Senior Category Manager Procurement/external manufacturing (Hybrid) West London Company Overview A leading European specialist pharmaceutical company that has been formulating and producing transformative medicines to patients for over a century. Job Overview The Senior Category Manager will be responsible for creating and reviewing purchasing strategies for assigned spend categories, ensuring effective cross-site implementation with cross-functional teams. This role will oversee the entire procurement process, including sourcing, tendering, negotiation, and contracting, while setting and measuring value-driven targets to ensure optimal performance. A key focus will be managing relationships with stakeholders and suppliers, assessing performance, and driving continuous improvement initiatives. Additionally, the Senior Category Manager will review and recommend process improvements, champion innovation, and lead change initiatives, while providing training and coaching to the purchasing team and stakeholders to foster ongoing learning and development. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES (NOT LIMITED TO): • Initiate, encourage and implement new and innovative approaches to problem solving, project delivery and continuous improvement • Facilitate the creation and delivery of the company culture and participate in purchasing process development and team leadership activity • Benchmark current cost levels and KPIs, define purchasing strategies and lead purchasing projects/initiatives to the most effective and successful outcome • Deliver against and improve upon key objectives of cost, service, quality and other targets • Communicate effectively and develop strong relationships with internal stakeholders at all levels • Promote the profile of the purchasing function • Initiate, encourage and implement new and innovative approaches to problem solving, project delivery and continuous improvement • Facilitate the creation and delivery of the company culture and participate in purchasing process development and team leadership activity KEY REQUIREMENTS: • Accomplished, competent and recognised as SME in several GP processes, sub-processes or categories. • A proven track record in delivery of effective category management in a multi-site, tactically driven environment is essential. • There is some European travel (approximately one trip per month). • A second European language is sought after but not a pre-requisite. • Relationships: Identifying and maintaining effective relationships is critical to this role as change must be managed across all markets and all functions in the business.