Category Manager, Professional Services

LEO Pharma; København; On-site; DKK 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

LEO Pharma seeks a Category Manager, Professional Services to lead the global management of the category, shaping strategies and delivering value across consulting, legal, HR, and related services. You will partner with internal stakeholders, manage supplier governance, run end-to-end sourcing, and deliver measurable cost savings in a highly regulated environment.

Join a transformed Global Procurement team and help build a high-performing supplier base, ensuring compliant, sustainable

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business Administration, Economics, Supply Chain, Finance, Law, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of experience in Procurement / Category Management, ideally within Professional Services in a global or regulated environment
• Minimum 5+ years of experience in Indirect Procurement
• Experience operating in a global, matrix organization with regular engagement at senior stakeholder level
• Proven ability to develop category strategies, lead sourcing initiatives, and negotiate complex contracts
• Strong commercial acumen and understanding of supplier management, contract frameworks, and procurement governance
• Experience analysing spend and supplier data to identify opportunities and deliver measurable value
• Excellent stakeholder management, negotiation, and supplier relationship management skills
• Knowledge of Professional Services categories such as consulting, legal, audit, tax, HR services, recruitment, training, compliance, and temporary labour
• Fluent business English, both written and spoken

Responsibilities

• Define and execute global category strategies for Professional Services in line with business priorities and Global Procurement principles
• Manage assigned categories and suppliers, ensuring strong governance, segmentation, and performance tracking
• Analyze spend, supplier data, and market trends to identify value creation opportunities; translate insights into actionable initiatives and track category/supplier KPI performance
• Lead sourcing activities end-to-end, including tenders, RFx processes, supplier evaluation, and negotiations
• Own key commercial aspects of supplier relationships, including pricing, terms, contracts, and total cost of ownership
• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders across Finance, Legal, HR, and other functions — adapting your communication and collaboration style to different stakeholder needs while maintaining procurement standards
• Drive Supplier Relationship Management activities with strategic suppliers, including performance reviews, governance meetings, and dispute resolution; develop and maintain market intelligence on supply dynamics, cost drivers, and risks
• Ensure transparency, compliance, and alignment with procurement policies, legal requirements, and business needs
• Lead cross-functional procurement projects and contribute to best-in-class category management within the team

Skills

Procurement experience

Category management

Indirect procurement

Stakeholder management

Contract negotiation

Global/matrix organization

English fluency

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business Administration, Economics, Supply Chain, Finance, Law, or related discipline

Job description

Location: Ballerup 2750, Denmark, Denmark

Contract type: Permanent

Job ID: 4802

Would you like to play a key role in shaping global category strategies, strengthening stakeholder relationships, and driving high-value procurement initiatives across a broad portfolio of professional services?

Join LEO Pharma as a Category Manager, Professional Services and become part of a proactive and trusted Global Procurement team, committed to delivering competitive costs, innovation, and sustainable value creation. In this role, you will have end-to-end accountability for the global management of the Professional Services category, ensuring strong supplier governance, effective sourcing execution, and procurement strategies aligned with business priorities.

At LEO Pharma, the Professional Services category covers a broad portfolio of consultancy, advisory, and specialist business services, including management consulting, legal, audit and tax, financial advisory, HR and recruitment, training and learning, compliance and risk support, executive search, insurance-related services, temporary labour, and more. You will help ensure a reliable and high-performing supplier base, strengthen spend transparency and risk management, and contribute to smart, compliant procurement solutions. Together, we drive efficiency, mitigate risk, and enable sustainable growth as we continue our exciting transformation toward the future!

You will join Global Procurement

Where you will be accountable for the end-to-end management of the Professional Services category on a global scale. Empowered to pursue procurement opportunities proactively, you will define and execute category strategies that improve total cost of ownership, strengthen supplier performance, and create measurable business value.

As part of our team, you will work closely with talented professionals who are dedicated to making a difference. Our collaborative and supportive environment encourages innovation, growth, and personal development.

You will have the opportunity to learn from experienced colleagues and contribute to the success of our organisation. At LEO Pharma, we believe in the power of teamwork.

Your Role

As Category Manager, Professional Services, you will be responsible for defining, driving, and executing global category strategies in alignment with business priorities and Global Procurement principles. You will act as a trusted business partner to stakeholders across functions and geographies, translating spend and supplier insights into clear actions and sustainable value creation.

This is a hands-on, execution-driven senior individual contributor role that requires strong commercial acumen, strategic thinking, and the ability to influence without formal authority. Success in this role depends not only on technical procurement expertise, but equally on your ability to adapt your working style to different stakeholders, build trust across diverse personalities, and foster genuinely collaborative environments — even when perspectives and priorities differ.

You will engage confidently with suppliers and senior internal stakeholders, lead sourcing and negotiation activities, and ensure procurement excellence in a complex and regulated environment.

In detail, the Category Manager is expected to:

• Define and execute global category strategies for Professional Services in line with business priorities and Global Procurement principles
• Manage assigned categories and suppliers, ensuring strong governance, segmentation, and performance tracking
• Analyze spend, supplier data, and market trends to identify value creation opportunities; translate insights into actionable initiatives and track category/supplier KPI performance
• Lead sourcing activities end-to-end, including tenders, RFx processes, supplier evaluation, and negotiations
• Own key commercial aspects of supplier relationships, including pricing, terms, contracts, and total cost of ownership
• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders across Finance, Legal, HR, and other functions — adapting your communication and collaboration style to different stakeholder needs while maintaining procurement standards
• Drive Supplier Relationship Management activities with strategic suppliers, including performance reviews, governance meetings, and dispute resolution; develop and maintain market intelligence on supply dynamics, cost drivers, and risks
• Ensure transparency, compliance, and alignment with procurement policies, legal requirements, and business needs
• Lead cross-functional procurement projects and contribute to best-in-class category management within the team

Your Qualifications

We imagine that you have the following qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Business Administration, Economics, Supply Chain, Finance, Law, or a related discipline
• 10+ years of experience in Procurement / Category Management, ideally within Professional Services in a global or regulated environment
• Minimum 5+ years of experience in Indirect Procurement
• Experience operating in a global, matrix organization with regular engagement at senior stakeholder level
• Proven ability to develop category strategies, lead sourcing initiatives, and negotiate complex contracts
• Strong commercial acumen and understanding of supplier management, contract frameworks, and procurement governance
• Experience analysing spend and supplier data to identify opportunities and deliver measurable value
• Excellent stakeholder management, negotiation, and supplier relationship management skills
• Knowledge of Professional Services categories such as consulting, legal, audit, tax, HR services, recruitment, training, compliance, and temporary labour
• Fluent business English, both written and spoken

What Will Set You Apart

While not required, the following will strengthen your candidacy:

• High interpersonal adaptability — you naturally adjust your working and communication style to meet others where they are, creating collaborative and trusting environments across diverse teams, cultures, and seniority levels
• Executive-level communication skills and the ability to influence across functions and seniority levels
• Exposure to business transformation, process improvement, or functional excellence initiatives
• International Procurement experience with broad category knowledge and strategic "bigger picture" thinking
• Action-oriented, with a bias for execution, continuous learning, and challenging the status quo

Beyond the skin

Join LEO Pharma, a global leader in medical dermatology, as we go beyond the skin to make a lasting impact. Our innovative approach sets us apart. We are dedicated to leaving a legacy that positively impacts patients, colleagues, and our planet.

At LEO Pharma, we believe in the power of individuals to drive change. Our flat organizational structure empowers you to make a visible impact and offers versatile roles for professional growth. We value diversity and welcome applications from all qualified candidates, recognizing that our different perspectives, backgrounds, and attitudes enable us to make the best decisions. Join our passionate team at LEO Pharma and be yourself as we work together to make a difference.

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