Senior Procurement Manager - Soft Commodities (Dairy, Sugar & Starches EU)

Senior Procurement Manager - Soft Commodities (Dairy, Sugar & Starches EU)

Job description – Senior Global Procurement Manager, Dairy, Sugar & Sweeteners

Work Level: WL2C

Scope: Global

Reports to: Jean-Olivier Quentin

Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

The Ice Cream division at Unilever is preparing to stand on its own, aiming to become an independent, EUR 8.3 billion publicly listed company by the end of 2025. We’re on a mission to create the ultimate snacking company. A place where growth, innovation, founder and ownership mentality, and performance are cultivated and rewarded. And where we craft extraordinary ice cream experiences - transforming ordinary moments into lasting memories.

ABOUT THE MAGNUM ICE CREAM COMPANY:

The Magnum Ice Cream Company is all about growth. Growing our business. Growing our customers’ businesses. Growing our people’s careers. Growth begins with empowerment. So we free our people to be innovative, responsible entrepreneurs, driven and equipped to give our consumers more amazing products and unforgettable moments – and having fun doing it. With 19,000 expert ice cream colleagues and iconic brands like Wall’s, Cornetto and Ben & Jerry’s, loved in 76 countries, we are the world’s largest Ice Cream company leading the industry. We have been taking pleasure seriously for more than 100 years, serving happiness with every lick or scoop of ice cream for generations. We are investing to unlock the full growth potential of The Magnum Ice Cream Company as a standalone entity, once we separate from Unilever, which is planned to happen before the end of 2025. We dream big but keep things simple to act fast. If you want to grow with us, make an impact, and shape the future of Ice Cream, this is the place for you!

JOB PURPOSE:

As Global Procurement Manager, you will lead strategic sourcing and supply partnerships across the Dairy, Sugar & Sweeteners categories, with direct responsibility for Europe. You will demonstrate deep value chain understanding, drive long term value creation and best in class commodity price risk management strategies meeting the specified needs of the Business at most competitive commercial terms.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Procurement of Soft Commodities (720m€ Global Spend, Direct Responsibility for EU 202m€) – Global & EU Dairy, Sugar & Sweeteners.
• Strategic Sourcing & Value Creation
  • Architect and execute global category procurement strategies that drive long-term business transformation.
  • Launch portfolio initiatives (e.g., Alternate Supplier/Material Approvals, resilience, market development, complexity reduction) to unlock gross margin and operational efficiency.
  • Lead high-stakes negotiations, delivering savings and cash flow targets through market intelligence and strategic levers.
  • Build and manage a forward-looking savings pipeline, ensuring cross-functional alignment and execution.
• Commodity Price Risk Management
  • Partner with Commodity Risk Management to define and deploy optimal hedging strategies across categories.
  • Collaborate with Finance and Strategy & Insight to deliver accurate price forecasts, market analysis, and budgeting inputs.
  • Integrate local market intelligence into global cover strategies and supplier flows.
  • Ensure full hedge compliance across categories and supplier contracts.
• Supplier Strategy, Contracting & Compliance
  • Cultivate strategic supplier partnerships, evaluating capabilities for long-term alignment and innovation.
  • Shape and manage the supplier base to meet evolving business needs and resilience goals.
  • Ensure compliance with Supplier Quality and Responsible Sourcing policies, while maintaining contracting, quality, and service standards.
  • Oversee contract implementation and service delivery across all sourcing units.
• Innovation & Sustainable Sourcing
  • Enable innovation through close collaboration with R&D, leveraging supplier intelligence, capacity insights, and market trends.
  • Champion sustainable sourcing initiatives in partnership with the Ice Cream Business and key suppliers.
• Leadership & Capability Building
  • Lead and develop a high-performing team of 2–3 direct reports, fostering growth, accountability, and strategic impact.

A successful Procurement Manager is expected to be:

• Outstanding in idea generation, ideas that are forward thinking, and that contribute to creating sustained competitive advantage.
• Strong at selling ideas to his/her business partners, internally and externally, translating these into effective proposals conveying value and communicating it accordingly.
• Appreciative of the value and impact of outstanding execution – an eagle eye for detail.
• Act as an entrepreneur, treats business as his/her own, sets trends and is willing to lead, follow or get out of the way.
• Behave as a Partner with Purpose ambassador and demonstrate the value Procurement adds to the business.
• Talent mastery, which includes: spotting, fostering, encouraging and retaining talent is a non-negotiable.

WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED: Qualifications & Experience:

• University degree
• At least 5 years' experience in Procurement and commodity experience is a plus
• Experience in Cross Functional working / Affinity or working experience with/in R&D
• High level Business acumen and negotiation skills