Global Packaging 5S Savings Specialist

Job Title: Global Packaging 5S Savings Specialist

Business Group: Home Care (R&D)

Location: Mumbai HURC

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.

BUSINESS CONTEXT:

Home Care is a €12bn Turnover business, growing at fast pace (6% CAGR over the last 5 year), being a growth engine to Unilever. Realizing our ambition to be the market-maker of our industry, will require all of us to be the best in our craft and lead at the edge – the edge of unmissable product superiority, the edge of industry-beating operations and the edge of sustainability.

Home Care Business Group is leading this initiative through its “Bright Future” strategy, with a bold ambition to drive Product Superiority with Affordability and Sustainability. Home Care Packaging team is pivotal to achieving this ambition by landing sustainable packs, which are consumer-preferred and have greater value while meeting sustainability commitments. We have the expertise to create such winning pack and product combinations through innovative technology interventions for brands like Persil / Omo, Surf, Comfort, Snuggle and Sunlight. With the global reach of our most loved brands, it makes the Global Packaging Team an interesting and exciting place to work.

Fuel for growth is an important element of the Bright Future triangle as it seeks to create value for the category while reducing plastic footprint and without compromising on superiority of the pack for consumers. The category packaging spend is €1.3Bn and we have an ambition of saving 10-12% on this spends year on year.

For Product Logic, the annual savings ambition is becoming more and more challenging. Hence, firstly a push towards big themes should create the new strategic E2E streams for the future while we keep feeding the 2026+ Product Logic funnel with the programs already started last year (e.g. chassis transformation, saving design for non-PGCs, material flex etc). As we call it the transform ideas.

Secondly there is a need to continuously validate the conventional ideas & check for scope expansion within business units (e.g. enhance Resilience with initiatives like ASA - Alternative Supplier Approval, AMA – Alternate Material Approval, Localisation, Print & Material Optimization). This we call as Perform ideas.

Thirdly as we know one of the key pillars of the Growth Action Plan is “building back the bank of Gross Margins” & Digital transformation is a key enabler to drive the strategic gross margin agenda at Unilever & within Home Care category, all of this is underpinned by data and AI.

JOB PURPOSE:

This is a business-critical role in which the incumbent will be responsible for delivering in year product logic packaging savings for the category & multi funnel boosting for 2026+ while supporting Business units in delivering technology-led packaging ideas or support functional teams in partnering to deliver category saving ideas. The role scope will be for sustainability enabled savings program for flexible, decorations, wood based & rigid formats globally across 8 business units. The role will be responsible for tracking & delivering category packaging savings ambition. There will also be opportunities to lead global ideas in perform space via flawless execution while reducing/eliminating plastic footprint. It will involve exploration of technology driven saving ideas and execution of the same in business units through sustainability routes.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
The key responsibilities of the role are detailed below:

• Responsible in endorsing & delivering the business unit & format packaging savings ambition.

• Manage project networks for the implementation of packaging ideas across different BUs with support of local teams and all other cross functions. This can also include support to BUs to achieve their overall 5S targets in Packaging.

• Accelerate implementation of packaging savings by tracking, doing portfolio analysis, identifying opportunities, maintaining database for 5S by using digital tools eg. Buyers console, Marco, etc

• Market/Portfolio analysis to identify new trends via internal & external competition benchmarking.

• Integrate 5S and Superiority/Sustainability in business units to improve E2E efficiency & meet the Growth Action Plan ambition.

• Generate avenues and work out alternatives which will help build positive Business Case enabling savings delivery.

• Build relationships with 3rd parties/ ecosystem to deliver on new formats and system requirements

Key Interfaces:

• Business Unit Packaging leads

• Format leads [Rigid, Flexible, Wood based, Decoration]

• CMI and CTI teams

• Supply Chain and procurement teams

• Supplier Partners
  

Skills Needed for the Role:

• Education: Post Graduation in Packaging Technology, BTech/MTech in Packaging Technology, Polymer or Chemical technology. Preferably with 2 years of work experience.

• Core Technical Skills: Area of Specialization in packaging technology preferably rigids & moulds, plastic processing & engineering. Experience of partnering with cross functional teams and BUs will be a plus.

• Data & Digital Fluency: Ability to interpret complex datasets, data visualization (buyers console, Marco, MIS, etc) and data-driven decision-making.

• Excellent Communication: Ability to simplify technical jargon, Think on your feet. Engage with technical and non-technical stakeholders with flexibility in influencing styles.

• Good presentation making & presenting skills.

The role has global remit but perhaps most importantly it must deliver savings to a global consumer audience so an understanding of both consumers globally and supplier base globally will mean a truly global experience and mindset is required to perform effectively in this role.

Travel

Yes (15-20% of time)

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion 

Unilever embraces diversity and encourages applicants from all walks of life! This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity.