Procurement Manager

INEOS Aromatics Europe is a part of the Global INEOS Aromatics business with 5 manufacturing sites located in China, Indonesia, US, and Belgium.

We manufacture and market Paraxylene (PX) and Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA), which are used by our customers to make essential consumer products such as food packaging, textiles and building materials.

We continue developing new technologies to advance low carbon future. Our PTAIR® technology enables PTA production at about 30% lower carbon footprint than the average European PTA production. We are also piloting a new chemical recycling technology which will enable currently unrecyclable PET plastic waste to be diverted from landfill or incineration and instead transformed back into new, virgin-quality feedstocks.

We are a part of a global petrochemicals’ manufacturer INEOS, which operates 194 sites across 29 countries, generates $61 billion annually and employs over 26,000 people. INEOS products are used in a wide range of end-market applications.

In this role you will:

General:

• Lead the INEOS Geel Site Procurement Team to provide a professional procurement service through the development of appropriate skills, commercial knowledge and understanding of the site’s procurement requirements.
• Develop and implement procurement strategies in line with the strategic direction of the function for variable and fixed costs, so that significant cost improvements will directly translate into the business EBITDA and focus on all fixed cost contracts to bring best value in TCO to the business.
• Guarantee business continuity by following up demand and tracking supplier performance.
• Lead Turnaround Procurement efforts for the site.
• Coordinate Procurement process improvement for training (internal and external, swim lane maps, roles & responsibilities, procedures, training materials), SAP Vendor/Material/Service Masters and Procurement tools (SAP, TRACTION, BRAVO, contracts database, Sharepoint).
• Assure the manufacturing sites material and service requirements are met to keep process units operating reliably & cost effectively.
• Ensure capital projects at the Geel site are adequately supplied with materials & labor to meet construction schedules and budgets.
• Manage Storehouse activities seeking to optimize working capital tied up in inventory while maintaining overall site reliability as it applies to ready supply of critical materials in support of maintenance.
• Maximize contribution to the company’s bottom line through optimum cost savings, which includes negotiated cost reductions, cost avoidances, and working capital reductions.
• Continuously improve the performance level of both the procurement and stores teams at each site.
• Work closely with the technical teams to understand changing demand for new technologies and establishing programs for new supplier approval and adequate procurement strategies.

Key responsibilities and accountabilities:

• To deliver the annual procurement targets, in particular guarantee of supply, total spend reduction (fixed & variable) and cash-out, and optimising working capital in coordination with the business and technical authorities.
• To assure business continuity and drive for cash fixed costs reduction through improved procurement processes and supplier base.
• To ensure legal compliance and respect of Ineos code of conduct for all Sourcing activities as well as the Delegation of Authorities (DoA) and Procurement process requirements as instructed by the relevant Business Units.
• Develop, implement and execute the procurement strategies for fixed costs.
• In support of these strategies lead and participate in benchmarks with other Ineos businesses and the global procurement network.
• Joint accountability with safety department to assure we have safe, qualified contractors working at the sites.
• Maintenance of the approved contractor database which is readily accessible to all users of contract services on the site indication which contractors are approved to work on the site.
• Drive the right behaviours through encouraging participation in each site’s safety observation programs.
• Increase procurement capabilities and efficiency (e.g. contract automation in SAP, E-catalogues), minimise manual transactions and drive the change of image of procurement inside the respective sites.
• Ensure ethics and compliance for the procurement team as well as business model compliance.
• Ensure compliance to ISO certificates and financial audit requirements.
• Coach carefully and closely the team by periodical performance reviews.
• Responsible for the monitoring and continuous improvement of key performance indicators (KPI) such as payment terms, savings & cost avoidance,…
• Provide procurement training opportunities (both external and internal) for department personnel which drives lower cost procurement of materials and services.
• Conduct internal refresher courses to maintain proficiencies.
• Provide cross-training in the key procurement areas between team members that ensures continuity in the case of absence or vacation.
• Develop the negotiating skills and procurement practice competencies among the members of the site procurement personnel.
• Develop tools and processes that create efficiencies driving out unnecessary activities in the procurement process.
• Automate processes to create space for team to move into greater areas of responsibility and increased levels of performance.
• Identify and implement “best in class” storehouse practices.
• Continually challenge the maintenance organizations at the sites on ways to reduce storehouse inventory (working capital) while maintaining overall manufacturing reliability.

Dimensions:

• Purchase spend: ~140m
• Number of purchase orders: 6500
• Mid to long term contracts: 250
• Number of vendors: 860

We have the following requirements:

• Master’s degree minimum. Technical degree strongly preferred
• 10+ years’ experience in Procurement
• 5 - 7 years commercial experience
• Previous experience in managing people
• Significant experience in the chemical/petrochemicals and/or polymer industry
• Six Sigma training desired
• Strong communication skills – oral and written
• Strong negotiation skills
• Strong delivery/cost focus
• Advanced analytical skills and solid ability to move from analytical to strategic (bigger picture)
• Understanding of business context, market interactions & business strategy
• Computer literacy (SAP, BW, MS Office)
• Strong team player
• Ability to prioritize tasks to meet tight deadlines
• Strong interpersonal skills and relationship building
• Innovative and change management

Our offer:

Ineos Aromatics offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package.