Purchase Manager - Marketing Services

Purpose of the job

Drive SADAFCO’s long-term procurement strategy and short-term execution plans for Marketing ATL & BTL and other related spend/services, ensuring end-to-end sourcing, contracting, supplier governance, performance management, and commercial optimization across media, creative, production, events, activations, POSM, agencies, digital marketing, brand services, contract manufacturing, co-packing, packaging conversion, and related business services. The role is accountable for delivering sustainable value, brand impact, cost transparency, innovation, supply continuity, quality compliance, speed-to-market, and risk mitigation through strong partnership with Marketing, Sales, R&D, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, Legal, and external strategic partners.

Key Accountabilities

1.         Scope of work

Responsible for the complete procurement cycle end to end for Marketing ATL & BTL , Co-pack Services, including media buying, creative and digital agencies, brand production, promotions, events, activations, POS materials, activation, branding, shopper marketing, market research, merchandising support, and other business marketing activities.

2.         Procurement strategy

Execute  SADAFCO’s long-term procurement strategy by Marketing ATL, BTL, and Co-pack Services category, defining sourcing models, agency ecosystems, supplier panels, co-pack capacity strategies, commercial models, contract structures, and three-year category roadmaps aligned with brand plans, innovation pipelines, campaign calendars, production requirements, quality expectations, and business growth priorities.

3.         Market & Source profiling

Drive supplier and market profiling for media agencies, creative agencies, digital agencies, production houses, event and activation partners, POSM suppliers, research agencies, merchandising partners, co-packers, contract manufacturers, packaging converters, and specialist service providers, including capability assessment, compliance screening, quality certification review, capacity validation, onboarding, and supplier segmentation.

4.         Market Intelligence

Collect global, regional, and local market intelligence on media inflation, agency remuneration models, production cost drivers, digital marketing trends, shopper activation benchmarks, POSM materials, co-pack capacity, manufacturing technology, food safety standards, packaging innovation, MOQ structures, lead times, and competitor practices to convert external insights into sourcing opportunities and executive recommendations.

Analyze and identify value opportunities through agency consolidation, media buying optimization, production specification improvement, demand management, POSM standardization, campaign bundling, co-pack make-versus-buy assessment, capacity reservation, yield improvement, waste reduction, logistics optimization, quality improvement, and total cost of ownership evaluation across marketing and co-pack spend.Actively track global and local commodity indices (pulp, resins, aluminum) to predict packaging cost fluctuations and secure volume-based pricing structures before annual budget lock-ins

5.         Procurement policies, guidelines & processes

Develop, plan, implement, maintain, monitor, and continuously improve procurement policies, sourcing governance frameworks, approval workflows, supplier onboarding standards, contract compliance processes, and operating procedures for IT & Professional Services spend.

6.         Bids / Request for Proposal (RFP) / Request for Information (RFI)         

Prepare and issue RFI, RFQ, RFP, bid, and tender documents for IT projects, software subscriptions, cloud services, infrastructure investments, managed services, cybersecurity solutions, implementation partners, consulting assignments, and major professional service contracts.

7.         Cost Comparison, Evaluation and Selection

Prepare commercial evaluation matrices to compare bids based on total cost of ownership, technical fit, service levels, licensing rights, implementation approach, compliance requirements, contractual terms, information security criteria, business continuity expectations, supplier capability, and long-term value.

8.         Cost Modelling & Negotiation

Develop cost models including for Licensing, Permits, Digital Media, Agency fees,  Events & Activations, Tolling models etc and benchmark pricing, then apply structured negotiation tactics to achieve targeted savings and risk-balanced commercial outcomes.Deconstruct third-party co-packing service fees into granular Bills of Materials (BOM), analyzing raw inputs like corrugated paperboard weight, polymer films, custom molding, direct labor, and factory conversion margins

9.         Cost reduction projects

Identify and implement cost reduction projects on total cost of ownership basis.  Align internal stakeholders and implement projects in a timely manner.

10.      Contract and agreements

Prepare contract drafts including supply terms and conditions for validation by the legal department before conclusion.   Ensure timely renewal of supply agreements to minimize risk and liability from legal perspective.Establish and enforce unified corporate rate cards for local and international creative agencies, production houses and freelancers

11.      Annual Budget preparations

Map and phase annualized spends against the KSA retail and cultural calendar (e.g., pre-Ramadan production surges, Eid activations, and Saudi National Day), providing the Finance team with accurate monthly cash outflow projections

12.      Supplier Partnerships & Performance monitoring

Develop the supplier performance evaluation matrix so as to assess the suitability of the supplier as per SADAFCO standards. Initiate the process for developing and building strong relationships with such suppliers so as to transform them from standard vendors into reliable supply partners.

13.      Supply Security and Risk Management

Conduct supplier SWOT analysis and develop alternate supplier plans so as to ensure on- time delivery, price stability and consistent quality is maintained at all times.   

14.      Innovation and Launch

Bring in supplier research and development insights for business as and when required.  Support timely innovation & launch of new products into market. Collaborate heavily with Brand Marketing, Demand Planning, and Operations to match co-packing material availability with critical seasonal retail spikes (e.g., Ramadan, Eid, and Saudi National Day).

15.      Local Regulation conformity

Understand and implement regulatory requirements as per local law & as communicated by concerned authorities (ZATCA, Cross Border Tax Compliance, General Authority of media regulation, Mawthooq licensing controls, SFDA, etc.

16.      SLA & Timelines:

Negotiate and implement rate agreements.  Manage SLA requirements in timely manner to ensure articles reach the BU on a timely basis.

Job Requirements

·               Education:  Preferably MBA / Post Graduate.

·               Specific diploma/education:  CIPS, CIPP qualification (preferable)

·               Minimal experience: Mandatory 6 years in procurement of Marketing & Tolling models s in the FMCG or other manufacturing industry.

·               Languages: Fluent in English & Arabic

·               Experience of using ERP systems

·               Good knowledge of MS-Office, Power BI

·          Negotiation skills & cost modelling

·          Product and Supply market knowledge (Global, Regional & Local)

·          Strategic and Tactical buying knowledge

·          Knowledge of purchasing methods, procedures and standards.

·          Project management

·          Ability to build positive and close client working relationships.

·          Contract development

·          Understanding of entire supply chain and business functions and its relation with procurement.