Global Vendor Strategy Lead

Jobgether; Norway; On-site; NOK 1,800,000 - 2,400,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements

Professional development opportunities

Exposure to international clients

Collaborative culture

Pharmacovigilance and regulatory field

Meaningful work contributing to public

Job summary

Jobgether in Norway seeks a senior Head of Vendor Management / Associate Director to shape our vendor strategy and procurement governance. You will lead cross-functional teams across Commercial, Quality, Legal and Finance to optimize outsourcing, improve service quality, and drive supplier performance.

You will oversee the full vendor lifecycle, establish scalable onboarding, manage risks, and push continuous improvement to strengthen our vendor network in a growing, international environment.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in vendor management, procurement, or outsourcing in life sciences or regulated industries.
• Proven track record building high-performing vendor networks and governance.
• Strong understanding of pharmacovigilance, regulatory affairs, quality and compliance.
• Experience negotiating complex contracts and leading cross-functional initiatives.
• Ability to lead change, drive continuous improvement, and manage risks.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a centralized vendor management and procurement strategy across business units.
• Build strategic vendor partnerships aligned with objectives, quality, and reliable delivery.
• Influence senior management on outsourcing decisions and supplier selection.
• Serve as the escalation point for vendor disputes and performance concerns.
• Oversee sourcing, qualification, onboarding, governance, and offboarding across the vendor lifecycle.
• Maintain oversight of the supplier network and ensure scalability for future needs.
• Establish scalable qualification and onboarding processes with QA and stakeholders.
• Monitor vendor capacity and align capabilities with forecast requirements.
• Conduct market assessments to identify alternate suppliers and competitive pricing.
• Establish governance frameworks, KPIs, service metrics, and quality standards.
• Ensure contracts, documentation, and qualification records stay compliant and audit-ready.
• Identify and mitigate third-party risks and support business continuity planning.
• Collaborate with Legal, Quality, and Contract Management on agreements and compliance.
• Lead commercial negotiations and pricing strategies for value and cost efficiency.
• Drive cost optimization across third-party expenditure while maintaining service levels.
• Provide financial reporting and assist budgeting, forecasting and control.
• Explore outsourcing, insourcing, vendor consolidation, automation, and tech adoption.
• Lead continuous improvements to vendor management processes and transparency.
• Support vendor management system implementations and process automation.
• Contribute to proposals, pricing submissions, and client discussions as needed.
• Mentor teams to develop capabilities and promote best practices across vendors.
• Build relationships across Commercial, Operations, Quality, Finance, Legal, and Project teams.

Skills

Vendor Management

Procurement

Strategic Sourcing

Outsourcing

Leadership

Stakeholder Management

Risk Management

Cost Optimization

Tools

VMS

ERP systems

CRM systems

Procurement technologies

Job description

Jobgether in Norway seeks a senior Head of Vendor Management / Associate Director to shape our vendor strategy and procurement governance. You will lead cross-functional teams across Commercial, Quality, Legal and Finance to optimize outsourcing, improve service quality, and drive supplier performance.

You will oversee the full vendor lifecycle, establish scalable onboarding, manage risks, and push continuous improvement to strengthen our vendor network in a growing, international environment.