Procurement Operations Project Manager

About Thales:
‘The people we rely on to make the world go round – they rely on Thales’. In a fast-changing and increasingly unpredictable world full of opportunities, people come to us with big ambitions – to make your life better and more secure. Our employees, who are part of a unique and varied team with many different fields of expertise and a wide range of talents and cultures, develop and deliver outstanding high-tech solutions. Thales employs 81,000 highly talented people in 68 countries. Almost 3,000 of these are based in the Netherlands. We are one of the largest high-tech employers in the field of security and protection.
 
We help our customers think smarter and act faster in the fields of defense, aerospace, aviation technology and cyberspace, to manage and control their increasingly complex processes and make the best possible business decisions. This is why we play a leading role in digital transformation, focusing on Artificial Intelligence, Big Data & Data Analysis, Connectivity, Mobility, Internet of Things, Cyber Security.
 
In the Netherlands, we are located in four cities: Huizen, Delft, Eindhoven and Hengelo (head office). Together with an extensive ecosystem of knowledge partners, customers and suppliers, we work on radar systems for seagoing vessels, cyber security solutions, transport systems, communications equipment for land forces, cryogenic cooling solutions, R&D for radar technology (in collaboration with TU Delft), as well as R&D for serious gaming (in collaboration with the University of Twente).

About the team:
The Radar RampUp team has the objective to prepare the organization for the next phase of the company: the phase of series production of radars. It is a multidisciplinary team of Project managers on all relevant areas of expertise: Engineering, Industry, and Procurement. Together with their Project control colleagues (Planning, Risk & Opportunity, Support), they manage the work packages delivering the new ways of working. 
 

About the assignment:
For this interim assignment, we are looking for a senior interim manager with Procurement experience who has successfully implemented change projects.
The primary activities of the PM Procurement Ramp-up Operations are focused on

• Radar ramp-up, but at the same time making sure that all new improvements are sustainable in the long run and transferable to other segments as well;
• Procurement actions to secure supplier performance and commitment, and;
• Implementing the new ways of working within procurement department in coordination and collaboration with neighboring departments to secure series production.

Key success factors:
You are actively engaging and stimulating your procurement colleagues, building as much as possible on existing processes, standards and knowledge of the department. You realize that time is of the essence and trade-off accuracy and speed on a daily basis. You design or implement the processes across departments to increase Supplier as well as Customer OTD.
The main tasks are:

• (Re-) design business processes for Series production: (Re-) Design and implement new ways of working e.g. on Demand Stability and forecasting, data availability and master data management, Supplier Risk Management, Sourcing Strategies, MRP Stability and Material Availability. You set up collaboration with tactical Buyers. Where necessary, you manage and oversee IT landscape adaptations and/or improvements.
• Contracting & Operationalization of contract principles: Deliver Frame Agreements & Long Term Agreements for most critical suppliers. Operationalize contract principles: a.o. penalties, pricing and forecasting.
• Implementation of Strategic Supplier relationship management V2.0: Define structure, meeting schedule, communication flow and escalation matrix. Secure involvement of SR management, guide integral preparation over disciplines and cascading of decisions and actions in working together with most critical suppliers. Deliver supplier dashboard and secure its upkeep and use.
• Develop second and alternative sources; 2nd (3rd) tier suppliers: Together with category buyers, create plans based on ramp-up strategy; ensure and report in execution of the plans in 2025.

Why you’d be a good match?

• A bachelor’s or master’s degree with professional and intellectual capacities at academic level;
• 10+ years of procurement management experience in a series-production environment;
• Comfortable in a technical environment, experienced in managing in multi-disciplinary teams;
• Very disciplined and extremely structured;
• Self-starting & Proactive;
• End-to-end thinking.