Sr. Strategic Sourcing Manager, Category Partnerships

Posted Yesterday
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Chicago, IL, USA
In-Office
134K-185K Annually
Senior level
Food
The Role
Leads regional strategic sourcing and procurement partnerships across direct and indirect categories. Owns sourcing strategy, supplier relationship management, negotiations, cost reduction, working capital improvements, risk mitigation, and performance accountability. Serves as the liaison between regional teams, global sourcing categories, and shared services while leading cross-functional initiatives and matrixed teams. Requires substantial procurement experience, strong financial and analytical skills, and proficiency with Power BI, SAP, and MRP systems.
Summary Generated by Built In

Job Description:

The Sr. Strategic Sourcing Manager, Category Partnerships will lead regional Procurement engagement with the global Strategic Sourcing Categories across Direct and Indirect categories on behalf of Mars Snacking North America (MSNA). This Associate will own the Procurement relationship with assigned strategic sourcing categories, and act as the primary point of contact for related business partners. This role may also be responsible for the end-to-end sourcing of regional materials.

Job Level Descriptor:

  • Strategic Category Management and Source-to-Contract Activities
  • Supplier Relationship Management and Governance
  • Regional Leadership and Stakeholder Management

Key Responsibilities


Primary responsibilities include:

  • Regional Sourcing & Commercial Leadership: Directs the end-to-end sourcing strategy and execution for all regionally segmented categories. Provides critical leadership in representation of the region to deliver on key business objectives.
  • Global Partnership & Performance Accountability: Acts as the primary strategic liaison between the region, center of excellence and Mars Global Services, championing regional needs and priorities. Ensures partners are held accountable for delivering against key performance indicators (KPIs) and service level agreements (SLAs) for Procurement related activities and objectives.

What are we looking for?

  • 7-10 years of experience with strategic sourcing, supplier/customer management, innovation management and business partnering.
  • Total Delivered Cost Reduction and Working Capital Improvements
  • Supplier Performance & Relationship Management
  • Adapts and executes functional or departmental business plans and contributes to the development of functional strategy (3-5 years).
  • Leadership: Proven experience managing cross-functional projects and leading team members in a matrixed or dotted-line reporting environment.
  • Negotiation & Influence: Exceptional negotiation, stakeholder management, and communication skills to influence both local teams and global corporate centers.
  • A passion for driving value for our business by leveraging various sourcing channels.
  • Bachelors degree required, Masters degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain, Finance preferred
  • CPSM, CIPs or equivalent preferred


Job Specifications/Qualifications

Education & Professional Qualifications

  • Minimum requirement of Bachelor’s degree in Procurement, Supply Chain/Logistics/Materials Management or Finance and/or the equivalent combination of education and work experience.
  • MBA or other Master’s degree preferred
  • CPM/CPSM, CIPS or other analogous professional certification preferred

Knowledge / Experience

Minimum 7-10 years of Procurement and General Supply Chain experience in a progressive environment which includes strong working knowledge in the following: Strategic Sourcing, Negotiations and Contracting, SRM/SPM programs, continuous improvement programs, risk mitigation strategies.  Breadth and depth in:

  • Strong experiences in strategic sourcing methodology, e-sourcing, state-of-the-art risk management tools and supplier management programs. Experience in commodity markets and/or materials sourcing preferred
  • Strong interpersonal skills and leadership skills enabling effective work within cross-functional teams. Excellent communication skills across all levels within the business
  • Strong People Leadership experience in both linear and matrixed environments
  • Strong project management experience with deep expertise in business financials, analytics & problem-solving
  • Strong crisis management and conflict resolution skills with demonstrated ability to identify “root causes” of issues and determine course of action to meet short- and long-term business needs.
  • Experience in managing dynamic business environments, where price stability, supply availability, and potential business outcomes are under continuous pressure and change.
  • Proven supply chain management skills
  • Proficient in Power BI, SAP and MRP systems

  


What can you expect from Mars?

  • Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.
  • Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
  • A strong focus on learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
  • An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus. 

#LI-JH1




The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is between the range listed below, however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position will include variable pay, medical and dental benefits, participation in 401k plan, and paid time off benefits. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an applicant receives an offer of employment.

The pay range shown is applicable to all US locations listed within the job posting:USD 134,400.00 - USD 184,800.00

Skills Required

  • 7-10 years of procurement and general supply chain experience
  • Experience in strategic sourcing, supplier and customer management, innovation management, and business partnering
  • Experience with total delivered cost reduction and working capital improvements
  • Supplier performance and relationship management experience
  • Experience adapting and executing business plans and contributing to functional strategy
  • Experience managing cross-functional projects and leading team members in matrixed or dotted-line environments
  • Exceptional negotiation, stakeholder management, communication, and influencing skills
  • Bachelor's degree in Procurement, Supply Chain, Logistics, Materials Management, Finance, or equivalent education and experience
  • Experience with strategic sourcing methodology, e-sourcing, risk management tools, and supplier management programs
  • Experience with negotiations, contracting, supplier relationship management, supplier performance management, continuous improvement, and risk mitigation
  • Strong people leadership, project management, business financials, analytics, problem-solving, crisis management, and conflict resolution skills
  • Proficiency in Power BI, SAP, and MRP systems
  • Commodity markets and materials sourcing experience
  • MBA or other Master's degree
  • CPM, CPSM, CIPS, or equivalent professional certification

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.

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

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The Company
HQ: McLean, VA
41,866 Employees
Year Founded: 1911

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.

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