Capex, Utilities, MRO 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 Capex, Utilities, MRO Procurement Director

Function Procurement

Reports to Head of Indirects

Scope Globals

Country Location and Worksite Details Netherlands – Hofplein 19, Rotterdam

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

JOB PURPOSE

This role exists to shape and deliver the global procurement strategy across Capital Expenditure, Maintenance, Repair & Operations and Utilities, spanning all regions and an approximately €350+ million spend base. The role defines portfolio-based sourcing strategies that combine global scale with regional and Business Unit responsiveness, delivering buying productivity, savings, cash unlock, inflation mitigation and scalable low-cost sourcing solutions. Working with Engineering, Supply Chain, Finance, Sustainability, Legal, Procurement, GBS, suppliers and third-party partners, the role enables capital value, operational reliability, utilities decarbonisation, supplier innovation and digital procurement transformation.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead, develop and empower the Global Capex, Utilities and MRO Procurement organisation of nine FTEs, including this Director role, with three Managers and five Assistant Managers, of whom five report directly to the Director, responsible for approximately €350+ million spend globally.

• Shape and deliver the global procurement strategy across Capex, MRO and Utilities, establishing clear portfolio priorities, governance, delivery accountabilities and performance expectations.

• Define portfolio-based sourcing strategies that combine global scale with regional and Business Unit responsiveness to deliver productivity, savings, cash, inflation mitigation and scalable low-cost sourcing solutions.

• Build and land multi-year value creation programmes in close collaboration with Engineering, Supply Chain, Finance, Sustainability and Business Unit stakeholders, balancing competitiveness, capital efficiency, resilience, decarbonisation, simplification and business growth priorities.

• Partner with Engineering and Supply Chain from capital planning and front-end design through execution and lifecycle management, shaping specifications, technology choices, contracting strategies and early supplier involvement to maximise capital value, investment efficiency, project outcomes and operational reliability.

• Establish should-cost, total-cost-of-ownership and lifecycle-cost standards across equipment, projects, MRO materials, services and utilities to improve investment decisions, commercial transparency and long-term asset value.

• Own the Utilities and decarbonisation agenda, including renewable electricity, power purchase agreements, biomass, energy partnerships and sustainability-linked sourcing models.

• Build strategic supplier ecosystems across OEMs, EPCs, utilities providers and technology partners, shifting from transactional buying to outcome-based partnerships.

• Establish portfolio and supplier performance mechanisms across cost, schedule, quality, delivery, capacity, innovation and lifecycle outcomes, with clear scorecards, accountabilities and escalation.

• Transform MRO procurement from fragmented site-level buying into strategic programme management through specification harmonisation, parts and supplier rationalisation, preferred-provider adoption, inventory optimisation and global buying channels.

• Simplify governance and sourcing processes, reduce fragmentation and use digital tools, data, analytics and AI-enabled automation to improve productivity, transparency and decision quality.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Extensive senior procurement leadership experience across Capex, MRO and/or Utilities in large, complex manufacturing environments.

• Proven track record of delivering significant value, capital efficiency and cash impact at comparable spend and organisational scale.

• Strong experience in portfolio-based sourcing models, strategic supplier partnerships and digital procurement.

• Deep commercial and financial acumen, including the ability to balance cost, risk, speed, quality and sustainability in high-value decisions.

• Experience leading global, multicultural teams and influencing executive stakeholders across Engineering, Supply Chain, Finance, Sustainability, Legal, Procurement, GBS and supplier partners.

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

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Exposure to renewable electricity, power purchase agreements, biomass, energy partnerships or sustainability-linked sourcing models.

• Experience supporting complex transformation, operating-model simplification, governance improvement or digital enablement programmes.

• Experience using digital tools, data, analytics or AI-enabled automation to improve procurement productivity, transparency and decision quality.