Head of Procurement – Edible Oil/Beverage Industry

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Procurement Leadership
• Define and execute group procurement strategy aligned to business priorities.
• Create category strategies covering raw materials, packaging, indirects, services and Capex.
• Drive cross-site sourcing efficiencies and standardization across Thika, Ruiru and Nakuru.
• Lead supplier footprint optimization (localization, consolidation, diversification).
• Own sourcing governance from strategy through contracting and execution.
• Cost & Commercial Excellence
• Deliver measurable cost savings and value-creation through negotiations, contracts and sourcing initiatives.
• Implement Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and category management frameworks.
• Lead spend analytics, cost modelling and price benchmarking.
• Partner with Finance to convert savings into P&L impact and monitor budget control.
• Supplier Management & Development
• Build high-performing supplier ecosystem across local and global vendors.
• Run structured supplier evaluations, scorecards and quarterly performance reviews.
• Drive supplier innovation, quality improvement and sustainability programs.
• Enforce ethical sourcing and compliance with Group Code of Conduct.
• Governance, Systems & Process Excellence
• Own procurement policies, SOPs, control frameworks and delegation of authority.
• Oversee contract management, compliance adherence and audit readiness.
• Lead digital procurement transformation (SAP S/4HANA, Power BI, process automation).
• Improve data discipline, vendor master integrity and reporting.
• Cross-Functional Partnership
• Serve as procurement business partner to Manufacturing, Engineering, Finance, R&D, Quality and Logistics teams.
• Support transformation initiatives including Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB) and working-capital optimization.
• Act as escalation owner for site-level supply and supplier issues.
• Leadership & Capability Building
• Build and lead a high-performance procurement organization across sites.
• Develop capabilities in negotiations, analytics, category management and supplier engagement.
• Establish performance management cadence and succession pipeline for critical roles.
• Foster culture of accountability, ethics and continuous improvement.

Requirements

Ideal Candidate Profile

Education

• Bachelor’s in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business or equivalent.
• MBA / Master’s preferred.
• CIPS / CPSM / equivalent certification highly desirable.

Experience

• 12–15 years of procurement / sourcing experience.
• Must have relevant experience in the Edible Oil and/or Beverage industry
• Minimum 5 years in senior leadership role.
• Proven FMCG or manufacturing footprint.
• Multi-site or regional procurement leadership preferred.
• Demonstrated success in cost reduction, supplier management and digital transformation.