Global Supplier Development & Sustainability Director

The organisation

AkzoNobel creates everyday essentials to make people’s lives more liveable and inspiring. As a leading global paints and coatings company and a major producer of specialty chemicals, we supply essential ingredients, essential protection and essential color to industries and consumers worldwide. Backed by a pioneering heritage, our innovative products and sustainable technologies are designed to meet the growing demands of our fast-changing planet, while making life easier. 

Headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, we have approximately 45,000 people in around 80 countries, while our portfolio includes well-known brands such as Flexa, Sikkens, Alabastine and Jozo. Consistently ranked as a leader in sustainability, we are dedicated to energizing cities and communities while creating a protected, colorful world where life is improved by what we do.

The position

We embed the highest possible levels of sustainability into all our operations and we are number one in our sector in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index year-on-year. To further strengthen this commitment we are building a global supplier development and sustainability (SD&S) organization within AkzoNobel Sourcing. The target is to improve overall supplier performance while reducing the carbon footprint of a group of strategic and innovative suppliers.

Within this context your mission in this role is to lead and manage the SD&S organization as it takes ownership of AkzoNobel’s cooperation with PR and NPR suppliers by measuring their performance. In doing so you drive both corrective and proactive improvement programs and broaden the sustainability program from assessments only to the development of innovative processes and solutions to reduce multiple sources of waste. Cross-functional cooperation with our business areas, RD&I and our International Supply Chain is therefore crucial.

Is this a challenge that matches your skills and growth ambitions as a flexible and stress resistant problem solver who is open to new ideas? Do have a record of change management in a multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural environment, and the ability to interact credibly and effectively with external business partners and internal stakeholders? Can you identify improvement opportunities and move quickly to act on them through solid decision-making? Above all, do you have what it takes to make a real difference within our dynamic, multinational and multicultural business environment?

If you offer all this and more we invite you to apply for the position of Global Supplier Development & Sustainability Manager.

Tasks & responsibilities

This is a high-profile role in which, ideally, you are based in Amsterdam or Arnhem, the Netherlands. From here you build and implement a long-term vision for supplier development and sustainability programs using current models such as ALPS & Eco-Efficiency and through anchoring with Spend Area Strategies.

This requires you to onboard strategic and innovative suppliers as we seek carbon and waste reductions within our supply chain to ensure compliance not only with today’s requirements, but also with future and potentially more restrictive regulations.

In particular you create and prioritize Supplier Development & Sustainability Planning for spend area related suppliers. This includes a strong contribution to quality management, productivity, delivery performance and sustainability (carbon footprint reduction). To drive this process you specify and implement processes and monitoring tools to ensure that the supply base achieves AkzoNobel requirements in terms of productivity, quality, delivery (OTIF) and Eco–efficiency.

As team Manager you provide leadership and coaching to the SD&S team, establishing specific goals for each team member based on strategic spend area strategies versus current performance.

At all times you work in accordance with AkzoNobel’s processes and values, and you represent the company on global councils (internal and external) related to Supply Chain Sustainability.

As such, this is a role that requires you to form strong teamwork-based relationships across the AkzoNobel organization and with internal customers and external partners and clients. It also requires you to act as a convincing, compelling and inspirational leader and relationship manager who can get things done without a hierarchical basis to work from.

Given the nature of the role, you will travel for more than 50% of your time.

Candidate profile

• University or Master degree level (or the equivalent through experience)
• 10-15 years of Global Procurement and Integrated Supply Chain experience in a global landscape, ideally including managing supplier improvement programs
• Demonstrable ability to apply continuous improvement tools such as Lean Six Sigma, or willingness to be trained in Lean Six Sigma
• Basic knowledge of Corporate Sustainability Programs or willing to learn towards an expert level
• Familiar with ERP and Business Intelligence Systems
• Powerful communication, interpersonal and influencing skills including fluent written and spoken English

Interested?

You are invited to apply for this position by following the link below. For further information, please contact Jan-Kees Stout, Talent Resourcing Partner, at +31 (0)88-010 6789, option 2. A pre-employment screening may form part of the selection process.

Only online applications will be accepted. Agency or sales calls are not appreciated.