Merchandise Sourcing Manager - Full-time / Part-time

A mutually rewarding experience.

Work. Realize your ambitions. And realize there's more to being in business than just making a profit. That's the Mars philosophy. And the opportunity we offer every one of our Associates. An opportunity to take what you do and make it mean more for you, for those around you and for the planet. What you get here is challenging, interesting work. You get the tools you need to do a great job and you get to have the best possible people on your side to help you do it. And at the same time as getting to find ways to do business better today than we did it yesterday and driving a great career, you also get to build a more enlightened business and drive sustainability.

Because it's never just about a single person, a single project or a single brand. It's about how you can grab everything that's within your reach here and use it to pursue mutual, long-term gain. It's about having ideas. And ideals. Being prepared to risk failure because the promise of success means we'll all be a little better off. It's that mix of integrity and ambition that makes Mars such a special place to work. And why working here is always about more than just a job.

Mars has net sales of more than $33 billion, operates six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks, Symbioscience, and more than 75,000 Associates worldwide that are putting its Principles into action to make a difference for people and the planet through its performance.

Mars brands include: Petcare - PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, BANFIELD® Pet Hospital, CESAR®, SHEBA®, DREAMIES® and NUTRO®; Chocolate - M&M'S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY® and TWIX®; Wrigley - DOUBLEMINT®, EXTRA®, ORBIT® and 5™ chewing gums, SKITTLES® and STARBURST® candies, and ALTOIDS® AND LIFESAVERS® mints. Food - UNCLE BEN'S®, DOLMIO®, EBLY®, MASTERFOODS®, SEEDS OF CHANGE® and ROYCO®; Drinks - ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS™, THE BRIGHT TEA COMPANY™, KLIX® and FLAVIA®; Symbioscience - COCOAVIA® and WISDOM PANEL®.

About Mars Retail Group

Headquartered in Mt. Arlington, New Jersey, U.S., the Mars Retail Group creates and builds retail businesses that build the brands of Mars, Incorporated. The iconic M&M'S World® stores, located in New York City, Las Vegas, Orlando, London, and Shanghai, currently represent Mars' largest retail business. MRG also operates the company's Licensing and Colorworks businesses. Mars Retail Group is a division of Mars, Incorporated.

The position is responsible for managing the global strategic sourcing for the Premia category at Mars Retail Group. This role will be accountable for building and executing short term, long term and seasonal sourcing strategies and tactics to meet or exceed overall business objectives of the M&M'S World, My M&M's and Retail Activation Teams.

Using a global lens, this role will have responsibility to ensure Mutuality, Quality, responsible souring protocol alignment, brand integrity, continuous improvement and innovation between suppliers and the business.

This role will partner with product development, demand planning and finance to drive, plan and execute merchandise procurement based on future demand expectations. Externally, this role has a high level of interaction with external suppliers across the supply chain for on-time delivery and will support the supplier relationship with key vendors.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the overall relationship with key suppliers supporting product lines, which include ensuring continuity of supply, on-time delivery, quality, payment terms, and supply contracts.
• STRATEGIC SOURCING: This position will partner with key stakeholders on long term premia strategies and understand future Premia specifications. This role will ensure MRG is competitive within the marketplace and introduce new/alternate suppliers to the business as needed. This role will research supplier options, evaluate and identify qualified suppliers (Request for Proposals), negotiate pricing and execute contracts for agreed upon core merchandise and/or on-going programs.
• SUPPLIER PERFORMANCE: Partnering with SQA, this position will oversee supplier performance, including vendor assurance practices & compliance and will facilitate business reviews with strategic suppliers.
• VALUE FOR MONEY & CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT: Work with planning and finance, this role will identify suppliers that will deliver the best value to drive cost savings and continuous improvement workstreams in support of MRG Value Leadership
• RISK MANAGEMENT: To deliver a strong and sustainable supply chain, this role will vet all suppliers, review financial stability, responsible sourcing compliance and risk management.

Education

• 5 - 7 years practical business experience
• Bachelor Degree in Merchandise and Marketing, Business Administration Procurement or other applicable degree preferred
• 4 years' experience in a procurement role utilizing SAP

Experience

• Proven leadership and business acumen
• Strong interpersonal communication skills, with an ability to work with people from diverse cultures at all levels
• Strong negotiation skills and understanding of development costs, manufacturing procedures, and component pricing.
• Good judgment with the ability to make timely and sound decisions
• Creative, flexible, and innovative team player
• Commitment to excellence and accountability
• Excellent problem resolution and collaboration skills
• Proven ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines
• Strong technical background, with a wide range of hands on manufacturing experience (experience with food-grade premia is a plus)
• Experience with international sourcing/manufacturing, particularly Asia
• Ability to drive continuous improvement internally and externally
• Excellent business judgment on the vetting and selection of qualified vendors, including negotiation expertise (value for money), scope development, contract management and responsible supply.

Functional Competencies and Technical Skills

• PrQM
• Advanced knowledge of Premia industry standards and government regulations related to product testing
• Negotiations, including terms and conditions
• Responsible Sourcing & Vendor Assurance Programs
• Brand Manager workflow process
• Expert knowledge of SAP/Fusion, Mars Web/Databases, & Microsoft Office Suite

Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.