Associate Manager, Procurement Operations

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Execute sourcing and procurement activities for raw and packaging materials in Japan in line with global and regional Procurement Portfolio strategies.
• Work with the Procurement Portfolio team by providing Japan market, supplier, cost-driver, and operational insights to support sourcing strategy development and decision making.
• Manage day-to-day supplier relationships, including performance reviews, issue resolution, service improvement, cost improvement, and continuous improvement actions.
• Lead or support commercial negotiations in Japan, including pricing, contracts, terms and conditions, and cost reduction initiatives, in alignment with Portfolio direction.
• Analyze cost drivers, market trends, supplier quotations, and commercial data to support fact-based negotiations, operational decisions, and Portfolio team input.
• Support identification, evaluation, qualification, and onboarding of new suppliers in collaboration with Procurement Portfolio, Quality, R&D, Supply Chain, and other relevant functions.
• Monitor supplier and market risks, including capacity, financial health, market constraints, quality issues, and potential supply disruptions.
• Develop and implement operational risk mitigation actions, such as dual sourcing support, alternative material evaluation, inventory actions, supplier improvement plans, and escalation to regional/global teams when needed.
• Partner cross-functionally to support product launches, Japan-specific product and marketing needs, supply stability, cost and cash delivery, write-off reduction, customer advantages, and sustainability goals.
• Act as a bridge between overseas Procurement Portfolio teams and Japanese suppliers/stakeholders to ensure strategies are executable in the local market.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, procurement standards, regulatory requirements, responsible sourcing expectations, and procurement data/reporting requirements.