Project Manager, Grow Africa at Unilever

Job Number: 18000C9B
Location: Oregun, Lagos
Job Field: Supply Chain
Job Type: Regular
Job Schedule: Full-time
Department: Plantations
Profession (Marketing, Finance, etc.): Supply Chain
Work Level: WL2C

Main Job Purpose
(A concise statement setting out the main purpose and objectives of the job.)

• The Grow Africa team (Procurement, Plantations, Sustainable Sourcing) is responsible for driving the identification and delivery of strategic partnerships, multi-stakeholder approaches and the sourcing of value-added agricultural products to meet our growing raw material requirements at globally competitive costs.
• The job holder will be responsible for developing and driving Grow Africa projects in Africa, primarily in Nigeria, Cote D’Ivoire and Ghana in West Africa & Ethiopia, Rwanda and Mozambique in East Africa to create sustainable agriculture supply chains, which deliver against Unilever’s commitments to the G8 under the Grow Africa initiative, and other agriculture supply chains that can be developed to deliver raw materials to the business.
• The incumbent will be responsible for liaising with the implementing partners on the ground, the public sector, international funding agencies, and other private organizations in designing and executing the projects.

Key Accountabilities
(Please describe the responsibilities and end results that would be expected.)

• Leading projects to fulfil Unilever’s commitments to the G8, Grow Africa and the New Alliance
• Identifying opportunities for raw material sourcing from Africa
• Working closely with the Procurement and Category teams, to develop strategically, concepts of where Unilever should create supply chains within Africa
• Identifying strategic partners and multi-stakeholder approaches to develop appropriate joint ventures
• Developing certifiable, traceable and sustainable business models
• Leveraging public private partnerships and government incentives

Experience Required
Essential:

• 5-10 years procurement / supply chain / finance related experience
• Degree required – multi discipline but finance, supply chain and / or agriculture preferred
• Previous experience – Supplier Development in Agriculture
• Procurement skills including supply market intelligence and analysis, supply strategy development and implementation, managing alliances, relationships and negotiation.
• Project management skills, business process experience will be a key advantage
• Good Interpersonal skills to manage external & internal stakeholders

Key Skills:

• Fluency in English is a must. French would be an asset
• Financial analysis & project management
• Highly skilled at negotiations and political influencing
• Must be a diplomatic, self-starter with a strong bias for action and entrepreneurial mindset.
• Must be a strong executor
• Must be able to work independently and virtually.
• Must lead both processes and people across a broad and diverse geographic and business environment.

Travel:

• Must be able to travel frequently around the region and continent

Contacts
(Please list any internal and external contacts arising from the job.)
Internal:

• External Affairs Director to establish and assist in interaction with government and donor funding organizations
• Procurement managers across the organization and specifically in Africa, to source the output from JV’s and/or partners
• Procurement Operations to ensure demand is established and verified for the long term as the backbone of the supply chain
• SC Capability Teams to help deliver on new vertically integrated factories
• Legal & Finance Business Partners

External contacts:

• Public sector
• Government officials
• Government consultants
• Inter-governmental bodies (WEF, Grow Africa, G8)
• Donor funding organizations
• Sustainability Certifying bodies
• Other 3P private enterprises
• Partners in supply chains
• Agricultural companies
• Geographies
• Spanning West Africa, but specifically: Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Mozambique
• Stakeholders – the Grow Africa program is being directly monitored by the CEO’s office, External Affairs, CSCO and CPO

Reporting Channel
(Please show where the job lies within the department, including superior(s) & subordinate(s).)

• Strtegy Director, Supply Chain Africa (line manager is based in J’burg, SA)

Skill Profile
Functional Skills

• Developing and Executing Supply Chain
• Strategies Aligned to Business Goals
• Building Internal and External Networks
• Adopting a Customer Service Mindset in all our Relationships
• Implementing Supply Chain Improvements
• Adopting a Health and Safety and Environmental Care Approach
• Managing Quality

General Skills:

• Business Strategy and Formulation
• Business Planning and Implementation
• Project Management
• Change Management
• Business Process Design and Management
• Information Management
• Application and Exploitation of Information Technology
• Negotiation