Procurement Transformation Lead – Source-to-Contract
Location: UK (London preferred) or other Mars locations across Europe
Type: Permanent
We are running a multi-year transformation that reshapes the way we operate. The Procurement Transformation Lead represents the Commercial (Procurement) function in this transformation and owns its Source-to-Contract impacts across direct and indirect buying. The role ensures that every supply and service relationship is contracted by the right party, on the right terms, at each stage of the transformation, with minimum loss of scale and no disruption. It focuses on methodology, principles, guardrails, playbooks and coherence across business units, while detailed execution sits with the business units and country organisations.
The role is phased. In the initial phase it sits in the central transformation team and represents the Commercial function across all business segments of Mars (Snacking, Pet Nutrition, Food & Nutrition etc): it defines the methodology, guardrails and rules for its area and leads impact assessment and initial solutions for the first deployment waves. As the programme scales and execution moves to the business units, the role-holder may move into a Commercial delivery role within a business unit, carrying the common standard into execution.
We are seeking an experienced procurement leader for this role, whose responsibilities include:
Key Responsibilities
Contract Inventory & Transformation Impact
- Build and maintain the supplier contract inventory across direct (raw materials, packaging, co-manufacturing) and indirect (logistics and 3PL, facilities, IT and services, marketing and media, professional services) spend, and identify contracts impacted by the transformation, including those shared across business units.
- Classify contracts by impact and define the resolution options per case (assignment, novation, split, mirror contract, or service arrangement between business units or with shared services).
- Review change-of-control, assignment, exclusivity and minimum-volume clauses; quantify exposure and agree the negotiation approach with Legal.
- Lead a no-regret contract renovation programme so that new contracts and renewals are future-proof (assignment rights, entity-neutral terms).
Value Protection
- Quantify the impact of the transformation on scale and value (volume leverage, rebates) and propose mitigations; feed the numbers into business cases and programme governance.
- Drive fair allocation of shared rebates, volume commitments and one-off transformation costs across BU’s.
Buying Operating Model
- Define, with Supply, Finance and Tax, which entity buys what in the interim and target operating models, and the resulting decision rights and procure-to-pay flows.
- Ensure procurement design is consistent with tax and transfer-pricing requirements; coordinate hedging ownership with Treasury.
- Design the governance of global frame agreements negotiated centrally by Global Procurement and shared services.
- Support the harmonisation of vendor contracts and terms where business combinations occur.
Processes, Systems & Deployment
- Define the required adjustments of Source-to-Contract processes across the functional system landscape (ERP and procurement tools), to be built and tested by functional and IT experts.
- Contribute the Commercial input to the programme masterplan and build the playbooks and fast-start guides used by country organisations in their detailed execution plans.
- Lead the supplier communication strategy that will be executed by country organisations.
- Define readiness criteria for the area and give the Commercial input to go / no-go decisions for each deployment wave.
Stakeholder & Risk Management
- Act as the single point of contact for Global Procurement category teams and shared services on transformation matters, and represent the function in program and functional governance forums.
- Track and report milestones, dependencies and risks to programme and functional leadership.
Challenges
- Volume & Scale: Restructuring contracts without eroding each business’s cost position.
- Counterparty Dependency: Securing supplier consent to contract changes on programme timelines, and building the communication plans.
- Stakeholder Management: Collaboration with several business units, programme leads and Commercial functions, regionally and globally across all Mars segments.
- Continuity: A clear strategy designed and ready to be executed for zero supply interruption through entity and system changes.
Opportunities
- Strategic Impact: Shape the future buying model of a global business through common methods, strategy and cross-functional approaches.
- Visibility: Regular exposure to business-unit and programme leadership, Global Procurement and transformation governance.
- Development: Broad exposure to large-scale transformation, legal-entity and operating-model design, and the wider procurement community.
Qualifications & Experience
- Experience in procurement / category management / sourcing, with exposure to preferably both direct and indirect spend; FMCG or manufacturing environment preferred.
- Experience of large-scale transformation, M&A integration or procurement operating-model change; strong contract-law literacy.
- Experience with ERP and procurement tools (e.g., SAP, Ariba) at requirement-definition level.
- Credibility across business units and the ability to hold a common standard without direct authority.
- Proven ability to work cross-functionally, structure ambiguous problems and deliver to hard milestones in a fast-paced environment.
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.
- Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to Mars University.
- An industry-competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.
Mars is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable adjustments for individuals with disabilities, long-term health conditions, or who are neurodiverse during the application and recruitment process. To request reasonable adjustments, complete our Reasonable Adjustment Request Form here
