Associate Director, Category Management, Pharma and Contract Packaging

About the role

The Associate Director leads the implementation of procurement category strategies for Third Party Manufacturing (TPM), developed in partnership with Category Directors and VP-level business stakeholders to deliver reliable, end-to-end sourcing and procurement execution across primary and secondary packaging TPM’s (e.g. bottling, blistering, pouching, vial packaging) and drug product.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Director/VP-level business or functional stakeholders to develop and implement strategic category-specific procurement strategies aligned with business objectives.

• Analyze spend patterns and identify cost optimization opportunities.

• Conduct market research and competitive analysis to monitor and understand industry trends, market dynamics, and emerging technologies to relay insights to Directors and Associate Directors for strategic decision-making.

• Manage strategic value drivers with key category suppliers to secure collaborative partnerships that challenge the status quo to achieve cost savings, revenue growth, innovation, process optimization, risk mitigation, and enhance overall procurement value.

• Drive and monitor sustainability, compliance and risk management initiatives with suppliers. Implement opportunities for process optimization and efficiency gains, leveraging data analytics to develop long-term continuous improvement programs that achieve strategic objectives.

• Assist with the end-to-end procurement process from sourcing strategy to contract negotiation and execution, enabling negotiations with category suppliers and facilitating decisions by conducting required analysis and preparation.

• Ensure effective business partnering with stakeholders by engaging early in strategic planning, aligning procurement strategies with functional priorities connecting procurement insights to business value, and delivering sourcing solutions that balance business needs, risk, cost, quality, and speed.

• Build trusted relationships, provide clear recommendations, and drive cross-functional collaboration to support innovation, operational excellence, and enterprise value.

Qualifications

• Specific and tactical expertise in category management, including market analysis, cost engineering and financial assessment, ensuring strategic and informed procurement decisions.

• Ability to assist in negotiation and bidding, adept in implementing complex projects with a focus on effective change management.

• Strong capacity and experience building and managing collaborative supplier relationships, aligning procurement activities with business needs.

• Innovative problem-solving skills combined with a solution-oriented mindset, enabling creative approaches and influential communication without authority at all organizational levels.

• High cross-functional collaboration abilities and teamwork skills, effectively navigating and coordinating diverse team dynamics.

• Strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence, facilitating empathetic interactions, effective communication, and robust relationship-building across a matrixed organization.

• Impactful executive functioning abilities and autonomous work ethic, maintaining efficient performance in challenging situations and building consensus in decision-making.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Mgmt, Engineering, or related field. Master’s degree is preferred.

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in procurement, supply chain, or related business or operations function.

• Previous experience managing teams in a procurement function and leading supplier relationships.

• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office suite (Power Platform).

• Knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry is preferred.