Commercial Operations Assistant Manager – Direct material

Job Overview

This role is responsible for procurement of a specific group of direct material (raw/ pack). The individual will collaborate closely with the strategic sourcing manager to effectively implement sourcing strategies that support the operations of the PCH and CHB sites.

This role is expected to work cross-functionally with internal teams and external partners to achieve business objectives, maintain and monitor supplier relationships on a day-to-day basis, ensuring optimal performance and alignment with business goals, drive initiatives to enhance the supply chain, maximizing total value while ensuring efficiency and effectiveness. He/she will also oversee the Annual Execution Plan (AEP) budget for direct material (raw/ pack), balancing quality and suitability for purpose. He/she will also represent Commercial team in S&OP+ as designated.

The role is based in PCH with moderate travel to related suppliers in Thailand.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the assigned direct material portfolio, ensuring alignment with key performance metrics that support the Commercial strategy and business goals.

• Partner with strategic sourcing manager to analyze market price trends and gather industry insights in order to facilitate an accurate price forecast, comprehensive risk assessments, and the establishment of pricing standards related to supply and/or quality.

• Ensure effective management of the direct material Annual Execution Plan (AEP) budget. This includes analyzing Purchase Price Variance (PPV) and identifying mitigation strategies to address any discrepancies.

• Cultivate and maintain strong working relationships with global, central, and regional cross-functional teams, including Supply Chain, Research & Development (R&D), and Sourcing, to enhance collaboration and drive business success.

• Facilitate effective communication across the organization regarding pertinent procurement information, including updates on new suppliers, market trends, and cost-saving initiatives. Ensure that all relevant stakeholders are informed and engaged in these developments.

• Actively participation in integrated planning, new development program, critical and resiliency to ensure raw/ packaging material availability

• Contribute to the development of sourcing strategies by providing essential buying operation insights and inputs to the Strategic Sourcing Manager, ensuring a comprehensive and effective approach to procurement.

• Implement the portfolio strategy effectively to align with and achieve the company’s overall goals.

• Assist in the successful launch and re-launch of new products, as well as line extensions, while executing the SPEED to Market strategy to ensure timely delivery to support markets.

• Work collaboratively with both internal and external stakeholders to drive the implementation of the Value Leadership program; to maintain or enhance product quality, improve efficiencies, and reduce total delivered costs. Additionally, continuously identify opportunities for improvement across the end-to-end (E2E) supply chain to ensure a “fit for purpose” supply chain for direct materials (raw and packaging).

• Is a primary point of contact for suppliers, overseeing and monitoring supplier reliability and performance evaluation. Conduct dependency analyses and accountable in supplier relationship management.

• Bridge the knowledge from outside-in or leveraging suppliers’ capabilities to improve total E2E supply chain and its total cost of ownership.

• Create Master Service Agreement (MSA) and gain approval from respective approvers.

• Negotiate and manage price agreements for direct material (raw/packaging), conduct preliminary supplier audits and collaborate with the Supplier Quality Assurance (SQA) team to review supplier qualifications. Additionally, support and, when necessary, lead supplier quality improvement initiatives through the SQA program to enhance overall supplier performance.

Job Specifications

• Bachelor’s degree program in any related field

• Minimum 5 years working experience in Commercial/ Procurement or Business/ Supply Chain management role.

• Able to work under complex and ambiguous business environments

• Fluent in English communication

• Ability to travel 30-40% of the time

• Ability to implement Commercial and Business strategy to gain competitive advantages.

• Possess strong leadership capability, negotiation, and interpersonal skills

• Stakeholder engagement with influencing skills cross functionally.

• Business process, insight, and project management skill

• Being a good team member with driving team collaboration.