Global Category Lead, Full-Service CRO - Associate Director, Global Procurement R&D

Amgen Inc.; United States; Remote; USD 148,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Amgen is seeking a Global Category Lead, Full-Service CRO, Associate Director, Global Procurement R&D to shape category strategy for outsourced clinical trials. You will partner with R&D, Clinical, Regulatory, and Compliance teams to optimize sourcing, negotiate MSAs and terms, and drive market insights and risk management across a complex global vendor network.

The role emphasizes cross-functional leadership, rigorous governance, and a focus on reducing costs while maintaining quality and

Qualifications

• Doctorate or master’s with required years of procurement experience.
• Bachelor’s degree with multiple years of global sourcing experience.
• High school diploma with extensive procurement experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead global category strategy for Full-Service CRO.
• Negotiate contracts, amendments, and commercial terms with CRO vendors.
• Partner with R&D, Clinical, Regulatory, and Compliance teams for alignment with standards.
• Ensure compliance with FDA, EMA, HIPAA, and GCP in sourcing activities.
• Drive supplier governance and risk management across regions.

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Cross-functional leadership

Analytics

Vendor management

Education

Doctorate degree

Master’s degree

Bachelor’s degree

Associate’s degree

High school diploma

Tools

Ariba

ERP systems

Advanced analytics tools

Contract lifecycle management

Job description

Career Category Finance Job Description Join Amgen’s Mission of Serving Patients At Amgen, if you feel like you’re part of something bigger, it’s because you are. Our shared mission—to serve patients living with serious illnesses—drives all that we do. Since 1980, we’ve helped pioneer the world of biotech in our fight against the world’s toughest diseases. Amgen is advancing a broad and deep pipeline and portfolio of medicines to treat heart disease, obesity and obesity-related conditions, rare diseases, inflammatory conditions and cancer. As a member of the Amgen team, you’ll help make a lasting impact on the lives of patients as we research, manufacture, and deliver innovative medicines to help people live longer, fuller happier lives. Our award‑winning culture is collaborative, innovative, and science based. If you have a passion for challenges and the opportunities that lay within them, you’ll thrive as part of the Amgen team. Join us and transform the lives of patients while transforming your career.

Global Category Lead, Full-Service CRO - Associate Director, Global Procurement R&D

What you will do

Let’s do this. Let’s change the world. We are seeking an individual who thrives in ambiguity, capable of driving category management initiatives with strategic vision and precision. You will serve as the Global Category Manager and lead the global category strategy for Full-Service CRO. This includes developing multi-year category strategies that address business needs while achieving best practice outcomes, building enterprise-wide business partnerships, and activating Procurement resources to drive strategic sourcing results to reduce costs and enable top-line performance. Your responsibilities will include analyzing internal demand (using Business Partner Management processes), external market data, spend & specifications to produce category plans aligned with Business objectives and cost reduction / sourcing initiates. As a Category Manager, you will play a pivotal role in managing the innovation agenda of Procurement. This role will drive supplier performance, manage risk, and deliver sustained value across a complex global professional services landscape. Responsibilities: Lead category management for Full-Service CRO, supporting all phases of fully outsourced clinical trials, including ClinPharm, Ph I-IV, Observational Research, and inherited studies resulting from M&A activity. Partner with R&D, Clinical, Regulatory, and Compliance teams to ensure alignment with FDA, EMA, HIPAA, and GCP standards. Negotiate contracts, amendments, and competitive commercial terms, rates, and discounts with vendors supporting fully outsourced clinical trials, balancing innovation with compliance & risk, while positioning Amgen and stakeholders for success. Partner with Program Leads, Study Teams, and R&D Supplier Governance to enable supplier governance frameworks, drive high-quality delivery and performance, and ensure effective & timely issue resolution. Monitor market trends & intelligence, including the evolving digital health regulations, and integrate compliance, quality, and risk mitigation into sourcing strategies. Provide strategic oversight as the lead for the Full-Service CRO category and sourcing, ensuring alignment between category strategies and Amgen’s evolving business needs. Act as a trusted advisor to ensure that procurement initiatives are aligned with broader organizational objectives. Guide and facilitate collaboration across cross-functional teams and regional stakeholders, ensuring that procurement strategies meet the diverse needs of the organization and are implemented effectively. Ensure that all procurement activities in support of Full-Service CRO are managed in compliance with regulatory, contractual, and operational risk requirements. Partner with Legal, Compliance, Data Privacy, and Cybersecurity teams to maintain oversight of risk mitigation strategies and ensure alignment with best practices. Collaborate with Global Procurement colleagues and relevant stakeholders to oversee the strategic approach to complex negotiations for CRO MSAs, Amendments, including support as necessary for Study-Level Agreements & Purchase Orders, providing guidance and ensuring appropriate processes and frameworks are in place for RFPs, supplier evaluations, and contract development. Maturity to activate procurement resources and facilitate delegation of sourcing activities to drive category priorities while managing expectations with stakeholders and mitigating risk on behalf of Amgen.

What we expect of you

We are all different, yet we all use our unique contributions to serve patients. The strategic procurement leader we seek is a collaborative and influential business partner with these qualifications.

Basic Qualifications:

Doctorate degree and 3 years of Global Strategic Sourcing, Procurement experience OR Master’s degree and 5 years of Global Strategic Sourcing, Procurement experience OR Bachelor’s degree and 7 years of Global Strategic Sourcing, Procurement experience OR Associate’s degree and 12 years of Global Strategic Sourcing, Procurement experience OR High school diploma / GED and 14 years of Global Strategic Sourcing, Procurement experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with procurement platforms such as Ariba, as well as ERP systems and advanced analytics tools to support decision-making and process automation.
• Excellent problem solving and organizational skills
• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to analyze large datasets, identify trends, and derive actionable insights
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and managing complex global projects in a matrixed environment.
• Familiarity with compliance frameworks (21 CFR Part 11, GxP, HIPAA, GDPR).
• Extensive experience with and knowledge of the global vendor landscape in support of all phases of clinical trials, specifically Contract Research Organizations (CRO) and Site Management Organizations (SMO), Academic Medical Centers (AMC), and CRO-adjacent vendors.
• Global Category Mgmt. with proven record of executive business partnering leading change and enterprise activation of sourcing initiatives driven from expert knowledge of marketplace capabilities
• Deep understanding of category management principles, supplier relationship management, and contract lifecycle management.
• Strong financial, legal, and contractual fluency to navigate sales services agreements and deliver business-aligned outcomes.
• A track record of driving innovation in category strategy development, supplier engagement models, and internal stakeholder partnerships.
• Exceptional ability to communicate complex category strategies, influence senior stakeholders, and manage change across functions and regions.
• Capable of leveraging spend analytics and benchmarking to inform category strategies and uncover new value opportunities.
• Understanding of regulatory landscapes with the ability to navigate and manage compliance requirements.
• Ability to partner closely with Legal, Compliance, Cybersecurity, and Regulatory Affairs.
• Strong contractual and regulatory navigation skills for healthcare technology agreements.

What you can expect of us

From our competitive benefits to our collaborative culture, we’ll support your journey every step of the way. The expected annual salary range for this role in the U.S. (excluding Puerto Rico) is posted. Actual salary will vary based on several factors including but not limited to, relevant skills, experience, and qualifications. In addition to the base salary, Amgen offers a Total Rewards Plan, based on eligibility, comprising of health and welfare plans for staff and eligible dependents, financial plans with opportunities to save towards retirement or other goals, work/life balance, and career development opportunities that may include:

• A comprehensive employee benefits package, including a Retirement and Savings Plan with generous company contributions, group medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts
• A discretionary annual bonus program, or for field sales representatives, a sales-based incentive plan
• Stock-based long-term incentives
• Award-winning time-off plans
• Flexible work models where possible.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship for this role is not guaranteed.

Application deadline

Amgen does not have an application deadline for this position; we will continue accepting applications until we receive a sufficient number or select a candidate for the position.

Equal Opportunity

Amgen is an Equal Opportunity employer. We make all employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities, consistent with legal requirements. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Salary Range

Salary Range 147,939.10USD -200,152.90 USD

About Amgen

Amgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and understand the fundamentals of human biology. Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its biologics manufacturing expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people’s lives. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen has grown to be one of the world’s leading independent biotechnology companies, has reached millions of patients around the world and is developing a pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential. For more information, visit www.amgen.com and follow us on www.twitter.com/amgen