Mirai Global Process Owner - R&D bei Unilever

Job Title: Mirai Global Process Owner (GPO): R&D
Reports to: Mirai Business Transformation Lead

Location: Agnostic

Work Level: WL2C

Background
We need to simplify the Unilever technology and process landscape by reducing the number of applications and the number of different systems. The separation of Ice Cream business will remove a layer of complexity within the organisation, while the BG organization requires a new architecture.

Furthermore, the end-of-life imperative to upgrade our ERP solution presents the opportunity for a fundamental technology transformation at Unilever, which goes hand in hand with processes review and huge ambition to make company simpler, faster and future fit to all the AI revolution.

Mirai is the Business Transformation Programme that will deliver a simplified tech estate across both ERP and our core business critical applications. This is needed to make Unilever faster and future fit, while addressing clear feedback coming from UniVoice.

Mirai is a critical enabler for all the changes being delivered by the new Operating Model. New and refreshed technology is required to maximise productivity from the redesigned organisation and enable the move to standardised processes.

Main purpose of job
The Global Process Owner role leads the transformation from the R&D perspective, ensuring that product development, innovation processes, and data flows are seamlessly integrated into the new ERP and technology landscape.

You will champion the harmonisation of R&D processes across categories, drive digital capability building, and ensure that the future tech estate empowers R&D teams to innovate with speed, precision, and consumer relevance.
You will act as a strategic connector between R&D, Technology, and Business stakeholders—ensuring that the needs of product development, formulation, claims, and regulatory functions are embedded into the programme design and delivery.

Your leadership will be instrumental in enabling smarter, data-driven innovation and unlocking productivity across the end-to-end innovation lifecycle.

The R&D GPO is:

• Accountable and responsible for end-to-end design and implementation of key business processes/ function that impact R&D
• Decision maker on business direction by R&D in preparation for design
• Provide process governance and end-to-end R&D business process experience during the Design phase
• Provide functional and process support to solve issues and approve R&D exceptions from Blueprint
• Be the guardian of the standardised E2E process Blueprint in R&D and the overall solution throughout the deployment
• The R&D GPO will also be responsible for supporting Master Data Management (MDM) initiatives, joining as well the workstream who will be working on MDM transformation, to ensure data integrity and consistency across R&D processes.
• The ideal candidate is a credible and pragmatic leader with a proven track record in leading transformation.

They will:

• Provide Strategic Leadership
• Define and drive business transformation in their function aligning the R&D strategy and Mirai objectives.
• Responsible for end-to-end design and implementation of key business processes that impact R&D.
• Identify and on-board sufficient Subject Matter Experts (SME) to ensure that the simplified and standardised business processes in the function will allow R&D to meet both its daily working and strategic objectives.
   

Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as the primary point of accountability for business stakeholders in the R&D for both BG-led and 1UL markets.
• Build strong relationships with Executive & Senior R&D leaders to drive alignment, manage critical dependencies with other UL programmes in the function and resolve resistance
• Collaborate with stakeholders to gather input, communicate progress, and ensure buy-in

Functional Integration

• Oversee the design of the end-to-end integrated business processes in R&D acting as the custodian of the Mirai Vision of a Lean Clean Core ERP
• Ensure that all transformation activities within Mirai and across R&D are aligned and contribute to a cohesive enterprise vision.
• Collaborate with R&D Sponsors to drive policy, organisational and other changes required to ways of working to adopt the Mirai principles

Change Leadership

• Champion Mirai vision across R&D, lead efforts to prepare the organisation for change and address resistance
• Build a wider Change Network for the function across BG and BU R&D teams to ensure the simplified and standardised business processes are understood, aligned and accepted for build and deployment.
• Foster a culture that challenges orthodoxies, embraces simple and harmonised ways of working.
• Sponsor and support the organisational functional change management strategy, including communications, training, and engagement initiatives.

Governance and Program Oversight

• Oversee functional process teams
• Serve as the escalation point for critical function and Programme decisions and risks.

Partner with Technology and Delivery Teams

• Collaborate with R&D IT leadership to ensure that R&D solutions are aligned with Mirai end-to-end design.
• Ensure R&D readiness at each phase of the Mirai implementation and transition to BAU

Key Accountabilities:

• Vision - Accountable for aligning the Mirai vision in R&D and ensuring business buy-in within the R&D into the overall transformation.
• Transformation - Accountable for aligning & delivering the business transformation within the R&D in line to Mirai principles, specifically the ‘fit to standard’ approach for business processes.
• Identify potential risks and oversee the development of mitigation plans to address resistance and ensure successful adoption within R&D.
• Operating Model - Responsible for aligning the R&D on change impacts of Mirai and designing the plan to address them

Change Advocacy

• Accountable for getting R&D leadership support across BGs and markets to deliver Mirai.
• Own metrics to measure the effectiveness of Change Management efforts across each of the business processes in scope of R&D.

Realisation

• Accountable for the simplification and standardised of the business processes within the scope of R&D, measured by the adherence to ‘fit to standard’.

Experience and qualifications required:

• Experience in a large or complex market / function, with gravitas and credibility across the function
• Proven track record in leading business transformation and/or tech-enabled change programs.
• Deep understanding of Unilever’s R&D product development process and its integration into the business (e.g. Finance, Supply Chain, Procurement, Manufacturing).
• Proven change management and organisational leadership skills.
• Experience working with global and cross-functional teams.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and influencing skills at all levels.
• Experience building and managing diverse teams, ability to work with diverse cultures, both within team and stakeholders

Key interfaces

• Mirai Business Transformation Lead
• Mirai VP Technology Transformation
• R&D SME Mirai
• Digital R&D Leadership and Team
• R&D and R&D IT PLM Teams
• R&D Leaders and their Senior Leadership Teams
• 3rd Party SI partners

NOTES

Please apply via this portal as e-mail applications may not be processed and include your Future Fit Plan if possible.

By applying for this vacancy, you are confirming that you have made your Line Manager aware of your application and that you are at a point in your career with Unilever where it is appropriate for you to be applying for other positions.   

What we offer

Whilst the role is advertised on a full-time basis, we would be happy to discuss possible flexible working options and what this may look like for you. We strive to achieve a family-friendly and inclusive workplace and to, above all, create possibilities for all. 

Diversity at Unilever is about inclusion, embracing differences, creating possibilities and growing together for better business performance. We embrace diversity in our workforce. 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. We are also more than happy to provide reasonable adjustments during our application and interview process to enable you to be present your best self. To find out more, including about our Employee Resource Groups, please click here Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (unilever.com).