Senior Strategic Buyer

Senior Strategic Buyer

Location: Houston, Texas

Join Lonza’s global Procurement organization and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of indirect purchasing across multiple sites. In this position, you will help deliver measurable value, ensure business continuity, and influence key sourcing initiatives—driving real impact across our global network.

What you will get:

A competitive compensation. In addition, below you will find a comprehensive summary of the benefits package we offer:

• Performance‑related bonus.

• Medical, dental and vision insurance.

• 401(k) matching plan.

• Life insurance, as well as short‑term and long‑term disability insurance.

• Employee assistance programs.

• Paid time off (PTO).

Compensation for this role will be determined by the candidate’s qualifications, skills, experience and relevant knowledge.

What you will do:

• Collaborate closely with Central Category Managers to support category strategy development, execution, and continuous improvement across assigned sites.

• Drive sourcing initiatives for delegated spend, providing expertise in tendering, negotiation, contracting, and purchasing systems.

• Ensure business continuity by partnering with site leaders and operational stakeholders to meet current and future indirect procurement needs.

• Manage site‑level supplier relationships, performance, and risk assessments, implementing mitigation plans where needed.

• Champion the use of e‑sourcing tools such as online catalogues and e‑auctions to optimize procurement efficiency.

• Contribute to procurement policy and tool rollouts, supporting standardization and best‑practice sharing across regions.

• Support team capability building by onboarding new joiners and sharing expertise in procurement processes and systems.

What we are looking for:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics, Engineering, Procurement, or Supply Chain or equivalent experience; advanced degrees (MBA or similar) are a plus.

• Extensive experience in Strategic Procurement, ideally 10+ years, with a strong background in indirect categories and supplier relationship management.

• Knowledge of operational procurement, category management, tendering, negotiation tactics, contracting, and spend management.

• Hands-on experience with SAP ERP, SAP Ariba, and Microsoft Office tools.

• Strong communication, stakeholder‑engagement, and influencing skills, with the ability to manage complexity and competing priorities.

• Customer‑service mindset with agility, business acumen, and the ability to drive results in a dynamic environment.

• CIPS certification preferred but not required.

About Lonza

At Lonza, our people are our greatest strength. With 30+ sites across five continents, our globally connected teams work together every day to manufacture the medicines of tomorrow. Our core values of Collaboration, Accountability, Excellence, Passion and Integrity reflect who we are and how we work together. Everyone’s ideas, big or small, have the potential to improve millions of lives, and that’s the kind of work we want you to be part of.

Innovation thrives when people from all backgrounds bring their unique perspectives to the table. At Lonza, we offer equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you’re ready to help turn our customers’ breakthrough ideas into viable therapies, we look forward to welcoming you on board.

Ready to shape the future of life sciences? Apply now.