Sr. Manager, Indirects - Utilities and Services

As an Indirect Procurement Senior Manager, you will lead category strategy and sourcing execution across 8+ utilities and services sub-categories (e.g., energy, sanitation chemistry, waste management, and water treatment) within the North American Zone (U.S. and Canada). This is a hands-on people manager role: you will deliver key sourcing initiatives yourself while coaching and developing others through clear expectations, feedback, and accountability. You will partner with stakeholders across Operations, R&D, FSQ, and Corporate functions to drive project delivery, simplify processes, ensure supply continuity, and improve total cost. You will also lead supplier relationship and contract management, including KPI tracking and quarterly business reviews, to ensure consistent performance, service, and risk management. Through strong execution and leadership, you will model and reinforce high standards that strengthen team culture and results. Job Description

Essential Functions & Responsibilities
• Build and maintain strong internal stakeholder and supplier relationships to ensure alignment, responsiveness, and stakeholder satisfaction.
• Lead sourcing and category management for a portfolio of utilities and services categories, ensuring clear requirements, aligned expectations, and measurable outcomes.
• Set and deliver performance goals for a high-spend category portfolio, including a robust productivity pipeline that maintains operational excellence.
• Partner with Sustainability, suppliers, and business stakeholders to execute short- and long-term sustainability strategies in a cost-effective manner.
• Lead supplier relationship management and conduct supplier business reviews; serve as an escalation point for performance, continuity, and risk issues (experience with utilities, sustainability, and sanitation industry leaders is a plus).
• Develop and maintain a fit-for-purpose supplier base that ensures supply continuity while reducing tail spend.
• Lead strategic supplier discussions on long-term objectives, market trends, innovation/technology, and investment opportunities.
• Own escalations for critical supplier issues; align cross-functional partners and drive timely resolution.
• Translate business needs into sourcing and category plans across AQSCI (Assurance of Supply, Quality, Service, Cost, and Innovation).
• Develop multi-year category strategies grounded in data, insights, and business requirements.
• Build strong cross-functional partnerships to influence decisions and drive adoption of category strategies across total spend.
• Identify, evaluate, and prioritize value-generating initiatives based on complexity, resources, risk, time to implement, and financial impact.
• Prioritize and allocate work across the team while personally owning key sourcing initiatives.
• Review key deliverables (strategies, RFx packages, negotiation plans, and contracts) to ensure quality, consistency, and compliance.
• Lead contract negotiations and execute agreements in accordance with procurement policies; apply expertise across categories as needed.
• Maintain a strong understanding of category dynamics (market conditions, pricing, cost drivers, and supplier landscape) and communicate key changes to business partners.
• Drive Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) improvements through analytics and cross-functional collaboration; measure and report value delivery.
• Coach and develop team members through clear expectations, regular feedback, and performance management; simplify complexity and enable execution.

Expected Experience & Required Skills
• Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, finance, business, engineering or related field. Candidates with extensive relevant experience and certifications (e.g., CPM, CPIM, etc.) may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• Possess at least 5 to 7 years of experience in Procurement, preferably in Indirect Procurement with relevant category expertise.
• Strong written, verbal, analytical, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
• Ability to prioritize multiple concurrent tasks and drive assignments to timely completion
• Ability to understand, organize, and communicate complex information or data sets in an easily understandable format tailored to a variety of audiences.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment, support requests from, and interact directly across all levels of the organization.
• Demonstrates strong ownership, curiosity, and bias for action; results-oriented, proactive, and responsive.
• Have strong planning and execution skills to deliver projects related to TCO
• Ability to gather information to become a subject matter expert in newer areas (ask questions, synthesize, and simplify) to ensure understanding of the category dynamics and business needs
• Supports strategy development that aligns function with organizational goals and generates results that will have a positive impact on the function/business unit. Must have experience in the sourcing life cycle process and have a strong grasp of the tools needed to complete the process.
• Intermediate to advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite ( Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook) and have an understanding for source-to-pay tools (SAP, Ariba, etc.).

Work Environment & Schedule

This position is considered a normal office environment with moderate travel to customer locations, stores, manufacturing facilities, etc.; offices are open workspaces. To create a more agile and modern workplace, we allow Chicago/Aon Center based employees to work virtually for up to two days each week and expect them to work in-person during the defined core days at their assigned work location at least three days per workweek.

Our Total Rewards philosophy is to provide a meaningful and flexible spectrum of programs that equitably support our diverse workforce and their families and complement Kraft Heinz' strategy and values.

New Hire Base Salary Range:
$120,800.00 - $151,000.00

Bonus: This position is eligible for a performance-based bonus as provided by the plan terms and governing documents.

The compensation offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors

Benefits: Coverage for employees (and their eligible dependents) through affordable access to healthcare, protection, and saving for the future, we offer plans tailored to meet you and your family's needs. Coverage for benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.

Wellbeing: We offer events, resources, and learning opportunities that inspire a physical, social, emotional, and financial well-being lifestyle for our employees and their families.

You'll be able to participate in a variety of benefits and wellbeing programs that may vary by role, country, region, union status, and other employment status factors, for example:

• Physical - Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental, Vision, Screenings/Assessments
• Social - Paid Time Off, Company Holidays, Leave of Absence, Flexible Work Arrangements, Recognition, Training
• Emotional - Employee Assistance Program , Wellbeing Programs, Family Support Programs
• Financial - 401k, Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, Disability

Location(s)
Chicago/Aon Center

Kraft Heinz is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Underrepresented Ethnic Minority Groups/Women/Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity and other protected classes. In order to ensure reasonable accommodation for protected individuals, applicants that require accommodation in the job application process may contact View email address on click.appcast.io for assistance.