Job Description:
This role is responsible for executing inbound supply chain strategies for assigned raw and packaging materials that support Royal Canin North America manufacturing facilities. The Operations Materials Manager is accountable for reliable supply to factories by translating sourcing and supply strategies into operational execution, supplier performance improvement, inventory optimization, and issue resolution. The role acts as a key interface among Sourcing, SQA, Planning, Manufacturing, Regulatory, Trade Compliance, Finance, suppliers, and factory teams to ensure materials are available on time, in the right quantity, and with the required quality and compliance standards.
Operations Strategy & Execution
• Serve as the regional Commercial Operations expert for assigned materials/categories and co-pilot with Sourcing Managers and SQA on supply risk evaluation, mitigation, and execution.
• Translate regional sourcing and supply strategies into clear operational priorities for assigned factories, materials, suppliers, and stakeholders.
• Develop and implement inbound pipeline strategies with Manufacturing, Planning/Flow, Logistics, SQA, Regulatory, Trade Compliance, Finance, and suppliers.
• Ensure execution of agreed materials strategies, including service, cost, quality, inventory, data integrity, and compliance requirements.
• Support operational buying and day-to-day material availability needs where required for the region.
Reliable Supply, Service to Factories & Crisis Management
• Act as a single point of contact for assigned factory/material scope, enabling timely, high-quality delivery of direct materials and packaging to production sites.
• Lead 0-12 week supply issue resolution and crisis management for assigned categories, including escalation, concession/reformulation requests, recovery plans, and stakeholder communication.
• Partner with Flow, Planning, Manufacturing, SQA, and suppliers to solve and prevent material shortages, supplier bottlenecks, ATS/downtime risk, and service disruptions.
• Participate in relevant S&OP and factory governance routines, including Factory Service Reviews, factory TLTs, daily JTM, and daily CMOS as applicable.
• Use data and periodic reviews with manufacturing facilities to improve supplier performance, OTIF, inventory health, and execution discipline.
Supplier Performance, Relationships & Continuous Improvement
• Serve as the primary operational contact for suppliers and internal teams on assigned materials, supporting forecasting, logistics, supplier-owned inventory/floor stock programs, and issue resolution.
• Collaborate with suppliers and cross-functional partners to drive continuous improvement, technology adoption, process excellence, and competitive advantage.
• Own supplier logistics interfaces for supplier-owned transport material, including requirements communication, transport specifications, performance management, and corrective actions.
• Partner with Sourcing, SQA, and strategic suppliers to bring innovative ideas, products, and process improvements back to Royal Canin.
Performance, Cost Optimization & Governance
• Establish, monitor, and act on KPIs for assigned materials and suppliers, proactively addressing performance gaps and escalating risks as needed.
• Identify and implement VCO and logistics cost-reduction opportunities while protecting service, quality, and compliance requirements.
• Support claim processes and cost-recovery activities related to supplier service or material failures.
• Champion process excellence, data accuracy, EDI/consignment or related rollouts, and future Target Operating Model deployment as assigned.
• Maintain adherence to governance standards, regulatory requirements, quality controls, and Mars/Royal Canin commercial practices and policies.
Quality, Safety & Culture
• Partner with SQA to manage quality-related material issues and crisis response in order to minimize business impact.
• Demonstrate a quality and safety culture in actions, words, and spirit.
• Perform other duties as assigned to support Commercial Operations and broader Royal Canin business priorities.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required; business, economics, supply chain, engineering, procurement, or related discipline preferred.
• Fluent English required; French is a plus.
• 3-5+ years of experience in Commercial Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement Operations, Planning, Manufacturing, Logistics, or a similar environment.
• Experience with raw and/or packaging materials, inbound supply chains, supplier performance, factory service, and inventory management preferred.
• Ability to analyze issues quickly, define root cause, and drive cross-functional resolution in urgent or ambiguous situations.
• Experience working across regional, factory, supplier, and global stakeholders to execute strategies and improve performance.
• Demonstrated capability in crisis management, conflict resolution, project management, and continuous improvement.
• Strong working knowledge of standard business systems, data integrity, and performance reporting.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
- Degree in business, economics, supply chain, engineering, procurement, or a related discipline
- Fluent English
- French language proficiency
- 3-5+ years of experience in commercial operations, supply chain, procurement operations, planning, manufacturing, logistics, or a similar environment
- Experience with raw or packaging materials, inbound supply chains, supplier performance, factory service, and inventory management
- Ability to analyze issues, identify root causes, and drive cross-functional resolution
- Experience working across regional, factory, supplier, and global stakeholders
- Crisis management, conflict resolution, project management, and continuous improvement capabilities
- Strong knowledge of business systems, data integrity, and performance reporting
Mars Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Mars and has not been reviewed or approved by Mars.
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Healthcare Strength — The benefits package is positioned as comprehensive, with broad medical coverage and additional protections like life insurance and short- and long-term disability. Mental health support is emphasized, including free mental health services and wellbeing programming under initiatives such as Mars Be Well.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave is highlighted as market-leading in the U.S., with an example of 18 weeks fully paid for both parents. Additional family-related leave types such as sick time for caregiving and bereavement leave are also described as part of the overall package.
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Retirement Support — Retirement offerings are described as strong, including 401(k) matching (with a 6% match cited) and pension plans in some cases. The broader package also references retirement savings options and contributions aligned to local market practice, supporting long-term financial security.
Mars Insights
What We Do
For more than a century, Mars, Incorporated has been driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. This idea is at the center of who we have always been as a global, family-owned business. Today, Mars is transforming, innovating and evolving in ways that affirm our commitment to making a positive impact on the world around us. Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of confectionery, food, and petcare products and services, we employ 133,000 dedicated Associates who are all moving in the same direction: forward. With $40 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world’s best-loved brands including DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M’s®, MILKY WAY®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, ORBIT®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, SKITTLES®, WHISKAS®, COCOAVIA®, and 5™; and take care of half of the world’s pets through our pet health services AniCura, Banfield Pet Hospitals™, BluePearl®, Linnaeus, Pet Partners™, and VCA™. We know we can only be truly successful if our partners and the communities in which we operate prosper as well. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire our Associates to take action every day to help create a world tomorrow in which the planet, its people and pets can thrive.
