Strategic Buyer

Convatec • Lexington, MA

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Strategic Buyer plays a pivotal role within the Global Procurement function, contributing to the organisation’s transformation journey by driving the implementation of category strategies and fostering a high-performance culture. This role is instrumental in delivering strategic sourcing initiatives and supplier improvement projects that align with broader business objectives. It operates at the intersection of procurement strategy and execution, ensuring that sourcing activities are both cost-effective and value-driven. With a strong focus on on cross-functional collaboration, the Strategic Buyer works closely with Category Managers and key stakeholders to manage the Source to Contract process. Success in this role is measured by the timely and effective delivery of sourcing projects, achievement of cost reduction targets, and the ability to influence supplier performance improvements. The role’s impact is felt across the organisation through enhanced procurement efficiency, improved supplier relationships, and the advancement of strategic procurement goals.

Requirements

• 3 years + working within a Strategic Procurement/Sourcing environment, employing a formal category/sourcing management process (preferably in a similar regulated industry), with MCIPS to level 4.
• An understanding of Category Management principles with knowledge of how to define a strategy and experience of how to translate it into actionable plans and manage these plans through to implementation.
• Experience working with e-procurement tools to find, evaluate & select the best vendors to drive savings, increase value & manage risk.
• Able to demonstrate the values and behaviors required to be successful in the role and support the Convatec ‘Forever Caring’ Promise.
• Excellent inter-personal & communication skills.
• Results and solution oriented, with a focus on meeting required targets and deadlines.
• Possess ability for analytical problem-solving and analysis/interpretation of complex problems, incorporating data gathered from a variety of sources/software tools.
• Understanding of financial principles, resource planning and allocation, to support delivery of a Category Plan to deliver cost management, resilience and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate to a diverse audience, at multiple levels within the company using a variety of formats, presentations, emails, leading meetings, face to face, etc.
• Able to negotiate with suppliers on all commercial and contractual matters and apply judgement as to what constitutes an acceptable level of contractual risk and supply resilience.
• Able to promote and foster new ideas and strategies among internal and external stakeholders, challenging the status quo with sustainable solution(s).
• Must be able to work with a range of technically and culturally diverse people, influencing them to achieve goals in a timely manner to help drive business results.
• Must demonstrate and apply analytical as well as strategic thinking skills, support teamwork, show exceptional judgement, collaboration, decision-making, and can work independently.

Nice To Haves

• BSc/BA degree in related subject desirable

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Category Directors and Category Managers to develop and implement integrated, business-aligned category strategies for assigned spend areas.
• Engage with key stakeholders and suppliers to define global sourcing strategies that deliver cost savings, value creation, and potential revenue protection.
• Ensure category and sourcing strategies are responsive to current and future business needs.
• Lead the Source to Contract (S2C) process, including sourcing strategy execution (e.g., Request for Proposal [RFP], electronic auctions), supplier evaluation, recommendation, and contract award.
• Develop and negotiate contracts and agreements for the supply of materials.
• Manage supplier relationships to ensure alignment with strategic goals and to enhance supplier performance and capabilities.
• Work closely with cross-functional teams including Operations, Quality, Finance, Legal, and R&D to ensure sourcing strategies and supplier decisions support broader business objectives.
• Act as a key liaison between procurement and internal stakeholders to ensure transparency, alignment, and effective communication throughout sourcing initiatives.
• Identify and drive continuous improvement initiatives within assigned spend areas to enhance supplier performance, reduce costs, and increase value delivery.
• Propose and implement innovative sourcing solutions and process improvements that contribute to procurement excellence and operational efficiency.
• Monitor and report on the progress and outcomes of sourcing projects against defined deliverables, timelines, and budgets.
• Contribute to the development of key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure sourcing effectiveness, supplier performance, and value generation.

Benefits

• Some travel will be required with this role including to other Convatec manufacturing facilities and to supplier facilities as required. This could be domestic or international travel location dependent

What This Job Offers

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