Director, Global Category Manager Process & Lab Equipment (f/m/d)

Today, Lonza is a global leader in life sciences operating across three continents. While Lonza works in science, there’s no magic formula to how they do it. Their greatest scientific solution is talented people working together, devising ideas that help businesses to help people. In exchange, they let their people own their careers. Their ideas, big and small, genuinely improve the world. And that’s the kind of work Lonza wants to be part of.

The Capex Procurement organization is a critical component for enabling growth and providing a source of competitiveness to Lonza. The Global Category Lead (GCL) Process and Lab Equipment provides global category leadership across Lonza to ensure it delivers measurable value for an annual spend of 300m CHF. The GCL is responsible for the global Category Strategy for the parent category and related sub-categories to demonstrate Lonza’s scale and position in the market. The GCL embeds the Category Strategy through effective management and engagement with business collaborators, major suppliers and project procurement.

Key Accountabilities and Duties

• Identify the current and long-term needs of Lonza’s businesses by cultivating relationships with the relevant collaborators, to ensure Procurement activities effectively support business strategies
• Develop and implement a category strategy for Process & Lab Equipment that matches supply market capabilities with our business needs
• Ensure objectives, actions and priorities are aligned both within Procurement and with Global Engineering and other relevant collaborators
• Work closely with key collaborators to develop cost reduction strategies and implementation plans that meet project / business needs.
• Provide active leadership and change management support that challenges traditional spending behavior, product and service level definition to enable productivity and efficiency improvements beyond traditional sourcing levers
• Lead supplier relationship management (SRM) and supplier development activities to ensure reliable supply and improve the full value of supplier relationships
• Drive supplier performance, compliance and accountability through supplier scorecards and performance metrics
• Act as the primary point of contact above projects in case of issue customer concern
• Handle partner concerns of issues, in conjunction with Contracts and Claims managers
• Develop supply risk management strategies and drive development and implementation of appropriate risk mitigation plans
• Work closely with Project Procurement colleagues to ensure category strategies are translated into project execution plans.
• Plan, lead and complete negotiations of commercial terms and contracting for framework, master and other major supply agreements.

Minimum Required Qualifications/Skills

Education: Candidates should have a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent, and a good technical understanding and knowledge of process and lab equipment.

Preferred areas of study: Business and/or Engineering

Experience: Ten or more years of international work experience in Procurement, with at least 5 years in a global category management role.

Experience in a regulated industry (i.e. pharmaceutical, food) is preferred.

Demonstrated experience developing and implementing sourcing strategies that have yielded measurable business results.

Pertinent Category experience in Capital, Engineering & Construction services with a particular emphasis on Process & Lab Equipment; bio reactors, fermenters, media and buffer prep vessels and skids, process vessels, WFI / Clean Steam Systems

Licenses or Certifications: CIPS or equivalent nice to have

Skills:

• Business sense: able to connect business needs with external capabilities
• Good understanding of Procurement’s role for CAPEX sourcing projects and its contribution beyond pure financial results.
• Strong negotiating and influencing skills
• Team leadership
• Effective interpersonal and communication skills and ability to build business relationships and to work in multifunctional teams
• Change management: able to articulate and sell a vision for the category strategy
• Skilled at crafting commercial agreements/contracts
• Project management.

Qualities & Attitude:

• Personal Leadership - Takes initiative, takes ownership and accountability; self aware; professional maturity; self starter; has integrity; has credibility; managerial courage; ability to influence.
• Builds Links - Builds rapport with others - internally and externally; lateral leadership; develops good working relationships up, down and across; excellent written and verbal communication
• Strategic Capability - Understands the big picture and interdependencies; thinks in terms of possibilities; develops evolutionary strategies which anticipates roadblocks; leads change
• Customer Focus - Understands customer expectations and requirements and incorporates them into sourcing strategies; establishes and maintains effective relationships; excels in customer service
• Executional Excellence - Gets things done first time right, on time; accurate; bias towards action; has a sense of urgency; thoroughness; able to prioritize work

Every day, Lonza’s products and services have a positive impact on millions of people. For Lonza, this is not only a great privilege, but also a great responsibility. How they achieve their business results is just as important as the achievements themselves. At Lonza, they respect and protect their people and their environment. Any success Lonza achieves is no success at all if not achieved ethically.

People come to Lonza for the challenge and creativity of solving complex problems and developing new ideas in life sciences. In return, Lonza offers the satisfaction that comes with improving lives all around the world. The satisfaction that comes with making a meaningful difference.