Procurement Category Management

Opella Healthcare; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Opella Healthcare seeks a strategic, commercially oriented Procurement Category Manager to lead the External Manufacturing category across Southeast Asia. You will build supplier strategies, support innovation programs, and manage multi-country supplier networks to drive growth in a dynamic market.

Ideal candidates bring 10+ years of strategic procurement, regional SEA/APAC experience, and strong negotiation skills, with proficiency in SAP/Ariba and English, plus advantageous language skills.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of strategic procurement experience.
• Bachelor’s degree; MBA is an advantage.
• Regional SEA/APAC experience across multiple markets.
• Proven success in strategic sourcing, supplier negotiations and cost savings.
• Experience supporting innovation projects, new product launches, supplier scouting and development.
• Strong stakeholder management and ability to influence senior stakeholders.
• Familiarity with SAP, Ariba or equivalent platforms.
• Fluency in English; additional languages advantageous.
• Experience in sustainability initiatives and supplier governance.

Responsibilities

• Build understanding of Opella’s business, brands, and growth strategy.
• Support high volume of innovation and product launch activities.
• Develop and optimize supplier strategies, identifying existing and new suppliers to support growth.
• Manage complexity of multiple SEA markets, regulations, and stakeholder groups.

Job description

We are seeking a strategic and commercially driven Procurement Category Manager to lead the External Manufacturing Procurement category across Southeast Asia.

Our Requirements

Minimum 10 years of strategic procurement experience within Consumer Health, Pharma, FMCG, or related industries. Bachelor’s degree in business, Engineering, Science, Supply Chain, or related discipline; MBA is an advantage. Proven regional procurement/category management experience across Southeast Asia, APAC, or multiple international markets. Strong expertise in External Manufacturing, CDMO/CMO management, or other direct procurement categories. Demonstrated success in strategic sourcing, supplier negotiations, and delivering measurable cost savings. Experience supporting innovation projects, new product launches, supplier scouting and development initiatives. Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence and negotiate across senior internal and external stakeholders. Familiarity with procurement systems such as SAP, Ariba, or equivalent platforms. Fluent in English; additional languages such as French, Bahasa Indonesia/Malay, Thai, Vietnamese, or Filipino are advantageous. Experience in sustainability initiatives, supplier governance, and agile supplier partnerships is a plus.

Key Objectives (First 6-12 Months)

• Build understanding of Opella’s business, brands, and growth strategy.
• Support the high volume of innovation and product launch activities.
• Develop and optimize supplier strategies, identifying both existing and new suppliers to support business growth.
• Manage the complexity of multiple SEA markets, regulations, and stakeholder groups.

Must-Haves

• Strong procurement background with proven category management experience.
• Ability to operate independently with minimal supervision.
• Strategic procurement experience rather than operational/buyer-level work.
• Strong negotiation and influencing skills, both internally and externally.
• Regional procurement exposure covering multiple countries (minimum 3+ markets preferred).

Stakeholder Environment

• M&S (Manufacturing & Supply)
• Brand & Innovation (B&I)
• R&D teams
• Project Managers
• Development Centers
• External suppliers across Southeast Asia
• Procurement

Candidates should demonstrate a track record of delivering approximately 4% annual savings against managed spend. Savings performance should ideally offset inflation and improve margins. Experience managing complex regional supplier networks is highly valued.

Opella is the self-care challenger with the purest and third-largest portfolio in the Over-The-Counter (OTC) & Vitamins, Minerals & Supplements (VMS) market globally. Our mission is to bring health in people’s hands by making self‑care as simple as it should be. For half a billion consumers worldwide – and counting. At the core of this mission is our 100 loved brands, our 11,000‑strong global team, our 13 best‑in‑class manufacturing sites and 4 specialized science and innovation development centers. Headquartered in France, Opella is the proud maker of many of the world’s most loved brands, including Allegra, Buscopan, Doliprane, Dulcolax, Enterogermina, Essentiale and Mucosolvan. B Corp certified in multiple markets, we are active players in the journey towards healthier people and planet. Find out more about our mission at www.opella.com.