Heinz · Chicago, ILPrepare for this interview
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Job Description As the Associate Director for Procurement , Sustainability & EPR you will be a key player in our team, responsible for building and maintaining trust to protect our brands' reputation throughout the North American Zone. You will provide structure, support, and guidance to the North American Procurement team, ensuring a consistent approach t o lead and scale our Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs and to drive responsible sourcing, supplier inclusion, and supplier development initiatives across the supply chain. This role combines policy and program management, cross-functional stakeholder engagement, and supplier capacity building to reduce environmental and social risks, ensure regulatory compliance, and deliver measurable sustainability outcomes. The ideal candidate brings subject-matter expertise in EPR and responsible sourcing, strong program management skills, and a proven track record of influencing suppliers and internal partners to adopt sustainable practices. Essential Functions and Responsibilities EPR Leadership and Compliance Design, implement, and manage company-wide EPR strategies and operational programs to meet evolving regulatory requirements across jurisdictions. Serve as the business lead for EPR policy monitoring, interpretation, and internal guidance; ensure timely compliance, registrations, reporting, and fee management. Liaise with legal, regulatory, and government affairs teams on policy development and advocacy. Partner with procurement, product, operations, legal, finance, and sustainability analytics teams to embed sustainability in commercial decision-making. Drive internal stakeholder engagement, training, and communications to ensure program adoption and continuous improvement. Measurement, Reporting & Continuous Improvement Define KPIs, targets, and dashboards for EPR, responsible sourcing, and supplier inclusion initiatives; report progress to senior leadership. Oversee supplier performance monitoring, audits, and corrective action tracking. Identify and scale best practices, pilot innovative solutions (e.g., circular design, takeback models), and lead lessons-learned reviews. Team & Budget Management Lead a small cross-functional team and manage external partners/consultants; develop team capability. Manage program budgets and vendor relationships to deliver on objectives. People Management Responsibility: Team (salaried): 3 direct reports Expected Experience and Required Skills Bachelor's degree in sustainability, environmental policy, procurement , supply chain, or a related field. Advanced degree preferred. 8+ years of progressive experience in procurement, sustainability, EPR, responsible sourcing, supplier inclusion, with at least 3 years in a leadership role. Demonstrated experience implementing EPR programs or comparable extended producer accountability systems, including regulatory compliance and reporting. Proven track record of working directly with suppliers to implement sustainability improvements and inclusion programs. Strong knowledge of responsible sourcing frameworks and standards (e.g., RBA, ISO 20400, SA8000, OECD Guidelines). Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills across commercial and technical functions. Proven record of accomplishment demonstrating the ability to develop, design, and deploy change and transformation across large organizations. Ability to influence and coach without direct accountability, supporting NA Procurement teams to achieve results, and possessing excellent relationship management and communication skills . Displays high levels of energy and commitment; is relentless in pursuing goals in an environment of complexity, diversity, and ambiguity. Advanced and demonstrated change management skills with an eagerness to learn and develop further. Advanced user of MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook) and have a technological understanding of tools that support the responsibilities of the role. Professional fluency in English with strong written, verbal , and listening skills is a must; multilingual is a plus. Work Environment and Schedule This position is considered a typical office environment with moderate travel to supplier locations, stores, manufacturing facilities, etc.; offices are open workspaces. We are committed to creating a more agile and modern workplace, allowing Chicago/Aon Center-based employees to work virtually for up to two days each week. We also expect them to work in person at their assigned work location at least three days per workweek during the defined core days, ensuring a healthy work-life balance . Our Total Rewards philosophy is to provide a meaningful and flexible spectrum of programs that equitably support our diverse workforce and their families and complement Kraft Heinz' strategy and values. New Hire Base Salary Range: $164,200.00 - $205,200.00 Bonus: This position is eligible for a performance-based bonus a
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