Sr. Specialist, Procurement System Owner

Merck • Boxmeer, Pennsylvania

1d • $96,200 - $151,400 • Hybrid

About The Position

You will drive SAP Ariba adoption and strengthen procurement operations by expanding platform capabilities, improving supplier enablement, and supporting key Source-to-Settle (S2S) initiatives across the organization. As a Procurement System Owner (Senior Specialist), you will be accountable for ensuring SAP Ariba and connected systems operate effectively across the end-to-end S2S process. You will promote adoption of core capabilities such as sourcing (RFX), guided buying, and contract workspaces, while enabling seamless orchestration across sourcing, contracting, purchasing, and supplier integration. This role requires a strong understanding of system orchestration, data flows, and analytics across platforms, ensuring integrations, master data, and workflows operate cohesively between SAP Ariba, SAP ERP, and external supplier systems. You will leverage hands-on SQL and data analysis to drive insights, troubleshoot issues, and enable data-driven decision-making. You will act as a key link between Procurement, IT, and business stakeholders to drive scalable, integrated system solutions and support ongoing transformation initiatives.

Requirements

• Hands-on experience with SAP Ariba (sourcing, guided buying, supplier enablement, contracts).
• Strong understanding of end-to-end Source-to-Settle (S2S) processes, including process, system, and data flows across the procurement lifecycle.
• Experience acting as a System Owner, System Analyst, or functional lead within enterprise systems (procurement or broader domains).
• Strong understanding of system orchestration and integrations, including interactions between SAP Ariba, SAP ERP, and external systems.
• Hands-on SQL experience required, including the ability to query, analyze, and validate data across enterprise systems to support troubleshooting, reporting, and process improvement.
• Ability to use data to identify trends, root causes, and improvement opportunities across systems and processes.
• Experience with supplier onboarding, supplier consolidation, and supplier connectivity processes.
• Familiarity with integration concepts such as cXML, APIs, and ERP-to-ERP connectivity, including testing and issue resolution.
• Experience with punchout catalogs and understanding of how catalog integrations support compliant buying channels.
• Knowledge of master data management and dependencies across procurement and SAP systems (e.g., material master, purchasing info records).
• Experience managing SAP approval workflows / release strategies or similar governance models.
• Strong problem-solving and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to operate across business, IT, and data teams.
• Ability to translate business needs into system and data-driven solutions.
• Strong communication and documentation skills in a global, cross-functional environment.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field
• 5+ years of experience in enterprise systems, SAP Ariba, procurement systems, or similar roles.
• Experience supporting system implementations, integrations, or transformation initiatives in a global environment.
• Demonstrated experience using SQL to analyze system and operational data in support of decision-making and issue resolution.
• Proven ability to work across business, IT, and data stakeholders to deliver system and process improvements.

Nice To Haves

• Exposure to enterprise platforms such as Fieldglass or similar systems is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Act as System Owner for SAP Ariba capabilities, driving adoption, system stability, and continuous improvement across sourcing, buying, and contracting processes.
• Ensure end-to-end S2S orchestration, aligning sourcing, contracting, purchasing, and supplier processes across systems (Ariba, SAP, and external platforms).
• Promote and expand use of SAP Ariba capabilities, including RFX, guided buying, and contract workspace functionality.
• Leverage hands-on SQL and data analysis to extract, analyze, and validate system data across SAP Ariba and SAP to support troubleshooting, reporting, and process optimization.
• Perform root cause analysis using system and transactional data, identifying process gaps, integration issues, and data inconsistencies across the S2S lifecycle.
• Partner with stakeholders to advance supplier consolidation initiatives and improve supplier experience, process consistency, and operational efficiency.
• Own coordination, testing, and stabilization of system integrations (cXML, ERP-to-ERP), ensuring reliable connectivity with suppliers and external partners.
• Enable and maintain punchout catalogs to improve guided buying experiences and ensure accurate supplier enablement.
• Oversee material master-related activities, ensuring data integrity and alignment across systems and processes.
• Maintain and optimize SAP release strategies and approval workflows and Order Management Team, ensuring alignment with governance, controls, and business requirements.
• Collaborate cross-functionally (Procurement, IT, Finance, Operations) to define requirements, resolve issues, and implement scalable system solutions.
• Partner with IT and data teams to support data validation, reconciliation, and testing across system integrations and process flows.
• Document business requirements, process changes, system dependencies, and test scenarios to support system enhancements and operational readiness.
• Provide ongoing system support, issue resolution, and user enablement to increase adoption and system effectiveness.
• Support system improvements across procurement and adjacent platforms (e.g., Fieldglass).

Benefits

• medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family)
• retirement benefits, including 401(k)
• paid holidays
• vacation
• compassionate and sick days
• annual bonus
• long-term incentive

What This Job Offers

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