Sylvia Stephens
Elkhorn,NE
Summary
Experienced Strategic Procurement professional with 14+ years of multi-faceted progressive experience across Engineering, Capital Projects, Operations and Strategic Sourcing, delivering Strategic Supply Management leadership and transformational change management solutions for Indirect Categories
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Procurement Associate Director – Plant Materials & Services
Cargill, Incorporated
07.2023 - Current
- Led implementation of new organizational structure in North America region and support of global organization structure implementation
- Provide leadership, strategy and management on procurement processes to North America team and ensure alignment with organization strategic sourcing and procurement objectives
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams and regional stakeholders to develop strategic sourcing plans, aligning procurement activities with company goals.
- Bring broad and in-depth knowledge and practical management knowledge and experience in regional spend, stakeholder and procurement landscape
- Responsible for alignment of overall team resources to execute against short- and long-term strategies and the achievement of strategic sourcing and business objectives
- Drive the defined process initiatives for the Opex Services/Maintenance-Reliability-Operation (MRO), Equipment/Spare Parts, and Capital Sourcing teams to build a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence
- Prepare, administer and control operating budgets to achieve short- and medium-term financial performance objectives and ensure accountability for meeting and control of operating expenses and established targets
- Develop plans and deliver results in fast-changing environments, while leading and developing a team of 40 experienced and engaged regionally-based professionals and supervisors, coaching and making decisions related to talent management hiring, performance and disciplinary actions
Category Manager - EPCM & Construction
Cargill, Incorporated
07.2021 - 07.2023
- Built regional construction services (Civil, Structural, Architectural, Mechanical, Millwright, Piping, Demolition, & General Contracting) sourcing strategies that leverage business leading market positions to establish competitive advantage in the marketplace and lead category contract negotiations with regional suppliers
- Synthesized all technical and economic drivers of construction services in all global markets, build relationships with key business partners and understand global competitive dynamics of categories to develop regional & global expertise for construction services
- Aligned and collaborated with regional risk, management and sourcing directors and leads across categories like Engineering, Procurement, & Construction Management (EPCM), Opex Services/MRO, Equipment, and Direct Materials to develop multi-faceted sourcing strategies that optimized value creation for the company
- Communicated & incorporated global & regional market drivers, market intelligence, and local feedback into strategy development to ensure long term local competitiveness of regional businesses and support the commercial approach in accordance with the customer segment, competitive positioning and market trends
- Implemented, measured and reported category value creation
- Managed team of four category buyers to support development of category strategies, including team & individual goals, reviews / ongoing feedback, and performance management
Capital Sourcing & Execution Lead
Cargill, Incorporated
10.2016 - 07.2021
- Managed average range of $1MM-$500MM of capital portfolio addressable spend, value progress, risk mitigation and procurement execution for various business units in conjunction with key business stakeholders
- Led complex, high-spend projects and influenced key stakeholders through all major stages of capital procurement processes: contracting strategy (delivery & compensation method) alignment, bidder identification & pre-qualification, bid package development, RFX, bid evaluations & benchmarking, Total Cost of Ownership, negotiations & legal contracting
- Partnered across categories to incorporate and successfully execute Master Category Strategies in Capex processes
- Escalated and resolved supplier performance issues on projects to minimize risk to Cargill; engaged with legal function on major contract dispute resolution through mediation, arbitration, or litigation as appropriate
- Contributed to all key project delivery milestones, including procurement deliverables, workshops, technical reviews, Independent Project Analysis (IPA) reviews, and project closeout/lessons learned to identify gaps and opportunities to improve execution
- Championed various continuous improvement initiatives in capital sourcing, involving internal stakeholders & global teams
Capital Sourcing Senior Buyer
Cargill, Incorporated
02.2016 - 10.2016
- Supported multiple project teams across various business units to execute on capital projects $100K+ using Ariba RFx process, from gathering data for bid package assembly, to negotiation strategy development, to contract management
- Created competitive advantage and led negotiations on multimillion-dollar capital projects to achieve cost savings
- Supported sourcing needs by utilizing past experience with project engineering and the Project Delivery Process for Build projects to assist project teams and procurement with planning/requirements & technical information, including TCO analysis
- Led and influenced multi-functional teams to align project and business needs.
- Participated in continuous improvement initiatives, contributing ideas for more effective procurement processes.
Production Operations Manager
Cargill, Incorporated
11.2013 - 02.2016
- Managed day-to-day plant activities, including production forecasting, maintenance, operability and optimization of various departments and production areas: Lactic Acid Fermentation, Fructose & Maltose Refinery, and Hazardous Chemicals Receiving
- Interfaced with rail & truck logistics, plant management, maintenance, and environmental teams to manage and coordinate any area activities and/or issues
- Improved production efficiency by implementing Lean Manufacturing principles and streamlining processes in conjunction with continuous improvement and manufacturing technology, and process design teams
- Managed schedules, production forecasting, budgets, and resources effectively to ensure timely delivery of high-quality products to customers
- Directly supervised and supported employee engagement of approximately 25-30 plant operators
Capital Projects Engineer
Cargill, Incorporated
06.2011 - 11.2013
- Developed and executed capital and expense projects for all phases of a project including design, scope, budget, operability, financial analysis, schedule, construction management, and commissioning/startup for capital projects up to $30MM
- Led multifunctional project teams including engineering, contractors, operations, automation, safety, accounting, and procurement to safely stay on budget and schedule
- Supported and assisted in coordination of plant start-ups at multiple plant locations.
Research Assistant
University of Nebraska - Lincoln FOCUS & Protein Purification Lab
05.2009 - 05.2011
- Assisted in development of large-scale purification process of transgenic blood coagulant proteins to facilitate production and availability to hemophilia patients.
- Performed routine lab duties and coordinated setup of new laboratories for tissue engineering research
- Participated actively in regular meetings with fellow researchers to discuss project updates, challenges faced, and lessons learned during ongoing activities.
- Organized research materials, maintaining well-ordered workspace conducive to productivity.
Education
Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering -
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, NE05.2010
Skills
- Supplier Relationship Management
- Strategic Sourcing
- Project Management
- Global Procurement
- Spend Analysis
- Supplier Evaluation
- Relationship Building
- Knowledgeable in MS Office, Ariba/SAP, Avetta, Aravo, PowerBI, GEP
- Bid process management
- Contract Negotiations
- Teamwork and Collaboration
- Organizational Transformation and Implementation Management
Certification
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
Languages
Polish
Limited Working
Spanish
Limited Working
Work Preference
Work Type
Full TimePart TimeContract WorkWork Location
RemoteHybridImportant To Me
Career advancementWork-life balanceCompany CultureFlexible work hoursHealthcare benefitsWork from home optionPaid time offPaid sick leave401k matchStock Options / Equity / Profit SharingWork Availability
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Interests
Yoga, golf, weightlifting
Timeline
Procurement Associate Director – Plant Materials & Services
Cargill, Incorporated
07.2023 - Current
Category Manager - EPCM & Construction
Cargill, Incorporated
07.2021 - 07.2023
Capital Sourcing & Execution Lead
Cargill, Incorporated
10.2016 - 07.2021
Capital Sourcing Senior Buyer
Cargill, Incorporated
02.2016 - 10.2016
Production Operations Manager
Cargill, Incorporated
11.2013 - 02.2016
Capital Projects Engineer
Cargill, Incorporated
06.2011 - 11.2013
Research Assistant
University of Nebraska - Lincoln FOCUS & Protein Purification Lab
05.2009 - 05.2011
Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering -
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
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