Senior Category Manager- Medical Sciences

Haleon plc.; Greater London; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Haleon plc is seeking a Senior Category Manager- Medical Sciences to drive procurement strategy for consumer safety services, pharmacovigilance, regulatory, and evidence generation. You will partner with Senior Stakeholders in Consumer Safety and OH & OTC Product Category to deliver a consumer-centric procurement vision.

You will lead category strategy, manage key vendors, negotiate contracts, and oversee end-to-end procurement processes across geographies while ensuring regulatory compliance

Qualifications

• Experience managing procurement for R&D categories within consumer health.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and negotiation skills.
• Ability to execute strategic plans across geographies and regions.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and execution of category strategy for Medical Sciences.
• Manage vendor relationships, negotiate contracts and ensure performance.
• Oversee end-to-end procurement processes and strategic RFPs.
• Drive cost productivity while maintaining quality and regulatory compliance.
• Partner with Consumer Safety and OH/OTC to align with business goals.

Skills

Procurement category management

Stakeholder collaboration

Contract negotiation

R&D knowledge

English proficiency

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Science or Business

Experience in R&D in Consumer Healthcare

CIPS qualified

Job description

Welcome to Haleon. We’re a purpose-driven, world-class consumer company putting everyday health in the hands of millions. In just three years since our launch, we’ve grown, evolved and are now entering an exciting new chapter – one filled with bold ambitions and enormous opportunity.

Our trusted portfolio of brands – including Sensodyne®, Panadol®, Advil®, Voltaren®, Theraflu®, Otrivin®, and Centrum® – lead in resilient and growing categories. What sets us apart is our unique blend of deep human understanding and trusted science.

Now it’s time to fully realise the full potential of our business and our people. We do this through our Win as One strategy. It puts our purpose – to deliver better everyday health with humanity – at the heart of everything we do. It unites us, inspires us, and challenges us to be better every day, driven by our agile, performance-focused culture.

This Senior Category Manager- Medical Sciences role will report to the Director, R&D Procurement & Oral Health Innovation and will partner with Senior Stakeholders in the Consumer Safety and across OH & OTC Product Category to drive procurement strategic vision with consumer centric ethos.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the development of category strategy followed by subsequent execution of strategic sourcing initiatives for Medical Sciences (consumer safety services, pharmacovigilance, regulatory, evidence generation) ensuring alignment with business objectives and stakeholders needs. Identify market trends, supply base opportunities, and potential risks to inform category strategies.
• Establish a category excellence centre by leveraging market intelligence, external industry trends, strategic insights and technological advancements to drive innovation.
• Manage relationships & performance of key vendors, including innovation & continuous improvement opportunities. Ensure strong supplier performance, negotiate contracts, and resolve any issues related to performance or compliance.
• Oversee the end-to-end procurement process for Medical Sciences from identifying requirements to selecting suppliers and managing contracts. Lead/Oversee strategic RFP processes, develop negotiation strategies, and ensure best value and quality in sourcing decisions.
• Drive productivity initiatives without compromising quality or timelines. Collaborate with stakeholder teams to identify cost-effective solutions while maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Business partner with Consumer Safety leadership team to understand their needs and ensure timely and efficient delivery of services. Provide guidance and support to stakeholders on sourcing best practices and procurement-related matters.
• Ensure procurement activities comply with relevant regulatory standards & internal policies. Identify and mitigate risks related to supplier performance, regulatory compliance, and supply chain continuity.
• Support delivery of R&D digitalisation/tech roadmap
• Develop a sound understanding of the OH, OTC & VM market drivers, consumer needs, and technology influences that feeds to the MA pipeline
• Collaborate cross-functionally/BU/region with other departments (Finance, legal, Risk & Compliance, etc)

Essential Qualifications and skills

• Experience in managing procurement category of R&D
• Strong collaboration and influencing skills supported by effective communication skills.
• Ability to successfully execute & implement cross-function/region/BU strategic plans with the focus on consumer needs
• Relevant procurement experience (strategic sourcing, strategic relationship management, category management) with strong negotiation experience
• Familiar with Consumer Health Industry
• Understanding of R&D field or experience in managing scientific disciplines
• English proficiency (written and oral), other language will be a plus

Preferred Qualifications and skills

• Bachelor’s or Master's degree in Science, Business
  • Experience in R&D in Consumer Healthcare industry
  • CIPS qualified
• Experience in working across geographies in complex environment

Job Posting End Date

2026-10-08

Equal Opportunities

Haleon are committed to mobilising our purpose in a way that represents the diverse consumers and communities who rely on our brands every day. It guides us in creating an inclusive culture, where different backgrounds and views are valued and respected – all in support of understanding and best serving the needs of our consumers and unleashing the full potential of our people. It’s important to us that Haleon is a place where all our employees feel they truly belong.

During the application process, we may ask you to share some personal information, which is entirely voluntary. This information ensures we meet certain regulatory and reporting obligations and supports the development, refinement, and execution of our inclusion and belonging programmes that are open to all Haleon employees.

The personal information you provide will be kept confidential, used only for legitimate business purposes, and will never be used in making any employment decisions, including hiring decisions.

Adjustment or Accommodations Request

If you require a reasonable adjustment or accommodation or other assistance to apply for a job at Haleon at any stage of the application process, please let your recruiter know by providing them with a description of specific adjustments you are requesting. We’ll provide all reasonable adjustments to support you throughout the recruitment process and treat all information you provide us in confidence.

Note to candidates

The Haleon recruitment team will contact you using a Haleon email account (@haleon.com). If you are not sure whether the email you received is from Haleon, please get in touch.