Job Description

Responsibilities

Main Purpose

The HBS R&D Specifications Management Lead, located in Hyderabad (HBS), is responsible for overseeing the Specification Management team in HBS to ensure exceptional service is provided in support of R&D Spec Management globally. This L11 role will coordinate with in-market team leads, serving as the primary touchpoint for R&D leadership to provide feedback, collaborate on strategic initiatives, and continuously identify opportunities to drive efficiency and enhance output quality.

Accountabilities

Summary of Accountabilities:
Develop the HBS R&D Specifications Management capability and continuously drive optimization of existing R&D capabilities by leading team responsible for:

• Specification Management: Product and Packaging specification creation, Supplier coordination and documentation management, Global standards adherence, Workflow administration, Internal stakeholder coordination and approval collection

Functional Responsibilities

• HBS R&D Delivery Strategy

o Lead the execution and evolution of playbooks for Global Specification Management
o Work with R&D Solutions Portfolio Lead to manage best practices for the technology and methodology to execute the playbooks and validate data as needed
o Act as a POC (point of contact) for HBS R&D delivery to in-market R&D teams; Build and foster strong strategic relationships with R&D in-market stakeholders, Global R&D Solutions Portfolio Lead in HBS (LG2), and MBS Spec Lead (LG1)
o Participate in required GBS governance meetings and provide reports on KPIs and SLAs as needed; Ensure all requests are processed, documented, and delivered within defined SLAs
o Monitor MBS resource count and resource utilization in order to meet the pipeline of requirements from R&D sectors and functions across all geographical locations
o Identify and report on areas of significant business impact and improvement opportunities to in-market leads
o Act as liaison between competency leads and in-market leads to bridge the gap between data, business knowledge, and insights generation
o Support communications, idea sharing, and learning between HBS teams and collaborate with other service delivery leads to ensure deadlines and required output quality are met and process efficiency is continuously maximized
o Support simplification, standardization, and digitization efforts

• Process management

o Create and evolve communication processes with Business Partners (e.g., project planning, workflow monitoring, quality checks, on-going changes)
o Partner with Business Partners to develop and finetune internal processes (e.g., work-flow mapping, pain-points, and bottlenecks management)
o Identify potential areas for process improvements to make recommendations to R&D GBS Leadership, in coordination with MBS Spec lead when necessary
o Improve existing processes based on frequent end-user and Business Partner feedback loop
People Responsibilities

• Develop team capabilities, continuous motivation, and increased engagement levels

o Serve as the HBS employee leader for R&D Specifications (e.g., set hub professional development goals and performance criteria)
o Support subordinates and peers through mentoring and coaching to ensure continuous growth in functional skills, capabilities, employee motivation, and retention rates
o Define and monitor performance goals for evaluation of direct subordinates
o Provide timely feedback on team member performance and provide subject matter or market-specific expertise when necessary
o Build meaningful developmental / career paths for subordinates
o Report on best-practices and gold standard work within and across teams and hubs to build consistent levels of excellence within HBS and across HBS and MBS

• Capability development

o Support onboarding for new hires
o Address any gaps in team competencies (e.g., training and development) in combination with developmental plans for existing workforce and potential external talent search
o Support grassroot self-development efforts (e.g., highlight access to training, Lunch & Learn sessions, etc.)
o Enhance internal knowledge and team efficiency through productivity optimization and digitization projects

Qualifications

Key Skills/Experience Required

• Experience working in the CPG industry, with deep understanding of the business performance outputs and causal measures, their relationships, and how to bring business performance insights to life visually
• Bachelors degree required, Engineering, Science or Business Management preferred
• 12+ years of prior work experience in a similar or related field
• Fluent in written and spoken English
• Proven global BPO delivery experience, R&D experience, or scientific research experience in a combination with strong operations skills
• Experience working with stakeholders in North America, Europe, LATAM, APAC, or AMESA markets
• Comprehension and ability to execute on relevant digital technologies impacting business operations
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite
• Strong working knowledge of database management tools (e.g., SAP ERP, Clarity, etc.)
• Ability to manage time effectively across multiple priorities and projects requiring a high degree of organizational and communication skills to ensure requests are delivered in a timely manner
• Exceptional data organizational and problem-solving skills with attention to detail and accuracy
• Strong leadership and motivational skills with a track record of identifying and championing new processes for improving fact-based decision making
• Collaborative skills and strong interest in working with others; Actively creates and participates in opportunities to co-create solutions across markets; will be willing and able to embrace Responsive Ways of Working

Differentiating Competencies Required

Essential:

• Prior experience of working in a global shared services environment (and specification management space)
• Proven supervisory and workstream management skills working with parallel teams or functional leads in different time zones and locations
• Experience building a high performing and highly engaged team, with exceptional stakeholder management skills
• Proven track record of identifying and championing new initiatives to standardize work and drive process optimization through a solution-oriented approach
• Depth and breadth of custom and syndicated research / analytical skills, with a complete understanding of internal & external data sources that supply Market Analysis and Knowledge Management
• Ability to lead and understand differentiated capabilities in parallel while continuously supporting capability leads equitably
• Strong analytical thinking with proven ability to connect data and insight from category consumption, brands drivers, macro & micro trends, and future forces of consumer change and deliver clear outlook scenarios along with implications for the business

Good to have:

• Prior Specs Management team leadership