Ahold Delhaize is one of the world's largest food retail groups and a leader in both supermarkets and e-Commerce. Its family of great, local brands serves more than 50 million customers each week in Europe, the United States and Indonesia. Together, these brands employ more than 420,000 associates in more than 7,000 grocery and specialty stores. Our Global Support Office (GSO) is based in Zaandam in the Netherlands, but GSO associates also work in all the countries we serve. This team supports all our great local brands in finance, HR, IT, legal, communications, sustainable retailing, and other key functions. .
Ahold Delhaize was formed in July 2016 from the merger of Ahold and Delhaize Group, retail innovators for almost 150 years. Our local brands employ around 380,000 associates in nearly 7,000 local grocery, small format, and specialty stores. Ahold Delhaize brands are dedicated to helping customers eat well, save time, and live better. In addition to our stores, our brands include the top online retailer in the Benelux and the number one online grocer in Benelux and the United States. Our local brands are also among the most prominent providers of fresh food and locally tailored own-brand products, including a diverse selection of affordable natural and organic goods. Job Objective The Technology Sourcing Specialist is a critical role within the Ahold Delhaize Technology Sourcing & Vendor Management Organization. As strategic sourcing team member, the role will focus on driving value optimization; reducing the technology cost base via the planning and execution of sourcing events and vendor negotiations; effectively contracting for critical products and services to drive growth, efficiency, and innovation; participate in process improvement and modernization of the technology sourcing function.The successful candidate will navigate Technology Sourcing's role as the central hub of the technology procurement and contracting process. Maintaining strong relationships and smooth handoffs with support teams such as finance, vendor management, information security, legal team members, etc. In addition, the Technology Sourcing Specialist will need to adeptly manage complex, varied, and at times challenging interactions with key internal stakeholders on the global, regional, and operating company levels.
Responsibilities: - The management of a portfolio of technology sourcing and contract negotiation opportunities. Managing a spend of $10-30M annually across multiple technology, digital, and business-enabling related categories.
- Achieving annual target cost reduction and avoidance savings
- Proactively identifying and pursuing savings & synergy opportunities
- Leading sourcing events e.g., RFx, benchmarking
- Performing supplier market research
- Executing in alignment with and helping to develop category strategies
- Building and maintaining relationships particularly with mid-senior leaders e.g., Managers and Directors
- Providing great customer service balanced against the need to act as a check on internal stakeholder spend, and facilitating compliance to policies and guidelines
Key Result Areas:Provide support in leading a sourcing process including but not limited to stakeholder management, timeline, sourcing strategy, category strategy, go to market strategy, policy compliance, governance, and approval process - Gather clear requirements and the help business in creating clarity of needs
- Align with market best practices (where possible) through industry/market/vendor insights
- Execute effective aligned sourcing and negotiation strategies
- Lead vendor communication, being SPOC for Ahold Delhaize to ensure best leverage/clarity (internally and externally)
- Project manage end to end sourcing process and contract negotiations against aggressive timelines, balance speed, cost, and quality to best serve both the business needs and the organization and team's savings goals
Contributes to long-term perspective on the purchase and continuous availability of Technology goods and services - Contribute through deep knowledge of the Global, European/US, and local markets towards the assigned region/function (e.g., supplier research, visits) for all Tech categories.
- Understand the strategy of the business owner (Manager/Director), identify the solutions needed and challenge the status quo with the ideas and solutions collected from an external orientation.
- Observe developments and trends and where necessary translate these trends into inspiring solutions for the assigned region for all tech categories.
Execute in alignment with the country/tower sourcing and category strategies and internal (stakeholders) relationship - Lead the business relationship management (BRM) with stakeholders in the region/function and call for support and/or escalating issues (if and when needed) including
- effective reporting on projects and approval process
- Providing guidance to business for vendor strategies/challenges i.e. being an advisor
- Take a long-term view on contract structures & end dates to construct appropriate sourcing strategies, in consultation with key internal stakeholders
- Design impactful sourcing events that will bring excitement from incumbent and non-incumbent vendors resulting in powerful, innovative value propositions
- Grow individually and support team growth towards status of a trusted advisor and business / technology decision influencer
- Ensure supplier due diligence and performance monitoring is being performed correctly
Contribute to the modernization, process improvement, stakeholder education, and internal marketing of the Technology Sourcing function at Ahold Delhaize in respective region/function - Support and initiate the development of the Tech Sourcing function in Ahold Delhaize and the implementation of new/better functionalities (processes and systems) for the region/function.
- Ensure exceptional delivery of service, monitor quality, seek feedback, and drive improvement
- Support the Sourcing Manager and Director in ways of working policies and procedures to learn, share, ensure synergies and prioritize across the organization
- Ensure full understanding of the Tech strategy and priorities
Requirements - Experience: 2-5+ years of relevant experience (minimum 1 year of technology sourcing)
- Bachelor's Degree
- Experience with sourcing (technology preferred;), project management, stakeholder influence, process analysis and improvement
- Language: Fluent in English, local language also preferred but not required
- World-class strategic negotiator with excellent verbal and written communication skills, the ability to conduct professional presentations and tell stories, including the ability to process complex input to create cogent arguments and simple messages
- Ability to lead and influence peers, typically without official authority or mandate
- Self-motivated, independent individual contributor with leadership potential
- Excellent analytical skills to ensure that challenges and/or solutions are identified in an effective way
- Excellent conceptual skills and autonomy including stakeholder management experience
- Show tenacity, ensure that the objectives are met and co-operation between OpCo's is ensured
- Strong knowledge of and/or experience in sourcing processes
The GSO sets global strategies frameworks, facilitates the sharing of best practice and encourages economies of scale. Great examples include sharing technology and digital know-how, so we can continue to lead in online and in-store retailing, setting global targets for healthy and sustainable products-including reducing food waste, use of plastics and making our products healthier to use and eat, and championing development for our future leaders-from learning about the digital mindset to leading our stores of the future.Under the federal Transparency in Coverage rule, group health plans are required to make publicly available machine-readable files that include in-network rates and out-of-network allowed amounts and billed charges. Click
the link to view the in-network rates and out-of-network allowed amounts and billed charges under the welfare benefits plan in which GSO participatesWe are an equal opportunity employer. We comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws. Qualified applicants are considered without regard to sex, race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, marital status (including civil unions), military service, veteran status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, legally recognized disability, domestic violence victim status or any other characteristic protected by law.