Senior Category Manager, Generic Pharmacy Purchasing

Walgreens; Deerfield (IL); On-site; USD 136,000 - 231,000; Full time

Job summary

Walgreens is seeking a senior procurement leader to optimize purchasing across multiple channels, drive favorable pricing for pharmaceuticals, and manage revenue and P&L for complex categories. The role emphasizes insight-led decisions, assortment optimization, and supplier partnerships.

You will guide cross-functional teams, coordinate with category managers, and ensure uninterrupted supply while achieving financial targets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 6+ years in FDA drug products purchasing/contracting, or HS/GED with 9 years in related work.
• At least 4 years’ experience with cross-functional teams and/or managing staff.
• Experience with P&L concepts, revenue, COGS, gross margin, OPEX, and income.
• At least 4 years’ experience managing vendor relationships, contracts, rebates, and negotiations.
• Experience conducting analyses of market potential, pricing, and promotions.
• Intermediate Excel skills (formulas, charts, formatting).
• Intermediate PowerPoint skills (themes, charts, transitions).
• Intermediate Word skills (headers, tables, formatting).
• Experience interacting with senior executives.
• At least 2 years contributing to financial decisions.
• At least 3 years of direct or indirect leadership.
• Willing to travel up to 25% (within state and out of state).
• Preferred: MBA or Pharmacy degree; RpH licensure.

Responsibilities

• Drives the strategic purchasing process within the division, including innovative strategies and program implementation.
• Oversees and implements budgets, long-range objectives and cross-functional opportunities.
• Negotiates vendor agreements and builds collaborative business plans with major suppliers.
• Analyzes market research and IMS data to guide category direction and growth.
• Translates consumer insights into innovative assortment and merchandising decisions.
• Develops procedures to ensure quality pharmaceuticals are available to consumers.
• Ensures inventory levels are maintained and supply chain interruptions minimized.
• Oversees contract negotiations and vendor performance reviews; maintains vendor relationships.

Skills

Strategic purchasing

Vendor management

P&L management

Cross-functional leadership

Contract negotiations

Financial analysis

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Word

Data-driven decisions

Education

Bachelor’s degree

High School/GED

MBA

Pharmacy degree

RpH licensure

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Word

Job description

Job Summary

Responsible managing the implementation and developing tactics to ensure that Walgreens has access to and favorable pricing of pharmaceuticals, while concurrently ensuring a continuous and uninterrupted supply, for sales through multiple channels. Responsible for managing revenue and overall profits and losses (P&L) for most complex and/or multiple groups of categories. Manages ongoing business through insight-led decision- making, assortment optimization, category marketing, continuous improvement projects and vendor management.

Job Summary

Responsible managing the implementation and developing tactics to ensure that Walgreens has access to and favorable pricing of pharmaceuticals, while concurrently ensuring a continuous and uninterrupted supply, for sales through multiple channels. Responsible for managing revenue and overall profits and losses (P&L) for most complex and/or multiple groups of categories. Manages ongoing business through insight-led decision- making, assortment optimization, category marketing, continuous improvement projects and vendor management.

Job Responsibilities

• Drives the strategic purchasing process within the division. Along with recommending innovative purchasing strategies, distribution methods, packaging concepts for products, and the implementation of off invoice, rebates and service fee programs.
• Oversees and implements business plans and budgets, including long-range objectives, performance goals and metrics. Champions and leads cross-functional opportunities.
• Oversees the development of collaborative business plans with strategic, emerging, and global vendors and negotiates innovative purchasing strategies and programs. Ensures all merchandise meets established standards, and consumer and customer complaints, requests, and questions are resolved within guidelines.
• Oversees and ensures proper analysis and application of internal and external market research information, including IMS data to determine Company direction in designated categories, reasons for share increases/decreases, and plans to grow designated categories.
• Manages the translation of marketing and consumer insights into innovative assortment merchandising decisions to drive return on most complex categories.
• Leads the development of procedures to ensure quality pharmaceuticals are available to consumers, subject to
• FDA approval, and works with the Category Managers and inventory teams to ensure they are distributed and maintained at sufficient inventory levels.
• Assures the appropriate use of Corporate capital; verifies item exit strategies are in place.
• Oversees vendor contract negotiation, monitors performance; conducts regular meetings and implements improvement strategies. Works to develop and maintain positive vendor relationships.
• Endeavors to have a good supply chain from vendors to minimize supply chain interruptions.

About Walgreens

Founded in 1901, Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) proudly serves nearly 9 million customers and patients each day across its approximately 8,500 stores throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Walgreens has approximately 220,000 team members, including nearly 90,000 healthcare service providers, and is committed to being the first choice for pharmacy, retail and health services, building trusted relationships that create healthier futures for customers, patients, team members and communities.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and at least 6 years’ experience related to in dispensing, handling, researching, producing, purchasing, and/or contracting of FDA approved drug products OR High School/GED and at least 9 years of experience in dispensing, handling, researching, producing, purchasing, and/or contracting of FDA approved drug products
• At least 4 years’ of experience working collaboratively with cross-functional teams and/or managing staff, to include creating developmental plans.
• Experience working with P&L concepts, such as revenue, COGS, gross profit margin, operating expenses, and income.
• At least 4 years’ of experience managing vendor relationships, contract negotiations, rebates, terms and conditions, and/or rebates, to include identifying problems and recommending solutions.
• Experience conducting and guiding analyses of market potential evaluation, pricing, and promotions.
• Intermediate level skill in Microsoft Excel (for example: using SUM function, setting borders, setting column width, inserting charts, using text wrap, sorting, setting headers and footers and/or print scaling).
• Intermediate level skill in Microsoft PowerPoint (for example: applying a theme, formatting character spacing, inserting a picture, changing slide layout and theme colors, adding transitions, customizing slide numbers, changing chart style and/or formatting font).
• Intermediate level skill in Microsoft Word (For example: inserting headers, page breaks, page numbers and tables and/or adjusting table columns).
• Experience interacting with internal and external senior level executives.
• At least 2 years of experience contributing to financial decisions in the workplace.
• At least 3 years of direct leadership, indirect leadership and/or cross-functional team leadership.
• Willing to travel up to 25% of the time for business purposes (within state and out of state)

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in pharmacy or MBA
• Licensure as an RpH from the recognized state licensing authority
• Advanced level skill in Microsoft Suite.

We will consider employment of qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

The Salary below is being provided to promote pay transparency and equal employment opportunities at Walgreens. The actual hourly salary within this range that you will be offered will depend on a variety of factors including geography, skills and abilities, education, experience and other relevant factors. This role will remain open until filled.

Salary Range:

$136000 - $231300 / Salaried