Supply Chain Finance Cost Management Lead

**Unilever is currently hiring for a Supply Chain Finance Cost Management Lead**

**Function**: Finance
**Reports to**: SC Finance Director

**Scope**: Southern Africa
**Location**: Johannesburg/Durban travelling between Factories & 3P Manufacturing sites
**Terms & Conditions**: Local terms. Full time, Permanent

**ABOUT UNILEVER**
With 3.4 billion people in over 190 countries using our products every day, Unilever is a business that makes a real impact on the world. Work on brands that are loved and improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We are driven by our purpose: to make sustainable living commonplace, and it is our belief that doing business the right way drives superior performance. At the heart of what we do is our people - we believe that when our people work with purpose, we will create a better business and a better world.
At Unilever, your career will be a unique journey, grounded in our inclusive, collaborative, and flexible working environment. We don’t believe in the ‘one size fits all’ approach and instead we will equip you with the tools you need to shape your own future.

**JOB PURPOSE**
This role is required to maintain strong accounting controls aligned with the Unilever’s Global Financial Controls Framework (GFCF).
Output from this role will impact SC P&L and Balance sheet lines for all Southern Africa. This role is a member of the SC Finance Leadership team and drives the controls and savings agendas for SC with a primary focus on production sites.

**The purpose of the role is to**:

- Support the production team (factories and 3P) with financial insights to deliver key projects and business cases aligned to business targets to drive a cost competitive agile Supply Chain organisation. This role drives Sourcing Unit cost optimisation, delivering the Net Productivity agenda and driving down waste at the factory and 3P sites.
- To build and manage relationships with key stakeholders in the Supply Chain organisation and wider Unilever business and at third parties.

**WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE**
Assess adequacy of existing controls in SC, especially factory and 3P operations, in relation to identified business risk. Develop efficient controls, adequate to address identified risk in line with GFCF.
- Maintain robust material usage controls for factory sites across Unilever South Africa.
- Engage with operational teams and site LTs to drive actions to address material usage variances and drive accountability.
- Monitor 3P stock losses to ensure timely claims for losses above annual thresholds.
- Ensure robust forecasting and controls over savings uploaded and reported on savings system (SRS/ Prism)
- Drive delivery of timely and accurate reporting requirements
- Ensure Unilever Standard Chart of Accounts compliance
- Ensure stock controls compliant with SOX
- Ensure journals, write offs and provisions are done in accordance with Schedule of Authority.

Drive a cost competitive agile Supply Chain organisation through Sourcing Unit cost optimization
- Drive delivery of reduction in Cost Per Ton (Net Productivity) across all SC costs
- Deliver the business waste reduction programme for factory and its 3P
- Review, challenge and monitor Capital Expenditure proposals (CEP) per the annual budget.
- Participate in transformation project squads/ teams. Assisting with financial insights required to deliver key projects in line with business targets.
- Assist in benchmarking activities to ensure competitiveness of SC costs.
- Lead continuous improvement and automation initiatives in Supply Chain Finance and at production sites to improve efficiency and ensure cost optimisation.

Provide insights on production spend by supplier.
- Ensure robust monitoring of production spend by supplier across production sites.
- Analyse production spend by supplier against SLA to ensure compliance to contract terms and monitor pricing movements.
- Check supplier costings across Unilever sites to ensure cost optimisation.
- Variance analysis of budget/forecast over and under spends done monthly.
- Ensure SAP stock errors are understood and corrected.

Talent development
- Oversee SC Cost management accountant.
- Support SC cost management accountant in prioritisation of tasks and unlocks on barriers.
- Driver talent development agenda in SCF as a member of the SCF LT.
- Contribute to strategic direction of SC organisation as a member of the SCF LT.

Steer Business Performance and provide Decision support
- Provide accurate and relevant business insights by analysing available information using designated best practice tools
- Drive and coordinate the forecasting process to help the business make reliable decisions, includes budget, financial forecasts, etc
- Guide and support the delivery of key projects in the pipeline, whilst actively ensuring that all appropriate government incentives are maximised on.
- Report on monthly variances giving key insight in what areas need focus