SOUTH AMERICA PURCHASING DIRECTOR

The Company

The world leader in mineral-based specialty solutions for industry, with over 16,000 employees and over 200 sites worldwide, Imerys delivers high value-added, functional solutions to diversified set of industrial sectors, from processing industries to consumer goods. The Group draws on its knowledge of applications, technological expertise and its material science know-how to deliver solutions based on beneficiation of its mineral resources, synthetic minerals and formulations. These contribute essential properties to customers’ products and performance, including refractoriness, hardness, conductivity, opacity, durability, purity, lightness, filtration, absorption and repellency. Imerys is determined to develop responsibly, in particular by fostering the emergence of environmentally-friendly products and processes.

If you want to grow your skills and develop your career, find out more at www.imerys.com

The Position

Job Summary

The Head of South America Purchasing will lead creation of an enhanced regional South America operating model and team to partner and support Imerys’s in scope south America geographies, managing $200M+ in purchasing-addressable spend). This role is primarily responsible for developing strategy, instituting value and building out a purchasing infrastructure. This position reports to the Imerys Americas Purchasing and is based in Campinas - Brazil

Job duties include:

Develop regional purchasing vision & strategy, with multi-year roadmap to establish function within key markets (Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Peru) in South America
Drive priority improvements connected with strategy: organization, business process, policy, and systems, and business partner experience.
Cultivate & maintain relationships with internal clients/business partners, including Commercial functions, Finance, and Senior Management within International Headquarters and across European markets.
Develop understanding of Imerys’s Regional business environment, and spend.
Benchmark on best practices to implement globally aligned regional category strategies for focus categories, including Med Comms, Meetings & Events, IT, Facilities, Market Research, and Vehicle Lease.
Lead cross-functional teams in highly complex & impactful tenders. Outcome of negotiations are highly visible and critical to business outcome.
Collaborate with cross functional partners such as financial shared services and accounts payable to institute best practices to enable streamlined purchase to pay processes, supplier setup and on-going management of preferred suppliers.

Knowledge, Experience, Education and Skills:

15 years strategic purchasing experience, with minimum 5 years in a leadership position
Fluent in Portuguese and English, additional fluency in Spanish is preferred
Solid relevant experience in sourcing & purchasing within a regional (South America) context.
BA or BS degree (MBA a plus.) or international equivalent
Team Player and Team developer
Demonstrated ability to develop relationships & influence key decision makers internally & externally, regionally and globally
Experience of working in a South America regional capacity, with Brazil as a key market
working with remote teams and establishing strong engagement with key business leaders in remote locations
Proven experience in planning and leading complex negotiations
Highly motivated & results focused with the ability to act with a high sense of urgency
Process oriented with strong analytical skills and creative problem-solving capabilities
Ability to operate and execute effectively in a fast-paced environment with multiple priorities and challenging deadlines
Thorough knowledge of the categories, markets, regulations & operations in the related industry
Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.

Behaviors

Resilient profile with the ability to deliver in an ambiguous environment
Ability to engage and influence multiple stakeholders to achieve the objective
Curious with learning agility
Operationally excellent
Organized with systematic approach to prioritization
Process orientated to achieve the business objective

Position Type

Full time

and

Permanent

Only technical issues will be monitored through the below inbox:

recruiting.support@ imerys.com

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To ensure fairness and legal compliance in our recruitment processes, only applications received through the online application process will be considered.

IMERYS is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer and it is our policy to not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state or local laws.