Manager Sourcing

Merck Healthcare; Mumbai; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 2,600,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck Healthcare in Bangalore, India, is seeking a Manager, Sourcing to lead end-to-end source-to-contract activities for clinical outsourcing services. You will shape sourcing strategies, develop supplier markets, lead competitive sourcing events, and deliver commercially sound outcomes for the business.

You will work closely with clinical and R&D stakeholders, Legal, Controlling, and other enabling functions to ensure outsourcing decisions are competitive, compliant, risk-aware, and aligned

Qualifications

• At least 7 years of procurement or strategic sourcing experience.
• Experience in clinical outsourcing and familiarity with clinical service-provider landscape.
• Experience working in international environments with global stakeholders and complex governance.
• Strong commercial judgment and negotiation capability.
• Ability to apply data analytics and AI-driven insights to sourcing decisions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills in English.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex, cross-functional sourcing initiatives as the accountable procurement owner.
• Develop supplier markets and lead competitive sourcing events.
• Develop negotiation strategies and lead commercial discussions with suppliers.
• Ensure sourcing activities are governed with clear decision trails and audit-ready documentation.
• Coordinate with external Legal and contract teams during contract review and execution.
• Manage risk and supplier performance to support uninterrupted service delivery.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

Data analytics

Communication skills

Project management

Risk management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Economics, Natural Sciences, or related discipline

Job description

Work Your Magic with us!

Ready to explore, break barriers, and discover more? We know you've got big plans – so do we! Our colleagues across the globe love innovating with science and technology to enrich people's lives with our solutions in Healthcare, Life Science, and Electronics. Together, we dream big and are passionate about caring for our rich mix of people, customers, patients, and planet. That's why we are always looking for curious minds that see themselves imagining the unimaginable with us.

United As One for Patients, our purpose in Healthcare is to help create, improve and prolong lives. We develop medicines, intelligent devices and innovative technologies in therapeutic areas such as Oncology, Neurology and Fertility. Our teams work together across 6 continents with passion and relentless curiosity in order to help patients at every stage of life. Joining our Healthcare team is becoming part of a diverse, inclusive and flexible working culture, presenting great opportunities for personal development and career advancement across the globe.

Job Title: Manager Sourcing

Location: Bangalore, India

Our Procurement Sourcing Team is looking for a Manager, Sourcing to lead end-to-end source-to-contract activities for assigned clinical outsourcing services. In this role, you will shape sourcing strategies, develop supplier markets, lead competitive sourcing events, and deliver commercially sound and sustainable outcomes for the business.

You will work closely with clinical and R&D stakeholders, Legal, Controlling, and other enabling functions to ensure that outsourcing decisions are competitive, compliant, risk-aware, and aligned with business priorities.

Although this role may not include direct people-management responsibility, it requires strong leadership through influence, collaboration, and commercial expertise.

Your Role

Stakeholder and business partnering

• Lead complex, cross-functional sourcing initiatives as the accountable procurement owner.
• Build alignment across diverse stakeholder groups and maintain momentum toward agreed objectives.
• Act as a strategic business partner to clinical and R&D stakeholders, Legal, Controlling, and other enabling functions.
• Influence business decisions through strong commercial judgment, structured analysis, and effective business partnering.
• Challenge requirements and proposed approaches constructively while maintaining positive, solution-oriented relationships.
• Foster effective collaboration across internal functions and external partners.
• Communicate transparently and keep stakeholders informed throughout the sourcing process.
• Prepare and present sourcing strategies, recommendations, and decision proposals to cross-functional stakeholders and leadership.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with external suppliers and contract partners to support timely, compliant service delivery and effective vendor oversight.
• Coordinate with external Legal and contract teams during contract review and execution.
• Engage external experts, where appropriate, to inform decisions and mitigate risk.

Strategic sourcing and category management

• Conduct market research and supplier landscaping to identify capable and competitive service providers.
• Monitor supply-market trends, emerging innovations, and risk signals across the clinical services landscape.
• Contribute to the development and execution of the Clinical Outsourcing Services category strategy, including supplier positioning, market intelligence, preferred-supplier approaches, and value opportunities.
• Develop and implement competitive sourcing and RFP strategies for critical business requirements.
• Translate market, supplier, financial, and business insights into clear recommendations for stakeholders and leadership.
• Drive cost transparency, benchmarking, and value optimization across sourcing initiatives.

Source-to-contract execution

• Lead sourcing initiatives from requirement definition and supplier identification through commercial evaluation, negotiation, contracting, and signature.
• Develop negotiation strategies and lead commercial discussions with suppliers and contract partners.
• Support supplier selection and award decisions through data-driven commercial and strategic analysis.
• Ensure sourcing activities are appropriately governed, documented, and supported by a clear decision trail.
• Maintain audit-ready documentation and ensure compliance with corporate procurement standard operating procedures, group policies, and applicable legal, governmental, and regulatory requirements.

Risk, supplier, and stakeholder management

• Identify, assess, and mitigate sourcing, supplier, financial, operational, contractual, and business-continuity risks.
• Drive mitigation actions that help secure uninterrupted delivery of clinical outsourcing services.
• Monitor supplier performance and support supplier relationship management activities.
• Strengthen collaboration with suppliers and internal stakeholders to enable effective service delivery and long-term value.
• Act as a trusted procurement business partner by engaging stakeholders early, challenging requirements constructively, and promoting disciplined procurement processes.
• Prepare and present sourcing strategies, recommendations, and decision proposals to cross-functional stakeholders and leadership.

Procurement excellence and capability building

• Contribute to process improvements in procurement and clinical outsourcing ways of working.
• Support the development of preferred-supplier strategies, procurement standards, and operational excellence initiatives.
• Coach colleagues and stakeholders on sourcing methodologies, market dynamics, negotiation approaches, and procurement process discipline.
• Manage sourcing projects, milestones, timelines, dependencies, and stakeholder communications to deliver agreed objectives.

Who You Are

• Hold a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Economics, Natural Sciences, or a related discipline.
• At least 7 years of procurement or strategic sourcing experience, including a strong track record in RFx processes and supplier negotiations.
• Experience in clinical outsourcing and familiarity with the clinical service-provider landscape are highly preferred.
• Good understanding of clinical development operations and common service models, including FSO and FSP arrangements.
• Experience working in international environments with global, cross-functional stakeholders and complex governance structures.
• Solid understanding of compliance, quality, contracting, and risk-management requirements in a regulated environment.
• Strong commercial judgment and negotiation capability, with the ability to optimize value beyond price alone.
• Demonstrated ability to apply data analytics and AI-driven insights to sourcing decisions
• Ability to assess financial, operational, contractual, supplier, and business-continuity risks and translate your findings into practical mitigation actions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills in English.
• Strong project and timeline-management skills, excellent organization, and close attention to detail.

What we offer

We are curious minds that come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe that this variety drives excellence and innovation, strengthening our ability to lead in science and technology. We are committed to creating access and opportunities for all to develop and grow at your own pace. Join us in building a culture of inclusion and belonging that impacts millions and empowers everyone to work their magic and champion human progress!