Position Overview 

As Principal Process Excellence Manager, you are the senior individual contributor in the supply Process Excellence team and report to the Head of Process Excellence. You own and lead improvement projects from problem to handover: you analyze the process with data, structure the project, build the plan and milestones, and deliver the agreed result on time and to the agreed quality. You think end-to-end: where a process crosses into other functions, you involve all relevant stakeholders and optimize across the whole chain, while implementation outside supply sits with the respective unit. 

Your Responsibilities: 

• Lead assigned improvement projects end-to-end, from problem definition and baseline to implementation and handover. Define scope, project charter, project plan, milestones, deliverables, owners and benefit targets, and agree them with the sponsor. 

• Optimize processes end-to-end. For processes that cross the boundary of supply, involve all relevant stakeholders, agree scope, targets and milestones with them, and drive the optimization across the whole chain. Prepare escalations through the project sponsor where commitments are not met. You are accountable for the end-to-end optimization, while implementation outside supply sits with the respective unit. 

• Deliver on time and to quality: track progress, maintain the risk and issue log, report status transparently and escalate delays early to the Head of Process Excellence and the project sponsor. 

• Analyze processes with data: extract and structure process data, establish baselines, identify root causes and quantify improvement potential (e.g., requisition-to-order cycle time, order lead time, touchless order rate, cost, rework). 

• Design improved Buying and Buying Operations processes and document them to the agreed standard (e.g., BPMN), including roles, controls and KPIs, and agree them with the process owners. 

• Build and maintain KPI dashboards and regular performance reports (e.g., Power BI) for the processes in your projects. Track benefits and report realized versus planned results. 

• Translate process requirements into clear specifications for IT and digital teams, and support testing, rollout and go-live. 

• Plan and deliver adoption: communication, training and handover to the line organization, and check results after go-live. 

• Apply and further develop the team's methodology, templates and project standards, and share good practice with the team. 

• Support the Head of Process Excellence in portfolio planning, prioritization and reporting to senior leadership. 

Your Qualifications: 

• University degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations or a related field. 

• At least 6 years of experience in supply operations, process excellence or transformation (in-house or consulting), with solid knowledge of Buying and Buying Operations processes, including leading cross-functional projects without disciplinary authority. 

• Proven track record of delivering projects on time, on budget and with documented results; able to show examples with plan, milestones and outcome. 

• Strong project management skills: structuring a complex problem, building a project plan, defining milestones and dependencies, and managing risks (certification such as PMP, PRINCE2 or equivalent is a plus). 

• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher, or equivalent continuous improvement methodology. 

• Strong analytical skills: confident with large data sets and reporting tools (Excel, Power BI; SQL or process mining is a plus). 

• Experience in process modeling and documentation (e.g., BPMN); working knowledge of ERP and e-procurement systems (SAP S/4HANA is a plus). 

• Clear and confident communicator who can influence stakeholders at all levels and hold them to commitments. 

• Structured, data-driven and delivery-oriented, with high standards for quality and timeliness. 

• Fluent English is required; German is a plus.