Head of Procurement, APMA & NOCC-KL

Novartis Corporation (M) Sdn Bhd; Selangor; On-site; MYR 250,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global healthcare company based in Malaysia is seeking a Procurement Manager to develop and implement procurement strategies. The role involves negotiating high-value contracts, managing supplier relationships, and driving cross-functional collaboration. Ideal candidates possess 15–20 years of procurement experience and leadership skills. Fluent English is required.

Qualifications

• 15–20+ years of procurement experience across multiple categories and geographies.
• Proven leadership in category management and strategic sourcing.
• Experience managing global or regional vendor relationships.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the annual purchasing strategy for the APMA region.
• Negotiate high-value contracts ensuring cost efficiency and supply security.
• Drive associate engagement and functional capability development.

Skills

Procurement strategy development

Supplier relationship management

Contract negotiation

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Responsibilities & Qualifications

• Develop and implement the annual purchasing strategy for the APMA region and NOCC - KL, ensuring alignment with global procurement objectives and long-term organizational goals.
• Lead the creation of annual procurement business and help build best-in-class benchmarks to drive performance excellence.
• Identify and execute innovative sourcing strategies, manage key supplier relationships, and collaborate with internal stakeholders to advance procurement initiatives.
• Negotiate high-value contracts ($100M–$750M), ensuring cost efficiency, supply security, and adherence to quality and service standards.
• Oversee the implementation and utilization of procurement systems and tools to streamline processes, track KPIs, and provide accurate performance reporting.
• Serve as a representative of the global procurement function at the local Corporate Centre, contributing to the Site Leadership Team (SLT) and driving cross-functional alignment.
• Sponsor and lead corporate, global, and local initiatives, fostering collaboration across organizational domains and promoting a OneNovartis culture.
• Represent the organization externally at conferences and events while ensuring strategic alignment with SLT members.
• Drive associate engagement, functional capability development, and talent exchange initiatives, supporting change management and people development efforts.
• 15–20+ years of procurement experience across multiple categories and geographies.
• Proven leadership in category management, strategic sourcing, and supplier relationship management.
• Experience leading regional or divisional procurement teams with accountability for spend, compliance, and performance.
• Demonstrated success in transformational initiatives (e.g., digital procurement, automation, operating model redesign).
• Strong cross-functional collaboration experience (e.g., finance, legal, IT, operations).
• Experience managing global or regional vendor relationships and negotiating high-value contracts.

Languages

• Fluent in English (written and spoken).