Assistant Sourcing Manager-Indirect Spend

Avantor; Pune District; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Avantor is seeking a Global Category Expert (Sr Analyst) in Pune, India. The role involves creating competitive environments, advising senior leaders on sourcing strategies, and managing supplier relationships. Candidates should have a Master’s degree or equivalent with 8-12 years of experience in strategic sourcing, preferably in pharma.

This position emphasizes hands-on supplier negotiations, strong analytical skills with tools like Power BI and SAP, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. Join Avantor to leverage your expertise in indirect spend management while fostering sustainable vendor partnerships.

Qualifications

• 8-12 years of experience in indirect spend strategic sourcing, preferably in MNCs or reputed Indian manufacturing companies.
• Prior experience with pharma companies is preferred.
• Six Sigma or Lean training preferred, not mandatory.

Responsibilities

• Handle supplier negotiations, contract management, and stakeholder management.
• Conduct market research for indirect commodities.
• Evaluate supplier performance and identify areas for improvement.

Skills

Negotiation

Data Analytics

Supplier Relationship Management

Power BI

Vendor Management

Education

Master’s degree in Materials Management or Bachelor’s in Science, Commerce, Engineering or Economics

Tools

SAP

QlikView

Tableau

Job description

The Opportunity:

Global Category Expert (Sr Analyst) who create competitive environments and have a strong bias for decision‑making rooted in data and analytics. They influence indirect spend vendor relationships by advising senior leaders on innovative sourcing strategies that create sustainable, long‑term partnerships. They are highly effective communicators, able to articulate the value proposition procurement can bring to their organizations.

The role requires hands‑on experience in supplier negotiations, auctions/advanced negotiation methods, supplier relationship management, data analytics, Power BI, usage of AI/Copilot in sourcing activities (reporting, MS tools, etc.), creating Power BI, SAP, category strategy, knowledge of vendor markets, willingness to start from scratch, and understanding of indirect & economic megatrends.

Major Job Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Sourcing

• Seasoned category buyer who handles supplier negotiations, contract management, supplier mentorship, supplier relationship management, S2C, stakeholder management, risk management and category management.
• Market research for indirect commodities; manage global subcategories individually.
• Basic understanding of SaaS/on‑prem licensing models and existing software landscape and trends.
• Eagerness to learn more about IT trends in the modern corporate environment.
• Responsible for market assessments, pre‑qualification and RFQ processes.
• Issue inquiries (RFQ), evaluate received quotations and negotiate commercial terms; select appropriate suppliers through objective criteria to meet business needs.
• Achieve systematic and sustainable cost reductions through strengthened spend and category management processes.
• Manage and run renegotiations for contract renewals.
• Manage supplier relations, monitor performance, initiate and follow up on supplier development activities and improvements.
• Maintain contract archive system.
• Ensure compliance with company guidelines, purchasing policies and procedures.
• Identify new areas for improvement and cost reduction in cooperation with the global category manager.
• Evaluate supplier core competencies and competitive positioning through industry cost models and benchmarking analysis.
• Manage fundamentals of sourcing and supplier engagement activities including RFx, spend pattern analysis, contract analysis, bid evaluation, auctions, negotiations and supplier consolidation.
• Process requests per requirement, meet and exceed KPIs defined/set parameters.
• Deliver tasks per Service Level requirements specified by Business Unit/Center/Stakeholder.
• Upskill process knowledge over time.
• Work in a team, understand the role in the team and help accomplish team goals and objectives; meet and exceed stakeholder objectives/goals.
• Develop, implement and manage robust market analyses / benchmarking processes; leverage key insights to inform and support category strategy development.

Business Partnering

• Partner with leadership teams to explore and identify cost‑saving opportunities.
• Identify opportunities for centralized sourcing instead of standalone sourcing and avoid maverick spend.
• Establish strong relationships with internal business stakeholders and build a deep understanding of strategic business direction across assigned suppliers and/or spend categories.
• Uphold VWR culture and values at all times.
• Willing to work in any shift and flexible for lateral movement among business functions.
• Work with business and finance colleagues to identify and drive savings and controllership improvements, focusing on total cost of ownership.
• Provide guidance to internal stakeholders on procurement strategies; maintain procurement ethics in accordance with Avantor’s global policies.
• Act as Finance Business Partner for indirect sourcing operations, understand key priorities of the business/function and provide insights with forward‑looking analysis on indirect spend.
• Provide in‑depth analysis of indirect spend analytics at global level by supplier, region, category, and other types using AFO, SAP & QlikView.
• Analyze trends and provide proactive recommendations to leadership by highlighting potential business risks and opportunities.
• Partner with Finance/Operations leadership on ad‑hoc projects/reporting as per ongoing business requirements.
• Assess existing KPI reports, identify gaps, propose changes, and play an active role in implementing proactive mechanisms to measure and drive business results.

Driving Key Processes

• Partner with FP&A and accounting teams to avoid wrong allocation of costs.
• Actively engage in performance review discussions with Finance/Operations leadership and provide suggestions for moving forward.
• Assist finance leadership in driving key business‑specific/global initiatives.
• Map existing processes and implement efficiency improvement measures with new processes where required.

Operational/Functional Excellence

• Work closely with leadership teams to adopt ABS practices for strategic sourcing.
• Collaborate with team members, identify and implement process simplifications and improvements; adopt best/standard practices across teams.
• Prepare process documentation for all deliverables and periodically review existing documentation to ensure updates reflect latest business changes.
• Prepare financial analysis for various “what if” scenarios and sensitivity analysis to evaluate business impact.

Mentoring

• Coach and mentor new team members to help them succeed by knowledge sharing and guidance.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Materials Management or bachelor’s degree in science, commerce, engineering or economics with relevant experience in indirect spend strategic sourcing.
• Minimum 8‑12 years of experience in indirect spend strategic sourcing (S2C), preferably in MNC’s captive finance shared services or in reputed Indian manufacturing companies.
• Prior experience with pharma companies preferred.
• Six Sigma or Lean training preferred, not mandatory.
• Working knowledge of wide‑ranging financial aspects such as FP&A, accounting, integrated supply chain and costing.
• Experience leveraging financial and business systems to monitor activities and aid decision‑making.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Transformation mindset – open to adopting and absorbing change in ways of working, structure and content.
• Comfortable working in a matrix environment with multiple stakeholders.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, analytical skills; demonstrated leadership; ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic, fast‑paced environment.
• Ability to explain business performance with data.
• Computer proficiency with strong ERP knowledge (preferably SAP); MS Office; Tableau; Alteryx; QlikView; HFM.
• Strong affinity with Lean processes and tools.
• Strong interpersonal, communication skills.
• Independent, self‑starter, highly motivated.

EEO Statement

We are an Equal Employment/Affirmative Action employer and VEVRAA Federal Contractor. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/province, or local law.