Category Leader

Position Overview
As Category Leader - Commercial & Market Services, you are responsible for leading and executing sourcing activities across Commercial & Market Services categories, including communication and creative agencies, media buying, digital and omnichannel campaigns, market research, sales and promotional services, sales force effectiveness tools, incentives, and POS materials.
Operating in a highly competitive, cost-sensitive, and regulated generics pharmaceutical environment, the role is critical to enabling commercial performance while ensuring cost efficiency, compliance, transparency, supplier performance, and business continuity across commercial and marketing services.
You act as a key procurement partner to Global and Local Marketing, Commercial Excellence, Sales, Market Access, Portfolio, Finance, Legal, and Compliance teams. You independently drive sourcing initiatives, supplier interactions, and contract negotiations within your scope, while supporting category strategy development and working under the direction of the Category Manager for broader strategic initiatives, preferred supplier models, and long-term category priorities.
Key Responsibilities
Category Strategy & Value Creation

• Actively support the development, updates, and periodic review of the Global Commercial & Market Services category strategy, working closely with the Category Manager and procurement leadership.
• Contribute to the execution of category strategies across: Communication and creative agencies, Media buying, digital media, and omnichannel campaigns, Market research, Promotional services, incentives, and POS materials.
• Proactively gather and consolidate business requirements, campaign needs, launch plans, market research requirements, sales support needs, supplier feedback, and demand forecasts to ensure sourcing activities are aligned with commercial priorities.
• Support the translation of commercial and marketing strategies into actionable sourcing plans aligned with the business needs.
• Contribute to value creation initiatives beyond savings, including supplier consolidation, agency model optimization, rate card standardization, improved briefing processes, better demand management, access to innovation, digital marketing efficiency, AI-enabled insights, and automation opportunities.
  

• Execute category plans and lead sourcing activities for assigned sub-categories, including RFIs, RFQs, RFPs, supplier evaluations, commercial assessments, procurement recommendations, and contract implementation, in line with the strategy defined by the Category Manager.
• Conduct commercial evaluations, including pricing analysis, benchmarking, total cost of ownership, rate card analysis, agency fee structures, media fee models, and performance-based remuneration mechanisms.
• Ensure structured and competitive supplier selection processes for creative agencies, media agencies, market research providers, sales support suppliers, promotional services providers, and digital partners.
• Lead contract negotiations covering commercial terms, scope of work, service levels, rate cards, intellectual property, data confidentiality, data privacy, compliance obligations, performance commitments, and contractual risk mitigation. Support the implementation of preferred supplier models, framework agreements, local and global playbooks, and standardized commercial terms.
• Act as a key procurement contact for stakeholders, translating business and commercial needs into sourcing actions and procurement recommendations.
• Support supplier onboarding and qualification activities, ensuring required legal, compliance, insurance, data privacy, ESG, and contractual documentation is in place.
• Ensure contracts align with agreed commercial terms, internal procurement policies, pharmaceutical compliance requirements, and audit expectations.
  

• Manage supplier interactions and negotiations within defined scope, focusing on pricing, service quality, responsiveness, innovation, compliance, and value creation.
• Manage operational and strategic supplier relationships across Commercial & Market Services categories, together with the Category Manager where relevant. Support the implementation and continuous improvement of the SRM framework defined by the Category Manager, including supplier segmentation, governance routines, performance reviews, and continuous improvement plans.
• Monitor supplier performance through KPIs, scorecards, service reviews, and business feedback, covering areas such as: service quality, delivery timelines, campaign responsiveness, cost competitiveness, compliance adherence, innovation contribution, stakeholder satisfaction.
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