Our Procurement team finds strategic approaches to procuring key resources for Danone like milk, water and plastic. As a part of this team, you will work with colleagues to find suppliers and resources that fit with our business goals, promote a circular economy, and support Danone’s One Planet, One Health vision.  We are looking to hire a Senior Category Activation Manager (Senior Sourcing Manager) based in either White Plains, NY or Louisville, CO!  As Senior Category Activation Manager - Commodity Ingredients, your mission will be to source and manage the Sugar, Fats/Oils, Cocoa, and Sweeteners categories for Danone North America.  With category spend of ~$230MM, the role has significant impact to both the Top and Bottom lines for Essential Dairy and Plant Based divisions so having a strong understanding of commodity markets and coverage strategy are essential.  Furthermore, you will lead and/or contribute to key sourcing projects in the region while monitoring and driving key performance indicators related to financial performance, quality/legal compliance, and responsible sourcing.

Responsibilities:

• Commodity and Market Management:
• • Develop and maintain in-depth category knowledge for Sugar, Fats/Oils, Cocoa, and Sweetener markets; review with Central Procurement and Market Intelligence teams.
  • Develop, present, and gain alignment from senior leaders on key commodity purchasing recommendations.
  • Build, launch, and execute regional RFQ’s for key categories. 
• Supply Security:
• • Ensure the delivery of materials to our manufacturing plants
  • Implement Business Contingency Plan (BCP) for critical materials
  • Implement Service Level Agreements with suppliers: On Time in Full (OTIF), etc. 
• Category Reporting and Financials:
• • Prepare Annual Budget, Price lists, and Material Variance Analysis
  • Develop and implement productivity projects for respective categories
  • Work with Procurement Finance to monitor and track productivity, cash flow, risks, and opportunities on an ongoing basis. 

• Regional strategy development, validation & activation:
• • Co-develop with the Central Procurement team a NORAM sourcing strategy
  • Build strong relationships and maintain connection with internal stakeholders such as R&I, Operations, Quality, Marketing to ensure regional business needs are being met and drive continuous improvement. 

• • Leverage external lens to input to strategy and competitive advantage. Conduct ongoing external benchmarking across suppliers and industry to identify cost, capability, sustainability, and innovation gaps within Sugar, Oils/Fats, Cocoa ensuring our sourcing strategies remain competitive and industry‑leading. 

• Supplier Relationship and Performance Management:
• • Manage and lead the NORAM supply network for respective categories
  • Identify, build, and develop Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) with local and global suppliers, which should be in line with objectives set by the local business and central procurement team.  This includes setting and tracking performance objectives, scheduling annual business reviews, and delivering on innovation and sustainability targets.
• Sustainability:

• • Support , identify & drive sustainability initiatives to support the Danone Impact Journey Initiatives. (Deforestation free, CO2 reduction, Water Usage). 

• Project Management:
• • Develop and Implement projects that deliver against team and company targets (cost savings, CO2 reduction, quality optimization ext).

The salary range for this position is $113,000-162,000 USD. The exact salary offered will depend on several factors, including the candidate’s relevant experience, geographic location, internal equity, and market conditions.  Danone North America additionally offers a performance-based bonus and has a strong benefits package including Medical, Dental, Vision, Prescription Drug Coverage, 401k Plan, Wellness Program, Life Insurance, Tuition Reimbursement, Flexible Time Off, and Paid Parental Bonding Leave, among other benefit plan options. To give our employees flexibility, Danone is a hybrid work environment.