Strategic Sourcing Manager SEA Markets (marketing production/POSM/print/packaging)
Location: SEA region - Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines
Reporting to: Executive Leadership
Role Purpose
Own and transform procurement and supply-chain performance across SEA markets. Stabilise pricing, rebuild category strategy, and lift supplier performance using hard data, robust process, and hands-on leadership. Deliver measurable savings, quality, speed, and risk reduction for multi-market marketing production and POSM supply chains. Embed sustainability across sourcing and supply chain, in collaboration with our Chief Sustainability Officer in region.
Key Responsibilities
Strategy & Governance
- Evolve the SEA sourcing, procurement and supply-chain strategy (category roadmaps, near/offshore mix, risk & resilience).
- Build and enforce policies covering sourcing, bidding, pricing, approvals, and quality; ensure compliance across markets and clients.
- Design and run the regional operating cadence (suppliers performance reviews, QBRs, strategy refresh).
Category, Sourcing & Commercials
- Lead competitive events and strategic negotiations across print, POSM, packaging, logistics.
- Establish should-cost models and index-linked pricing; implement standardized T&Cs with change-control.
- Challenge the status-quo and diversify the supplier ecosystem to balance innovation, reliability, and competitive tension.
- Drive sustainability requirements into RFx/awards, especially from a certification's perspective.
Supply Chain, Quality & Delivery
- Integrate supply-chain planning with client demand (forecasting, order aggregation, MOQ optimisation).
- Institutionalise QA/QC: pre-production checks, in-process inspections, post-delivery NCR capture and close-out.
- Improve OTIF, lead-time, and defect rates; drive corrective actions with suppliers and internal teams.
Data, Tooling & Reporting
- Own the data pipeline: taxonomy, data quality, and refresh cycles across ERP/WIP trackers and BI dashboards.
- Publish performance dashboards: spend, savings vs. baseline, price-variance, catalog/template adoption, supplier scorecards, HF% automation, OTIF, NCRs, ESG scorecard.
- Champion automation (catalogs/punch-out, templating, guided buying) to increase hands-free transactions and reduce cycle time.
Leadership & Stakeholders
- Lead, coach, and performance-manage a multi-market team, recruit for hard procurement skills.
- Partner with Client Services, Production, Sustainability, Solutions, Finance and Legal to land sustainable commercial outcomes.
- Act as visible SME in client tenders and executive reviews; present insights and recommendations proactively.
Candidate Profile (must-haves)
- 10+ years in procurement/supply chain with 5-8 years leading teams across multiple APAC markets; deep category expertise in marketing production/POSM/print/packaging.
- Proven record in negotiations and delivering auditable savings at scale.
- Advanced data acumen: can shape taxonomies, define baselines, build should-costs, and operate BI dashboards (Excel/Power BI/Tableau); comfortable with ERP/WIP systems.
- Strong SRM discipline: tiering, QBRs, CAPs, and innovation funnels; credible executive-level negotiator.
- Process builder with change-management chops; implements governance without slowing the business.
- Fluent English; Asian language(s) a plus. Willing to travel across the region.
Skills & Behaviours
- Commercial-finance fluency: reads a P&L and cash-flow; connects procurement moves to GP, EBITDA, and working capital.
- Decisive, hands-on operator who stabilises fast and scales what works.
- Analytical storyteller: turns data into actions and executive-ready narratives.
- Resilient leader: raises the bar, coaches hard skills, and holds teams and suppliers accountable.
- Collaborative influencer across functions and cultures; clear, concise communicator.
