Process Excellence & Digital Enablement Procurement Director

Earlier this year, Unilever announced an agreement to combine its Foods business with McCormick & Company, creating a scaled global flavour powerhouse. The proposed combination would bring together iconic Foods brands, including Hellmann’s and Knorr, with McCormick’s portfolio to create a global leader across spices, seasonings, condiments and complementary food categories, supported by strong retail and foodservice platforms. McCormick brings more than 135 years of heritage, a presence in 150+ countries and territories, and a portfolio of trusted brands. The transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, with completion estimated for mid-2027.

Job Title Process Excellence & Digital Enablement Director

Function Procurement

Scope Global

Country Location and Worksite Details Netherlands - Hofplein 19, Rotterdam

Salary range: € 100.800- € 138.600gross per year, depending on experience and internal peer positioning.

JOB PURPOSE

This role exists to define the enterprise Procurement process-excellence and digital-enablement strategy, setting the operating model, process standards, governance and investment priorities for execution across portfolios, Business Groups and markets. The role acts as a strategic adviser and healthy challenger to the CPO and Procurement Leadership Team, bringing external insight and new thinking on processes, data, technology, analytics and AI. By sponsoring transformation, data governance, digital products and capability building, the role enables a simpler, faster, more compliant and more user-led Procurement organisation.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead, develop and empower the Process Excellence & Digital Enablement team of six FTEs, including this Director role, with five direct reports at Manager level, enabling enterprise-wide Procurement transformation.

• Define the enterprise Procurement process-excellence and digital-enablement strategy, including operating model, process standards, governance and investment priorities.

• Act as strategic adviser and healthy challenger to the CPO and Procurement Leadership Team on processes, data, technology, analytics and AI.

• Sponsor a global transformation portfolio that simplifies and standardises procurement processes, reduces fragmentation and improves speed, compliance and user experience, supported by effective change management, communications, training and adoption.

• Set the digital-enablement, reporting and analytics roadmap, translating procurement priorities into clearly defined use cases and measurable outcomes delivered through dedicated teams and technology partners.

• Establish benefits-realisation disciplines with clear ownership, adoption measures and outcome tracking, ensuring process and digital investments deliver sustained improvements in productivity, compliance, cycle time, adoption, user experience and decision quality.

• Establish enterprise data governance, common definitions, controls and assurance standards to enable trusted insight and a single source of truth for procurement performance and value.

• Build enterprise-wide process, data and digital-enablement capability through communities of practice, standards, learning pathways and reusable toolkits.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Extensive senior leadership experience in Procurement, Supply Chain, process excellence, digital transformation, data and analytics or a related field within a large, complex organisation.

• Demonstrated success defining and leading operating-model, process and digital transformations across geographies and functions, with experience operating at comparable enterprise and organisational scale.

• Strong understanding of procurement processes, data architecture, governance, controls, analytics, automation and responsible AI, with the ability to translate business priorities into requirements for digital products and technology partners.

• Proven ability to govern complex transformation portfolios, prioritise investments and deliver measurable productivity, value, compliance and user outcomes.

• Strong executive stakeholder engagement, business and financial acumen, analytical judgement, communication and storytelling skills.

• Enterprise leadership mindset, with the ability to set clear priorities, lead through ambiguity and rapid technology change, balance strategic thinking with execution, build trusted senior stakeholder relationships and develop high-performing digital and process-excellence talent.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience leading enterprise change, adoption and benefits realisation across global process, data, analytics, automation or AI-enabled programmes.

• Experience partnering with C-suite leaders, Finance, Global Business Services (GBS) and technology organisations to align priorities, sequence investments and hold owners accountable for benefits.

• Experience scaling procurement analytics, automation or AI use cases from pilot to sustained enterprise adoption.