of multi-tiered supply chain and Procurement costing methods and applies them throughout the lifetime of the contract and can provide guidance to other staff.

Benefits Management:

• Understands procurement specific benefits tracking methodology and has used the approach in small projects.
• Likely to use methodology in completing own procurement projects/contracts.
• Is able to identify when corrective action is necessary and able to identify the appropriate action to be taken in relation to individual and departmental benefits performance indicators.
• Understands the impact own objectives has on departmental objectives in relation to benefits.
• Is able to link departmental objectives to strategy.
• Will be appraised and may appraise performance against objectives and understands the need to report individual performance in relation to benefits delivery. Anticipates factors that can have an impact on achievements in relation to benefits delivery.
• Will contribute to, or draft, reports to key stakeholders in relation to benefits delivery but will seek the approval of others before release

Procurement Skills Category Specific/Technical

Negotiations:

• Fully understands when and how to negotiate.
• Has good experience of successfully conducting a range of negotiations across a variety of Categories and countries sectors to achieve objectives.
• May lead on some strategic and business critical negotiations.
• Can adapt/flex tactics during a negotiation.
• Has a good working experience of planning and preparation for negotiations.
• May lead on some strategic and business critical negotiations.
• Has a good working experience of setting objectives and tactics.
• May lead on some strategic and business critical negotiations.
• Develops clear objectives and will agree tactics to achieve them.

Financial Analysis:

• Has good background, has general understanding, if changes in contract terms are favorable for the organization.
• Effective at using analytical tools such as Excel
• Understands principles of foreign exchange rates and impact on price but will seek advice when necessary.

Project/process Management:

• Organizes large cross functional projects in line with leading industry practice.
• Structures tasks and assigns people work based on their skills.
• Develops detailed and transparent project plans with timelines and resource allocations clearly identified.
• Identifies problems and issues in advance and manages around them.
• Proactively reaches out to people and engages them into the teamwork.

Purchasing Tools and System:

• Understands the systems and mechanisms associated with data management and control. Uses them appropriately and requires little guidance.
• Uses systems and technology following predefined processes and will highlight localized system operational issues but seek line manager support to address.
• Suggests deviations and seeks authority in their use.
• Understands procurement systems and the available tools and will use appropriately. Will highlight localized system operational issues but seek line manager support to address.
• Understands other systems and the available tools and will use appropriately.

Stakeholder Management:

• Knowledgeable of customer issues and can handle complex customer issues, providing a real sense of ownership. Owns the issue to resolution and provides support to other staff.
• Is able to interpret customer needs and will start to pre-empt customer issues based on assessment of customer type.
• Knows when to change customer strategy and flexes Procurement strategies according to customer priorities.
• Knowledgeable of internal and external implications of decisions and will modify process, policy and practice to adapt to such changes.
• Will be sought after for advice on internal customers.
• Good understanding of the process and the concept of procurement and is aware of the impact on internal and external stakeholders.
• Has an in-depth knowledge of key stakeholders and skillfully manages their expectations through the application of identifiable stakeholder management techniques such as stakeholder maps.
• Has in-depth knowledge of how to use influencing skills and will use these to lead others to a decision or action.

Problem Solving:

• Very good problem solving skills
• Able to work independently and consistently resolve problems
• Able to identify and understand most options/alternatives for a situation
• Able to independently formulate conclusions from approach

Business Judgement:

• Good business judgment skills; uses fact-based reasoning
• Able to independently make business decisions, based on information available

Other Skills:

• ERP:

Basic knowledge of ERP systems

• Office Application:

Is able to create text templates, charts and formula as well as using pivot charts and creating animated presentations

• Languages:

• Able to communicate in written and oral English without preparation

• Fluent in English for negotiations

• Fluent in Japanese

• Able to write RFPs and internal/Supplier presentations in English and/or Japanese without supervision.

Additional Job Information
Location: Tokyo, Japan
For more details, contact Lei Lei at lei.lei@rgf-professional.com

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