Associate Director, Global Medical Procurement Business Partner

AstraZeneca • Gaithersburg, MD

20d • Hybrid

About The Position

At AstraZeneca, we put patients first and strive to meet their unmet needs worldwide. Working here means being entrepreneurial, thinking big and working together to make the impossible a reality. If you are swift to action, confident to lead, willing to collaborate, and curious about what science can do, then you’re our kind of person.
Recognizing the importance of individualized flexibility, our ways of working allow employees to balance personal and work commitments while ensuring we continue to create a strong culture of collaboration and teamwork by engaging face-to-face in our offices 3 days a week. Our head office is purposely designed with collaboration in mind, providing space where teams can come together to strategize, brainstorm and connect on key projects.
Our dedication to sustainability is also central to our culture and part of what makes AstraZeneca a great place to work. We know the health of people, the planet and our business are interconnected which is why we’re taking ambitious action to tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time, from climate change to access to healthcare and disease prevention.
Introduction to Role:
The Procurement Business Partner plays a critical role in elevating Procurement’s reputation as a trusted advisor and strategic enabler to the Medical customer community. Acting as the bridge between Procurement and internal partners, this role drives early engagement, ensures Procurement priorities are aligned to business objectives, and delivers measurable value understanding of business requirements, enabling better business decisions through data, and creating a streamlined, positive engagement experience for the Business. The role requires business knowledge across the Medical partner landscape understanding the different team requirements and needs.
The Procurement Business Partner brings Business insights, commercial competence, and procurement expertise to help shape relevant category strategies, influence decision-making and unlock opportunities that go beyond cost. As a single point of contact, influencer, and problem solver, the Business Partner helps team members navigate the Procurement process with clarity, unlocking time and enabling better business outcomes.

Requirements

• Minimum Bachelor's Education
• Minimum 4 Years of experience
• Proven track record in Procurement or Commercial roles, ideally within a large, complex, or matrixed organization.
• Strong partner management and influencing skills, with the ability to challenge constructively and gain consensus.
• Ability to translate sophisticated data, category insights, and procurement outcomes into clear, actionable recommendations for business teams.
• Outstanding communication skills - able to adapt style and messaging for many types of audiences.
• Collaborative approach with the ability to connect relevant team members together to drive value.
• Experience working on cross-functional projects where strategic alignment and team member engagement were critical to success.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with Medical Procurement categories.
• Understanding of the Medical landscape within the business
• Familiarity with procurement tools (e.g., Coupa, Scout, Decideware) and analytics platforms.
• Exposure to global procurement operating models and category management approaches.
• Organisational change experience, particularly in driving adoption of new processes or tools.

Responsibilities

• Business Partnering: Develop strong, trusted relationships with senior business partners, ensuring Procurement is forging and maintaining business intimacy.
• Single Point of Contact: Act as the principle point of contact for the Business ensuring a simple and efficient customer experience.
• Strategic Alignment: Translate business priorities into Procurement strategies that deliver tangible value and support business objectives.
• Demand Shaping: Influence and challenge demand where appropriate, guiding stakeholders toward strategic buying channels and optimizing sourcing when appropriate.
• Collaboration: Partner closely with Category Strategists, Category Managers, Finance and The Business to ensure seamless adoption of Procurement initiatives.
• Project Management: Partners with the business and category teams to deliver key projects into relevant Medical Teams
• Stakeholder Experience: Act as the voice of the customer within Procurement, ensuring their needs are understood while balancing global standards and category strategy priorities.
• Performance Enablement: Track and communicate Procurement’s contribution to business outcomes, demonstrating value beyond cost to build confidence and credibility.

Benefits

• Our positions offer eligibility for various incentives—an opportunity to receive short-term incentive bonuses, equity-based awards for salaried roles and commissions for sales roles.
• Benefits offered include qualified retirement programs, paid time off (i.e., vacation, holiday, and leaves), as well as health, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level