Category Lead

Novo Nordisk; Taastrup; On-site; DKK 743,000 - 1,092,000; Full time

Job summary

With 10+ years in strategic sourcing and a Master’s/MBA, you’ll influence decisions, lead cross‑functional projects, and coach others while delivering measurable impact. Salary range and deadline apply; join us to advance global health.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of experience in strategic sourcing within a large international company; SME recognized
• Master's degree or MBA in management, business, or engineering is preferred
• Excellent ability to navigate complex organizations and build trust with stakeholders
• Strong commercial mindset with ability to challenge approaches with analysis
• Experience coaching colleagues and developing team capabilities
• Ability to influence decisions through solid analyses and clear recommendations
• Project management expertise and strong execution skills

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end category management including strategy development, market analysis, supplier negotiations, and contract finalization
• Build and maintain strategic supplier relationships while managing risk and identifying opportunities across your category
• Drive commercial edge and cost savings through market intelligence and supply chain optimization
• Oversee category cluster activities, coach team members, and remove roadblocks to enable progress
• Develop market insights and strategic analysis on suppliers, spend patterns, and category trends
• Negotiate prices and contracts within targets, ensuring compliance with corporate guidelines
• Lead cross-functional projects independently across the organization for optimal outcomes

Skills

Strategic sourcing leadership

Category management

Supplier negotiations

Contract finalization

Market analysis

Spend analysis

Risk management

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Business case development

Education

Master's degree or MBA in management, business, or engineering (preferred)

Job description

Shape the future of strategic sourcing at scale. Lead critical supplier relationships and category strategies that directly impact our ability to deliver life‑saving medicines to millions of patients worldwide.

Your new role

As Category Lead in Drug Product Outsourcing, you'll be at the forefront of strategic sourcing and procurement, driving commercial excellence across complex supplier landscapes. This is a role where your decisions have real business impact – from negotiating multi-million agreements to building long-term partnerships that secure our supply chain.

Your Responsibilities Will Include

• Leading end-to-end category management including strategy development, market analysis, supplier negotiations, and contract finalization
• Building and maintaining strategic supplier relationships while managing risk assessment and opportunity identification across your category
• Driving commercial edge and customer-oriented behavior, utilizing market intelligence and tools to deliver significant cost savings and supply chain optimization
• Overseeing category cluster activities, coaching and mentoring team members to build capabilities and remove roadblocks
• Developing market insights and preparing strategic analysis on suppliers, spend patterns, and category trends to inform decision-making at all organizational levels
• Negotiating prices and contracts with suppliers within agreed targets, ensuring compliance with Novo Nordisk's corporate guidelines and global signing rules
• Leading cross-functional projects independently, mobilizing specialized competences across the organization to achieve optimal outcomes

Your new department

In CMC & Product Supply, we cover the full value chain from drug and device development to marketed Novo Nordisk products. We are more than 30,000 colleagues across the globe with the shared responsibility of scaling molecules, processes, devices, and products, dedicated to supplying life‑saving medicines to the patients who need them most.

Within Drug Product Outsourcing, you'll join a team dedicated to securing supply availability across key sourcing categories. We act as the critical link between internal stakeholders and external suppliers, ensuring the right balance between organizational needs and optimal supply solutions. Your role will be pivotal in driving cross-functional projects that directly impact our ability to serve patients globally.

Your Skills & Qualifications

To succeed in this strategic role, you'll need to strike the right balance between commercial acumen and relationship building. We're looking for someone who brings:

• Minimum 10 years of experience in strategic sourcing with a proven track record, preferably within a large international company; recognized as a subject matter expert within sourcing competences
• Master's degree or MBA in management, business, or engineering (preferred)
• Exceptional ability to navigate complex and dynamic organizations, building relationships and trust while securing commitment from internal and external stakeholders
• Strong commercial mindset with the confidence to be a constructive sparring partner on key sourcing issues and challenge approaches based on solid analysis
• Proven capability to train and coach colleagues with less experience, actively supporting their development and knowledge sharing
• Ability to impact decision‑making at all levels of the organization through clear recommendations based on solid analyses
• Project management expertise including the ability to plan, drive problem‑solving, and prepare compelling business cases
• Personal drive and strong execution skills combined with analytical thinking and business understanding
• Excellent communication skills in both oral and written English, including professional presentation capabilities (content and presentation)
• Ability to work independently with minimal guidance while knowing when to seek advice on complex issues, and collaborative skills to work effectively across project teams
• Demonstrated ability to frequently set directions and deliver results that have significant savings and business impact

Working at Novo Nordisk

Every day we seek the solutions that defeat serious chronic diseases. To do this, we approach our work with determination, constant curiosity and a commitment to finding better ways forward. For over 100 years, this dedication has driven us to build a company focused on lasting change for long‑term health. One where diverse thinking, shared purpose and mutual respect come together to create extraordinary results. Here, you'll find a culture that values your expertise and perspective, offers opportunities to grow as we transform, and empowers you to drive innovation in everything you do. When you join us, you're not just starting a job – you're becoming part of a story that spans generations.

What We Offer

There is, of course, more on offer here than the uniqueness of our culture and the extraordinary results we produce. Being part of a global healthcare company means opportunities to learn and develop are all around us, while our benefits are designed with your career and life stage in mind.

Salary:

For this role, the Annual Base Salary ranges from 742,600 DKK to 1,091,600 DKK (DK), corresponding to the level of the position.

The placement within the salary range will be assessed during the recruitment process based on the candidate’s skills, competencies, knowledge, and relevant experience.

Incentives and Benefits:

The salary package may include short‑term and/or long‑term incentives as well as other employee benefits based on position level, location, functional area and relevant market benchmarks.

Learn more about our Reward Philosophy here.

Deadline

Application deadline: 25 October 2026

Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis.

We commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants.

Novo Nordisk is not your typical healthcare company. In a modern world of quick fixes, we focus on solutions to defeat serious chronic diseases and promote long‑term health. Our unordinary mindset is at the heart of everything we do. We seek out new ideas and put people first as we push the boundaries of science, make healthcare more accessible, and treat, prevent, and even cure diseases that affect millions of lives. Because it takes an unordinary approach to drive real, lasting change in health.