Manager, Category Management - Excipients & Media

AbbVie; Worcester; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A global biopharmaceutical company seeks a highly skilled individual to lead sourcing initiatives for purchasing strategies with annual expenditures exceeding $50 million. The successful candidate will manage cross-divisional sourcing projects, ensuring clear communication with stakeholders and fostering productive relationships. Applicants should have a Bachelor's degree in a relevant field, at least 6 years of combined sourcing experience, strong analytical skills, and the ability to lead teams to successful outcomes in a dynamic environment. This role offers a hybrid working model based in the Worcester area.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits including medical/dental/vision insurance

401(k) plan

Paid time off including vacation and holidays

Short-term incentive programs

Qualifications

• At least 6 years of combined experience in sourcing and procurement.
• Demonstrated project management capabilities with successful implementations.
• Strong negotiation skills and understanding of supply chain complexities.

Responsibilities

• Lead purchasing strategies with an annual spend of at least $50 million.
• Deliver successful cross-divisional sourcing projects with measurable benefits.
• Cultivate relationships with stakeholders and manage sourcing processes effectively.

Skills

Sourcing Authority

Project Management

Conflict Resolution

Negotiation

Supply Chain Management

Cost Analysis

Strong Communication Skills

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Finance, or related fields

Job description

Company Description

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas – immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Tik Tok.

Purpose

Leads category sourcing initiative teams that encompass local, domestic and/or international purchasing organizations. This position is responsible for establishing, articulating, and implementing sourcing strategies for individual spend categories, capital projects, supplier networks and/or geographic regions. This position may be responsible for obtaining program buy-in from various stakeholder organizations. The incumbent shall create and manage the project plan, identify the resources to support projects, drive projects through a sourcing process and ensure end results meet the requirements of all organizations impacted. This position requires a proactive approach that is relationship oriented, customer focused and team oriented, analytical, creative, dynamic, and demonstrates continuous improvement.

NOTE: This is a hybrid role in the Worcester suburbs (3 days onsite/2 days remote).

Responsibilities

• Conceive, initiate, develop, communicate, and manage the execution of purchasing strategies representing a minimum of $50 million of annual expenditures. Possess and maintain knowledge of spend vertical with ability to develop and manage long range plans for such spend category.
• Delivers successful cross-divisional sourcing projects that yield benefits to the corporation including savings, re-engineered business processes, sustainable long term agreements and risk mitigating supply strategies. Sets aspirational targets for the team; helps the team understand metrics for evaluating performance. Inspires high performance by holding the team accountable for key results; evaluates milestone achievement and addresses issues through appropriate channels.
• Skilled approach to execution of the negotiation process including usage of information, best-of-breed practice and deal closure. Properly converts the negotiated deals to performance based, legally sound contracts that serve as a guide for on‑going supplier management and program sustainability.
• Communicates with management and stakeholder groups affected by the teams sourcing decisions. The use of effective oral and written communication skills to achieve organization objectives and improve productivity is critical. Fosters the exchange of ideas and information as well as establishing productive working relationships and teams.
• Initiates and cultivates open, honest and beneficial relationships with colleagues and stakeholders by establishing rapport, developing an understanding of other’s needs, promotes common goals and follows through on commitments. Adapts information to stakeholder’s needs: delivers communications tailored to the needs of the receiver; uses appropriate language and level of detail for the receiver; provides specific feedback to others; writes clear executive summaries and persuasive proposals.
• Takes initiative to resolve conflicts constructively; diverts tensions away from individuals and toward work issues; probes for root causes of problems, collaborates to find mutually beneficial solutions, proposes action steps and assists in implementation. Maximizes cultural sensitivity to influence positive long‑term change with sustainable benefits for the corporation.
• Uses analytical abilities to gather, analyze and establish spend baselines as a starting point for each sourcing process. In addition, they must possess the analytical abilities to perform analyses of the spend data, market data and the various supplier proposals, in order to yield fact based decisions that address the requisite needs of the key stakeholders for the spend under evaluation.
• Timely execution of an established sourcing process for all projects. This includes all aspects of the process from initial project scope development through implementation. Identify and scope out new potential sourcing projects. Prepare scoping document to include scope and scale of project and key stakeholders.
• Set direction on standards (what may be purchased), identifying points of supply (which suppliers become approved key suppliers), developing, executing, and managing a sourcing strategy and strategic initiatives for all stakeholders to improve Purchasing’s overall and ultimate value. Gain senior level authorization for project activities and resource planning.
• Responsible for compliance with applicable AbbVie policies and procedures.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree: Business, Finance, Economics, Engineering, Chemistry/Biology or like degree. Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM)-desired.
• 6 years of total combined minimum experience required.
• Required experiences: Recognized as Sourcing Authority, Project Management, Conflict Resolution, Seasoned Negotiator, Supply Chain Management, Production Planning, Value Engineering, Cost Analysis, Financial Analysis, Quality Systems and Documentation, Regulatory Issues, Compliance, Contracting Experience, Commercial and Construction Law, Technical Experience. Computer Applications. Supervision of Matrix Organization, Strong Communication/Persuasion, Presentation and Interpersonal Skills.
• Ability to lead teams through the sourcing process and keep members focused on a fact‑based conclusion without defaulting to a compromise position.
• Demonstrates the ability to plan, execute and measure successful project implementations. Displays the capabilities of project management by formulating complex project objectives and breaking them down to actionable tasks. Manages to key milestone dates that are critical to ensure maximum savings impact on an annual basis.

Key Stakeholders

Business Leads, Business Partners, Category Leads, Procurement Leads/Managers, Procurement Strategy & Capabilities Office

Additional Information

• The compensation range described below is the range of possible base pay compensation that the Company believes in good faith it will pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors including geographic location, and we may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future.

• We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick), medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.

• This job is eligible to participate in our short‑term incentive programs.

Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, incentive, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company’s sole and absolute discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole and absolute discretion, consistent with applicable law.

AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives and serving our community. Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled.