Senior Strategic Sourcing Manager (Drinks & Treats) 12-months contract

At Mars Wrigley, we value diversity and inclusivity. We seek a Senior Procurement Manager to join Mars Drinks & Treats, an entrepreneurial unit driving growth in new snacking categories across ECE region.

Location: UK – Hybrid working model, minimum 2 days per week in the Slough office.

Salary: £76,000 - £90,000, annual bonus, benefits, car allowance

Contract: 12-months fixed-term contract (external candidates) / 12-month assignment (internal candidates)

About the Role

Are you a procurement professional with strong corporate experience who thrives in an entrepreneurial, fast-moving environment? Partnering closely with the Function Head, you will drive and shape our unit's sourcing agenda.

We are looking for a commercial builder—someone who brings the discipline, governance, and negotiation rigor of corporate procurement, but is inspired by the freedom to move fast, test fresh ideas, launch new innovation, and make a visible impact on our bottom line.

What would be your key responsibilities?

• Lead Value Delivery – Champion and govern the unit’s value creation roadmap with high commercial initiative and curiosity, ensuring ongoing saving pipeline to unlock earnings for growth.
• Shape Category Strategy - Set and execute the vision and sourcing strategy for high-impact areas (i.e. Chocolate, new innovation) partnering with R&D, Operations and key external suppliers.
• Lead procurement cost intelligence - Own the units’ commercial cost planning process, delivering predictive cost assumptions, risk tracking and outlooks to guide leadership decisions
• Agile governance & regional alignment– Ensure sourcing processes meet Mars’ governance requirements, whilst preserving entrepreneurial speed and agility. A trusted influential bridge to regional and global teams.
• Risk and resilience – Own and drive the end-to-end procurement risk programme, establishing proactive business continuity and mitigating commodity geopolitical and supplier solvency risks.
• Empower and elevate the team – Lead, mentor, upskill and onboard buyers in the team in all aspects of procurement, including internal Mars governance.

What we’re looking for?

• Entrepreneurial Mindset: Energised by ambiguity, proactive problem-solving, and rolling up your sleeves to turn strategy into tangible commercial results
• Stakeholder Influence: Proven ability to bridge global/regional corporate frameworks with local, agile execution
• Functional Foundation: Solid grounding in structured corporate procurement or management (typically 6–10+ years), with strong command of category management, supplier risk management, contract structuring, and commercial negotiation. Co-manufacturing experience ideal.
• Risk & Continuity Acumen: Demonstrable track record of establishing or running structured supply chain risk management programmes and proactive mitigation plans.
• FMCG / Food Background: Experience in food manufacturing, consumer goods, or fast-paced batch manufacturing environments.
• Financial & Analytical Acumen: High fluency in cost modelling (should-costing, indexation), commodity price mechanisms, and P&L drivers.
• Inspiring people & Culture – Track record of nurturing and leading high performing, engaged teams.

What can you expect from Mars?

• Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.
• Join a purpose-driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
• Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
• An industry-competitive salary and benefits package, including a company bonus.

Mars is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable adjustments for individuals with disabilities, long-term health conditions, or who are neurodiverse during the application and recruitment process. To request reasonable adjustments, complete our Reasonable Adjustment Request Form here

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