Senior Specialist Procurement

Merck•Upper Gwynedd Township, PA

5d•$96,200 - $151,400•Hybrid

About The Position

Direct Materials Procurement develops and implements supplier management strategies and initiatives to improve supply chain resiliency, cost, supplier performance, and working capital in support of manufacturing and product supply. Strategic Supplier Management uses market intelligence and analysis of business requirements, supplier performance, spend, and savings data to guide sourcing decisions. The Senior Specialist Procurement will work at the interface between Research & Development and Manufacturing, providing strategic sourcing support for pipeline products during development and for commercial products. The role gathers, creates, delivers, tracks, analyzes, models, and manages data for strategic initiatives in Small and Large Molecules within Direct Materials Procurement, and also supports bioconjugates and antibody drug conjugates. It enables project progress and procurement objectives through project management, communications, strategy execution, and team performance. The position supports market and supplier analysis, cost modeling and reduction, strategic project analysis, negotiation planning, sourcing events, and supply risk assessment and mitigation. It works with internal functions and external suppliers to help select suppliers and materials, execute early-stage sourcing and New Product Introduction processes, and strengthen supply readiness and continuity.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Engineering, Science, Supply Chain, or Procurement.
At least 2 years of relevant work experience in the pharmaceutical industry.
Ability to adapt and work across multiple enterprise initiatives and communicate effectively at different organizational levels.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to give clear, concise presentations and sensitivity to cultural differences in communication.
Ability to influence external partners to drive meaningful outcomes.
Advanced data collection, management, analytics, and reporting skills.
Excellent project management skills.
Ability to work independently with flexibility and adaptability in ambiguous and dynamic situations.
Ability and motivation to learn quickly and develop technical, business, and commercial skills by applying existing knowledge in the company’s environment.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.

Nice To Haves

Prior pharmaceutical industry experience or experience at a Fortune 500 company.
Cost modeling experience.
Experience using MS Teams, SharePoint, or similar collaboration websites.
Experience with Power BI or other data analytics or visualization tools.
Experience using Excel to manage large datasets.
Experience managing external relationships.
Experience with data collection methods.

Responsibilities

Collect and present market trends, dynamics, competitive information, and industry best practices to inform sourcing strategy.
Collaborate with key functions to develop sourcing strategies and ensure execution across modalities through launch and the following two years.
Support procurement objectives including supply risk management, supplier performance improvement, cost reduction, early sourcing for pipeline programs, new material introduction, alternate-source qualification, working capital improvement, and supplier relationship management.
Work with cross-functional teams, including Legal, Finance, Procure-to-Pay, internal stakeholders, and external suppliers.
Conduct fact- and data-based market analyses to provide meaningful insights.
Execute early-stage sourcing and procurement strategies and implement the New Product Introduction playbook, processes, and tools.
Support supplier and new material or component selection for pipeline programs and inline products to achieve savings and supply readiness.
Conduct supplier and supply-market intelligence and analysis for sourcing teams.
Construct detailed cost models and purchase-price analyses; where needed, visit suppliers to understand cost structures and identify cost-reduction opportunities.
Conduct strategic project analyses, including portfolio analysis, supplier preferencing, and Day One Sourcing, to develop options and opportunities.
Create pre-negotiation plans, support and participate in supplier negotiations, and conduct post-negotiation debriefs and follow-through.
Create and execute RFIs, RFPs, and e-auctions and analyze resulting information using electronic procurement processes where possible.
Conduct risk assessments, including financial solvency and compliance assessments, and establish supply-base mitigation plans consistent with the Manufacturing Division risk management framework.