Job Information
Unilever Head of Supply Chain Ice-cream UK & Ireland in Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom
Job Title: Head of Supply Chain Ice-cream UK & Ireland
Location: Kingston Head Office
Work-Level: 3X
ABOUT ICE CREAM: Life Tastes Better With Ice Cream
We spark moments of happiness for people and within the communities where we operate . As ice cream makers we are serious about happiness. With warm hearts, we create the coolest products , and we supply them to our consumers . As the largest ice cream company in the world, we have over 100 years of experience in delivering smiles, and we plan to continue this for many more years to come .
If you are in the current Unilever Ice Cream business or consider ing working for the newly separated I ce Cream business, you will work for the Global leading Ice Cream playe r in a growing category where we are part of the 1 trillion snacking and refreshment industry, growing consistently at high pace. We are investing to unlock the full growth potential of Ice Cream as a standalone entity, once we separate from Unilever, which is planned to happen by November 2025.
Committed to innovation, quality, and sustainability we have 35 brands, including 3 one billion Euro brands (Magnum, Wall’s, Ben & Jerry’s) , a strong presence in over 60 countries, generating annual revenue of over $8 billion , of which 2.8b comes from Europe region.
As part of the supply chain team, you will turn the ordinary into the extraordinary by supplying unique and high-quality product to our customers and consumers , coordinating the entire E2E supply chain network in an efficient and sustainable way.
JOB PURPOSE
The Ice Cream Head of Supply Chain UKI will have responsibility and accountability for supply chain operations in the UKI cluster ( UK and Ireland ) . With deep understanding and responsibility of end-to-end supply chain processes, the successful candidate will be responsible for balancing cost, cash and service in the cluster to support the business growth plans. There will be a team of direct SC reports in market and the r ole will report to the Ice Cream Head of Supply Chain Europe , with a dotted line to the UKI Cluster G eneral Manager and will be a critical part of the EU/ANZ IC Supply Chain Leadership Team and the UKI Cluster Leadership Team.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Coordinate country S&OP process, collaborating with finance and sales team to drive accurate demand and support proper cash-up process.
Business partner with the cluster General Manager to manage demand, seasonality and support overall growth plan.
Collaborate with the EU integrated planning director to implement demand planning transformation in market , including machine learning and operational rigor.
Responsibility of country inventory, SLOBs and accountability to manage country business waste reduction program.
Full responsibility of logistic cost, logistic excellence execution, primary and secondary warehouse operational management and control.
Close collaboration with the Gloucester Factory lead, who is also member of the UKI Leadership team, to ensure seamless end-to-end SC excellence.
Collaborate with sales team and customers to drive supply chain customer collaboration and development with target to not only improve service level (DR, OSA etc) but drive full customer supply chain partnership (AGS score improvement).
Le a d the Customer Experience team with an operational focus on Order to Deliver, Order to Cash, and Customer Collaboration processes. Managed end-to-end supply chain operations, ensuring seamless communication across relevant interfaces including allocation management and service risk management.
Engaged in strategic and operational collaboration with internal HUB/Support Centres and external service providers (IBM, Genpact) to enhance order management and delivery efficiency.
Coordinate and support supply chain hubs (e.g. iOps updated program) from master data to cash collection process etc.
Understanding of financial principles to manage budgets, reduce costs, and improve profitability. The country SC head is responsible to manage service, gross margin and cash in the country.
Be the one point of contact for the country G eneral M anager regarding supply chain operational topics (excluding manufacturing) including in market safety, quality, sustainability, innovation.
ALL ABOUT YOU
SKILLS:
Strategic Thinking: ability to develop and implement long-term strategies that align with BU goals, country strategy and targes and drive supply chain cost/service/cash balance.
Effective Communication to convey complex information clearly and build relationships with stakeholders at all levels (GM, BU Head, BU CFO, BU CMO).
Confidence and capability to highlight and challenge decisions when they do not take in consideration full E2E impact.
Truly business partner mindset : bringing supply chain at the core of the general manager decision, confidence to challenge and collaborate with the country leadership team and EU BU SC LT to always aim for the best results for the business.
“Can Do” (founder) mentality to unlock problems and drive accurate , effective solutions with spee d, showing passion and motivation for business growth.
Extensive analytical skills to analyse data to make informed decisions, optimize processes and costs.
Risk Management skills to identify , assess, and mitigate risks within the supply chain to ensure continuity and resilience and to inform and guide the GM operational decisions (e.g. assumption s , inventory risks, service risks/opportunity)
Commitment to identify and nurtur e talent, providing mentoring , coaching, and fostering a collaborative team environment.
Transformative and innovative leadership , open to change and transform the status-quo and implement pioneering and digital processes and tools to solve complex problems and overcoming challenges within the supply chain and the extended business.
Flexibility to adapt to changing market conditions, technologies, and organizational needs.
EXP E RI E NCE S & QUALIFICATIONS :
Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, Information Technology, Logistics , or a related field; a Master’s degree is preferred . 10+ years of experience in supply chain management leadership roles, preferably within the food and snacking industry . Proven track record of leading large-scale transformations in a global supply chain context . Strong understanding of advanced supply chain planning and go-to-market excellence , including and understanding of the emerging and new technologies that can improve and extend efficiencies – especially across the cold chain . Experience with global supply chain operations, including procurement, manufacturing, logistics , and distribution.
LEADERSHIP:
Exceptional leadership and team management skills, with a demonstrated ability to drive innovation and change . Foster a collaborative and inclusive work environment that promotes curiosity, experimentation, professional growth and development. Provide guidance and support to the team, ensuring alignment with company objectives . Drive talent development and succession planning to ensure a strong pipeline of future leaders . Have the ‘gravitas’ (experience, self-awareness, and interpersonal skills), allowing to interact with senior stakeholders effectively and efficiently across the company .
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Unilever is an Equal Opportunity Employer that embraces diversity and encourages applicants from all walks of life . This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity .
We take pleasure seriously. Join the Ice Cream team now!
What we offer
Whilst the role is advertised on a full-time basis, we would be happy to discuss possible flexible working options and what this may look like for you. We strive to achieve a family-friendly and inclusive workplace and to, above all, create possibilities for all.
Diversity at Unilever is about inclusion, embracing differences, creating possibilities and growing together for better business performance. We embrace diversity in our workforce. This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity. We are also more than happy to provide reasonable adjustments during our application and interview process to enable you to be present your best self. To find out more, including about our Employee Resource Groups, please click here Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (unilever.com) (https://careers.unilever.com/diversity-and-inclusion) .
Job Category: Supply Chain
Job Category: Supply Chain
Job Category: Chaîne d'approvisionnement
Job Type: MCO SC Director
Industry: UnileverExperiencedProfessionals