Strategic Category Lead, Pharmaceutical Diagnostics (pre-clinical & clinical)
Job Title: Strategic Category Lead, Pharmaceutical Diagnostics (pre-clinical & clinical)
Job Type: Full-time, permanent position
Location: Amersham, Buckinghamshire, UK (hybrid)
Remuneration: Competitive salary and benefits package
Working for one of the industry’s leading medical technology companies within their pharmaceutical diagnostic division, you will be responsible for supporting the coordination and management of all the procurement and sourcing activities for R&D (pre-clinical and clinical) for all aspects of drug product development and planned clinical trials globally.
This position will require working in partnership with Clinical Research Organisations (CRO) and suppliers, R&D, Program Management, and functional leadership teams to create, develop, and deliver the category strategy for R&D globally for Pharmaceutical Diagnostics.
This position will also be responsible for ensuring we maximize the value obtained from partnerships with suppliers, including supplier identification and selection, request for proposal (RFx), bid defenses, negotiating contracts, supplier performance metrics, and supplier oversight and governance.
Roles and Responsibilities
* As an integral member of the Sourcing and R&D teams, you will be responsible for developing and maintaining a lean and strategic approach to our CRO suppliers for R&D.
* Ensure all activities with external suppliers are awarded and maintained in compliance with Good Clinical Practice, Standard Operating Procedures, and Corporate Policies, Guidelines, and Standards.
* Maintain internal collaboration between R&D, Product Management, Supply Chain & Direct Material Sourcing, Quality, and Regulatory organisations within the Pharmaceutical Diagnostics business.
* Execute the agreed strategic sourcing strategy within the category and sub-categories to develop appropriate contracting frameworks and manage ongoing performance against live agreements.
* Support the onboarding of new suppliers onto the Approved Supplier List for current and future business needs, identifying gaps and suitable suppliers regionally and globally.
* Manage the identification and selection process of clinical suppliers such as CROs, central labs, IVRS, Imaging, ePRO, etc., and support suppliers for R&D efforts such as regulatory and quality.
* Generate Requests for Information (RFI), Request for Quotations (RFQ), and Requests for Proposals (RFP).
* Coordinate bid defenses and proposal review meetings, providing analysis to project teams.
* Manage contract lifecycle, including drafting and managing R&D contracts and change orders, negotiating scope of work, payment terms, and budgets.
* Work with the R&D Operations team, Clinical Project Directors, Portfolio Operations Manager, and Contract Managers or the Legal Team to support requirements and contractual needs.
* Collaborate with Finance on budget/forecasting needs, cash flow, and project budgets.
* In partnership with Quality and Supplier Quality organisations, ensure quality oversight of suppliers.
* Develop and maintain relationships with external partners, ensuring ongoing feedback and issue escalation is performed where needed.
* Measure supplier performance utilizing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Scorecard/Metric activities; communicate feedback to suppliers, encourage adaptation of best practices, and develop continuous process improvements.
* Support supplier governance meetings and operating reviews.
* Develop effective partnerships with suppliers and internal stakeholders.
* Identify current trends in industry practices and develop strategies around these trends, communicating effectively to internal stakeholders.
* Support and contribute to complex functional or company initiatives and special projects as identified by executive management or business need.
Required Qualifications
* Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject, together with 5+ years of related industry experience.
* Previous experience in the pre-clinical and clinical category.
* Experience in category management and sourcing, defining and delivering effective category strategies that achieve significant cost transformations.
* Experience working within a preclinical or CRO environment.
* Experience in pharmaceutical research operations, compliance, clinical study execution, and supplier management.
* Established project management skills with the ability to document, plan, market, and execute projects.
* Strong business acumen and capacity to understand complex industry dynamics (supplier/partner/product relationships).
* Excellent communication skills and ability to interact with all levels of management in the company.
* Project management skills to execute complex projects with multiple stakeholders.
* Fast learner: ability to learn enough about a complex industry and products to interact with highly technical experts and lead discussions and negotiations.
Willing to travel internationally up to 15% of the time.
This is an excellent opportunity to join a leading business going through a period of growth. This position is very senior within the business and seeks a hands-on leader with experience in all aspects of procurement.
To apply for this position, please reach out to lucy.kirkaldy@cpl.com
Please note you must hold the FULL right to work in the locations provided; this role does not provide job sponsorship or relocation.
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