Category Manager, Polymers

Job Description : About us    With over 200 brands sold in nearly 180 countries, Diageo is home to some of the world’s most iconic drinks. From Johnnie Walker and Guinness to Tanqueray, Smirnoff and Don Julio, we craft brands chosen for life’s moments — from everyday connections to landmark celebrations.  Bring your talent, curiosity and ambition, and strive for your personal best alongside people who challenge, support and learn from each other. Together, as one outstanding team, we keep learning, improving and raising the bar for our brands, our business and each other.  Join us and play your part in making life’s moments mean a little more.  About the Function Our Procurement team are innovators, always seeking new ways to help our business, people and much-loved brands thrive. We’re dedicated to maximising the £12 billion+ we spend every year, building brands of premium quality, while creating sustainable value and growth. Together, we’re shaping the services, partnerships and innovations that meet our future needs.     Our procurement team delivers outstanding end-to-end value across our supply chain and offers innovative supplier solutions. Together, we’re driving our 'Society 2030: Spirit of Progress' plan across suppliers and agency partners to create a more sustainable world. Wherever you choose to carve your career, we’ll support and encourage you in our inclusive culture.  About this role   The Category Manager, Polymer Packaging will play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering Diageo's NAM Polymer packaging procurement strategy, leading category management across PET and Closures; contributing to a cohesive, best-in-class 3-5 year sourcing strategy. The role is accountable for managing significant spend, driving value creation, supplier performance, innovation, and risk management across the packaging supply base. In addition to category leadership, this role is expected to be a recognized leader within the Global Packaging team, providing technical and commercial expertise, developing category capability, and coaching and leading a high-performing team. The role will have responsibility for overseeing category resources and headcount, fostering collaboration across regions and functions, and building organizational capability to deliver long-term business objectives. Strategic Review and Improvement: Evaluate current procurement processes and ways of working (WoW) against best industry practices across key markets, identifying opportunities for optimization and growth. . Includes developing and implementing PET; overseeing Closures packaging procurement strategies that drive continuous improvement in cost, quality and delivery.  The primary focuse will be leading the PET category, and people management of the Clasures category specalists. Collaboration and Needs Assessment: Partner closely with the technical team to develop a comprehensive needs profile by assessing specifications, performance outcomes, and critical requirements. Market Intelligence Integration: Engage with industry experts and professional service providers to leverage market intelligence effectively, ensuring informed decision-making in strategy development and program planning. Contracting Best Practices: Maintain a current understanding of industry-leading contracting practices across primary geographies, developing a suite of contract frameworks and master schedule templates for immediate application as projects commence. Leadership and Commercial Expertise: Provide leadership and commercial acumen throughout the sourcing, tendering, negotiation, and contracting processes to drive value and efficiency. Ensures compliance to company policies. ACCOUNTABILITIES General : Strategic Leadership: Drive the development and execution of unified 3-5 year procurement PET and Closures packaging strategies, ensuring alignment with Diageo’s broader business objectives. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Foster strong partnerships with internal stakeholders across various functions to support procurement initiatives and operational excellence. Ability to influence strategy execution at the local level. Performance Monitoring: Establish performance metrics and continuously monitor procurement activities, ensuring alignment with strategic goals and delivering value to the organization. Specific Accountabilities: Strategy Development: Develop and refine procurement strategies for PET, Closures packaging projects, integrating market insights and best practices to maximize cost-effectiveness and efficiency. Sourcing Excellence: Lead for PET/oversight for Closures sourcing initiatives; category projects, including supplier selection, negotiation, and contract management, to secure favorable terms and drive quality outcomes.  Including but not limitd to: Identify and evaluate potential suppliers to ensure they meet company standards for quality, cost-effectiveness, and reliability. Risk Management: Identify, assess, and mitigate procurement-related risks within packaging projects, ensuring compliance with regulatory and company standards. Supplier Relationship Management: Build and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers, facilitating continuous improvement, performance evaluations, and collaborative opportunities. Market Intelligence Utilization: Leverage market intelligence to inform procurement decisions and strategy adjustments, ensuring Diageo remains competitive and informed within the industry.  Ability to drive insights into outcomes . Deep commodity understanding across Resin indices to drive a more competitive negotiation.  Continuous Improvement: Champion a culture of continuous improvement within the procurement function, identifying process enhancements and innovations that drive efficiency and effectiveness. EXCELLENCE IN SUPPLY CHAIN ‘SOURCE’ KPI Development and Monitoring: Demonstrated ability to develop, implement, and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) that