Procurement Standards and Controls Specialist

About the role

You will lead the development and implementation of Procurement standards and controls aligned with risk matrices and SOX compliance. This involves collaborating across Procurement teams to build a strong compliance culture. Cross-functional work is required with corporate functions, operations, and divisions. Reporting to the Procurement Excellence Manager, you will develop robust controls that enable cost-effective, low-risk, and high-value supply chains meeting business needs.

As part of the Procurement Excellence team, this role partners across Europe as the trusted advisor on standards, controls and compliance. The Group Procurement Function shapes strategy to support business goals like growth, innovation, ESG (including Scope 3), and manufacturing excellence. It competitively sources quality products/services while building strategic supplier relationships aligned with innovation, ESG and diversity aims. The function partners across the value chain to create innovative customer offerings driving business growth.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead creation and implementation of Group Procurement's controls environment, frameworks and ways of working.

• Deliver best-practice Procurement standards and controls for cost-effective, flexible and secure supply chains.

• Ensure Procurement leadership alignment with risk matrices, SOX Act and controls requirements.

• Collaborate across Procurement to co-develop efficient and effective control solutions.

• Develop roadmaps and detailed plans for right first time implementation.

• Develop solutions that embed seamlessly into Procurement ways of working.

• Partner with stakeholders to enhance compliance and reduce risk.

• Make it easier to comply with controls, policies and standards.

• Review policies, procedures and requirements to identify and remediate control gaps.

• Support governance practices and deliver education sessions on standards and controls.

• Partner on governing and refreshing Procurement policies and shaping group policies impacting suppliers.

• Ensure Procurement operates in compliance with agreed standards and controls.

• Perform periodic control testing and prepare reports for management and governance.

• Act as point of contact for internal/external audits on procurement controls.

• Implement mitigating actions, run controls environment, partner on KPIs and audit readiness.

About you

• Strong knowledge and procurement experience, including standards and controls environment.

• Experience implementing change in procurement and matrix organizations.

• Experience partnering with audit and governance functions.

• Ability to develop and implement effective, compliant processes (delivery of results).

• Strong problem-solving skills to identify control issues and opportunities.

• Program delivery skills to lead strategic/tactical initiatives with competing priorities.

• Prioritization skills to deliver in a complex matrix environment.

• Excellent communication, influencing and relationship management skills.

• Fluency in English, plus ideally another European language.

• Degree or equivalent, procurement experience, SOX understanding, analytical skills, business acumen.

About us

DS Smith are a leading provider of sustainable packaging solutions, paper products and recycling services in more than 30 different countries.  It’s a very exciting time to join, as we have committed to investing in our future across our strategic growth enablers within Innovation (R&D), Sustainability and Digital & Data.

To fulfil our purpose of redefining packaging for a changing world, we aim to build a diverse, motivated, and engaged workforce. Our goal is to create a culture of inclusion where everyone is treated fairly, differences are valued, and everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed.

Our people come from diverse backgrounds, bring different perspectives, ideas and experiences to generate unique solutions focused on present and future sustainability challenges. We welcome all candidates to apply, even those not meeting all criteria.