This role is a member of the R&D Procurement team, responsible for developing and executing strategy for an assigned global category. It uses market, supplier, and spend insights to shape sourcing and demand, manage supplier relationships and category contracts, and deliver measurable value while balancing business performance, quality, risk, and sustainability. Working closely with cross-functional stakeholders, the role turns category priorities into practical initiatives and results.
How you will contribute:
•Develop and execute category strategies that maximize enterprise value from external spend while balancing financial performance, innovation, risk, sustainability, and business outcomes
•Act as a strategic business partner, influencing how external spend is deployed to support organizational priorities, growth objectives, and operational excellence
•Leverage market intelligence, supplier insights, digital capabilities, and data-driven decision making to identify opportunities and accelerate value creation
•Lead cross-functional collaboration to translate category strategies into measurable business results, ensuring effective stakeholder alignment and execution
Accountabilities:
•Develop, implement, and continuously evolve category strategies aligned with enterprise priorities, business objectives, and long-term value creation goals
•Leverage market intelligence, spend analytics, supplier insights, and emerging technologies to identify opportunities, shape demand, and inform category decision-making
•Own the category pipeline and deliver measurable outcomes across cost optimization, supplier innovation, risk management, sustainability, and business performance
•Partner with stakeholders to influence requirements, specifications, service models, and sourcing decisions that maximize enterprise value
•Lead cross-functional collaboration to translate category strategies into executable initiatives and measurable business results
•Lead and manage cross-functional category initiatives and projects, ensuring delivery of measurable business results against defined objectives and timelines
•Design and manage supplier ecosystems that balance competitiveness, innovation, resilience, performance, and long-term business needs
•Establish and oversee supplier governance, segmentation, and relationship management strategies to drive performance, value realization, and continuous improvement
•Accountable for delivering the category's value-delivery targets and KPIs, spanning the enterprise value framework of P&L impact, P&L protection, and cash improvement, plus value beyond savings (risk, business performance, innovation, sustainability).
•Build and maintain a high-performing supplier ecosystem that balances innovation, competitiveness, resilience, and long-term business needs, while including Quality and Sustainability requirements.
•Drive end-to-end Master Service Agreement (MSA) contract management for the category, establishing the commercial frameworks (pricing, catalogue terms, discounts) that downstream Service Agreements, SOWs, and purchase orders draw against.
•Accountable for end-to-end management of all categories spend, including active tail-spend management (analysis, classification, and control/buying approaches) and mapping categories to compliant, preferred buying channels to maximize coverage, adoption, and value capture.
•Integrate risk management, business continuity, responsible sourcing, and sustainability considerations into category and supplier strategies
•Ensure compliance with procurement policies, contractual obligations, regulatory requirements, and enterprise governance standards
•Mentor cross procurement team members, sharing best practices, and fostering continuous improvement
•Ability to foster strong collaboration and influence across key stakeholder groups, including Business Functions, Global Finance, Value Delivery Team, Takeda Business Solutions, Legal, Procurement, and other cross-functional teams to deliver sourcing strategies and business outcomes
Education, Behaviors, Competencies, Skills:
Education:
•Bachelors degree in supply chain or other relevant category related field
•MBA preferred
Behavioral:
As members of Global Procurement, you are expected to demonstrate ways of working that support our strategic ambition and shape how we create value for Takeda. You will contribute to a procurement function that:
•Shapes strategy upstream through close business partnership
•Deliver total enterprise value beyond savings
•Takes ownership of spend and outcomes end to end
•Uses curiosity, insights, and data to drive better decisions
These principles define how we partner with the business, our suppliers, and each other. Role-specific examples of these behaviors are embedded throughout the objectives, accountability, and skills outlined in this job description.
Competencies and skills:
•10 + years of experience in category management, strategic sourcing, procurement, or related commercial functions within complex global and matrixed organizations
•Proven experience developing and executing category strategies that deliver sustainable enterprise value and support business objectives
•Strong commercial and financial acumen, including expertise in sourcing, negotiations, supplier economics, total cost of ownership (TCO), contracting, and value management
•Subject-matter expertise in Regulatory and Pharmacovigilance or similar categories in healthcare, biotech or pharmaceutical industry, particularly with the management of CRO supplier commercial partnerships
•Track record of delivering measurable outcomes across cost optimization, productivity, innovation, business performance, risk management, and sustainability objectives
•Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to engage, challenge, and align senior leaders across functions, business units, and geographies
•Experience leveraging market intelligence, spend analytics, and data-driven insights to inform strategic decisions and identify value creation opportunities
•Strong supplier relationship management capabilities, including supplier segmentation, governance, performance management, and innovation partnership development
•Knowledge of risk management, business continuity, regulatory requirements, and sustainable procurement practices, with the ability to integrate these considerations into category strategies
•Experience utilizing digital procurement technologies, advanced analytics, automation, and AI-enabled solutions to enhance decision-making and business outcomes
•Excellent leadership, communication, negotiation, and cross-functional collaboration skills, with the ability to influence outcomes and drive change in a dynamic environment
•Fluent written and spoken English
