Manager, Procurement - Innovation (HDM)

Primary   Responsibilities     ​ ​ Partner with brand, business, and cross-functional teams to understand innovation strategy, pipeline priorities, and future capability requirements   ​ Identify   and develop supplier partners that can enable innovation strategy,   conduct continuous landscape assessments for the category,   elevate commercialization, and unlock new growth opportunities   through proactively shaping supplier partnerships to meet business needs     ​ Bring forward   innovation   concepts, supplier capabilities, and emerging technologies by building strong external partnerships and staying connected to market developments   ​ Serve as a key connector between business unit innovation and core procurement teams, including Ingredients, Packaging, and External Manufacturing, to   align   preferred suppliers, supplier readiness, contracting, and launch support   for internally manufactured innovation     ​ Support internal innovation commercialization by ensuring procurement readiness and strong coordination across the relevant procurement categories and stakeholders   ​ Lead external manufacturing sourcing and commercialization activities for applicable innovation projects, including supplier identification, strategic sourcing, commercial negotiation, IP and CAPEX considerations, contracting, onboarding, and supplier ways-of-working setup   ​ Act as the primary point of contact for external manufacturing innovation partners through development, commercialization, launch, and early lifecycle support   ​ Drive supplier relationship management for innovation partners, including performance management, collaboration routines, issue resolution, and launch readiness   ​ Lead problem solving during commercialization and launch to ensure speed, continuity, and strong cross-functional execution   ​ Transition launched products, supplier relationships, and contract ownership to the   appropriate   business   procurement team after stabilization   ​ Conduct supplier and market landscape analysis to   identify   new partners, innovation opportunities, and competitive advantages   ​ Drive continuous improvement, process efficiency, and best practices across innovation sourcing, supplier collaboration, and commercialization processes   ​ Facilitate cross-functional forums   (working with finance, operations, marketing, sales, legal, quality,   R&D)   and   lead   working sessions that strengthen alignment, simplify complexity, and improve procurement’s impact on innovation delivery   ​ Execute supplier segmentation and supplier relationship management routines in line with Kraft Heinz principles, including business reviews and continuous improvement across quality, service, sustainability, cost, and performance   ​ Execute   supplier led innovation through Supplier relationships and internal stakeholder management aligning capabilities and technology with the needs of the business. Foster collaboration between Kraft Heinz and external partners to unlock growth and   value   and   manage   additional   responsibilities as assigned.   ​     Expected Experience   & Required Skills   ​ ​ Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, operations, finance, business, engineering, or a related field; MBA and/or advanced procurement qualifications preferred   ​ Experience in Procurement, including areas such as Ingredients, Packaging, CAPEX, External Manufacturing, or related categories; Finance or process engineering experience is also valued   ​ Knowledge of food or beverage manufacturing processes and commercialization environments   ​ Strong negotiation and influence skills, with the ability to shape decisions and build alignment across internal and external stakeholders   ​ Strong collaboration skills and the ability to work effectively across matrixed teams, functions, and supplier networks   ​ Adaptability and resilience