Director, LCO/Sterile Category Strategy

Teva Pharmaceuticals; Haarlem; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Teva Pharmaceuticals seeks a hands-on Director – Category Manager EXM-Liquid, Creams & Ointments / Sterile (LCO/Sterile) to own assigned LCO/Sterile categories, build practical strategies, and partner with Strategic Sourcing, External Manufacturing, Quality and other stakeholders to deliver value.

Reporting to the Senior Director Procurement – Business Partner & Category Lead, the role focuses on supplier engagement, multi-year cost reduction, and capability development, while driving

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• Typically 10+ years of experience in Procurement, Category Management, Strategic Sourcing, External Manufacturing, or related disciplines.
• Experience managing External Manufacturing (EXM), CMO/CDMO partnerships, or strategic supplier relationships.

Responsibilities

• Own assigned LCO/Sterile categories/product technologies and serve as Teva's category SME.
• Develop category strategies aligned with business priorities, manufacturing needs, and supplier capabilities.
• Define and deliver 3-5 year savings and improvement roadmaps leveraging multiple procurement levers.
• Support demand planning, supplier capacity assessments, and sourcing roadmaps to optimize investment and P&L.
• Maintain category strategies, action plans, and reporting.
• Partner with Strategic Sourcing to execute RFx activities, negotiations, and contracts.
• Ensure sourcing activities deliver value and objectives defined in category strategies.
• Provide category expertise on supplier selection, negotiation approaches, and award decisions.
• Align contract outcomes with category and business goals.
• Define supplier management strategies for key LCO/Sterile suppliers.
• Guide supplier performance management, issue resolution, and continuous improvement programs.
• Maintain market intelligence and identify strategic supplier opportunities, leveraging SRM to develop ongoing value capture opportunities.
• Partner with leaders across External Manufacturing, Technical Operations, and key business functions, understanding business needs and co-developing strategies.
• Communicate category plans, sourcing activities, risks, and trade-offs; influence stakeholders and champion strategies.
• Influence outcomes of Business Development through category and supplier expertise.
• Build trusted relationships and deep business understanding to inform category priorities.
• Drive category value initiatives, including cost optimization, sourcing improvements, and supplier performance.
• Track and communicate category performance, sourcing outcomes, and value delivery.
• Deliver multi-year cost reduction plans and partner with Finance to validate targets.
• Improve reporting transparency and consistency.
• Expert level knowledge of LCO/Sterile markets, supplier capabilities, capacity trends, and regulations.
• Use market and supplier intelligence to shape category strategies and sourcing decisions.
• Strengthen supplier relationships and position Teva as a customer of choice.
• Support adoption of category management tools, templates, and best practices.
• Improve consistency and discipline across category management activities.
• Identify process improvement opportunities across planning, supplier engagement, and execution.
• Coach and inspire team members to strengthen LCO/Sterile category management capabilities.

Skills

Hands-on

Execution-oriented

Organizational skills

Stakeholder communication

Analytical mindset

Ambiguity handling

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Teva Pharmaceuticals seeks a hands-on Director – Category Manager EXM-Liquid, Creams & Ointments / Sterile (LCO/Sterile) to own assigned LCO/Sterile categories, build practical strategies, and partner with Strategic Sourcing, External Manufacturing, Quality and other stakeholders to deliver value.

Reporting to the Senior Director Procurement – Business Partner & Category Lead, the role focuses on supplier engagement, multi-year cost reduction, and capability development, while driving