Strategic Cost Manager

This is a hybrid position requiring an on-site presence 3 to 4 days per week. The number of on-site days may increase based on business needs.

About the role

The Strategic Cost Manager drives cost control and enhances profitability across the organization by developing strategies and providing analytical support for net cost reduction and cost increase mitigation. The role leverages market trends and cost models to produce insights for fact-based decision-making and supplier net cost negotiations, serving as a subject matter expert for category-specific commodities and cost models.

Responsibilities

• Cost Modeling
  • Develop comprehensive cost models reflecting supplier input cost volatility.
  • Work closely with suppliers to understand cost structures.
  • Continuously maintain and refine cost models to align with production enhancements and contract changes.
  • Develop a fundamental understanding of the manufacturing process for specific product groups.
  • Educate and gain alignment with suppliers on cost component eligibility for pricing action.
• Supplier Negotiations
  • Support Merchants with fact-based market intelligence in supplier negotiations.
  • Create detailed negotiation insights and benefit targets for Sourcing.
  • Review contracts to understand supplier cost change dynamics and develop proactive strategies.
  • Create customized cost breakdown templates for RFPs.
  • Build working relationships with suppliers that promote transparency and partnership.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Lead cost risk and opportunity meetings with Merchants.
  • Provide comprehensive cost change analysis and recommendations to Merchants.
  • Provide market insights to cross-functional teams (PGMO, RevMan, Merchandising, Sales) to facilitate proactive decision-making.
  • Assist in benefit forecasting for sourcing events and supplier direct negotiations.
  • Advise Merchandising on market relevance of supplier net cost.
• Market Intelligence
  • Utilize third-party platforms for market insights and cost model frameworks.
  • Leverage cost models to recommend optimal timing windows for sourcing events.
  • Monitor and analyze commodity markets, industry trends, and supplier cost drivers.
  • Develop and present ad-hoc market analysis to internal stakeholders.
  • Serve as subject matter expert on category-specific commodities and cost models.
  • Translate raw component market movements into actionable net cost insights.
  • Possess knowledge of macro-economic factors influencing market volatility.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree preferred or applicable experience in merchandising, market intelligence, and supplier negotiations.
• 4 years of experience in merchandising or equivalent combination of education and industry (food service or retail) experience.
• 3 years of experience in market intelligence and developing leadership reporting.
• 3 years of experience in fact-based negotiations.
• Excellent Microsoft Excel skills, including lookups, pivot tables, and summarizing large data sets. Knowledge of Power Query and VBA is a plus.
• Prior experience working with relational database management systems.
• Knowledge of internal systems like CDM, RME, and Workday Strategic Sourcing.
• Understanding of supply chain principles and dynamics.
• Understanding of the dynamics of supply and demand.
• Ability to effectively collect and use market data to provide actionable insights.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Work Environment

This position is based at the GSC with a hybrid schedule. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.