Technical Sourcing Manager - Construction, Architecture and Engineering Americas Lead

Merck•Saint Louis, MO

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

This role directly supports the Americas regional sourcing requirements at sites in the USA by establishing Master Services Agreements for Architecture, Engineering and Construction (A/E/C). The Technical Sourcing Manager will lead and manage the A/E/C category regional sourcing activities in partnership with the Engineering & Technology (E&T) Team and Value Stream. This role works in close collaboration with other members of the global and regional Technical Sourcing and internal Sourcing teams. The company is seeking curious minds that are passionate about caring for people, customers, patients, and the planet, and who want to innovate with science and technology.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree preferably in business administration or engineering. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
Minimum 5 years related experience in Procurement, Construction or Engineering working experience in multinational companies related to Investment Projects.
Fluency in written and spoken English.

Nice To Haves

Sourcing in chemical, pharma or life science industry is preferred.
Professional communication with ability to manage interests across different skill levels along with strong intercultural insights.
Good management skills with ability to work effectively in cross-functional and diverse teams.
Demonstrated ability to manage supplier qualification programs and to build/maintain PSLs.
Strong analytical and project management skills; experience with RFP/RFQ processes, contract negotiations, and rate setting.
Excellent stakeholder management and interpersonal skills; proven ability to collaborate across cross-functional teams (E&T, Value Stream, Legal, Finance, Compliance).
Knowledge of U.S. construction markets, supplier ecosystems, and regulatory considerations.
Change management mindset with the ability to drive portfolio-level decisions and balance short-term delivery with long-term strategy.
Structured and reliable working attitude with curiosity to learn new things.
Ability to engage and lead cross-functional stakeholder meetings in a remote or virtual work environment.
Time zone flexibility working within a global environment.
Resilience & Pressure resistance with ability to fit into fast moving environments.
Agility to balance business relationships in a complex global organization.
Portuguese and Spanish are a plus.

Responsibilities

Design, develop, and maintain a preferred supplier list (PSL) for (A/E/C) ensuring alignment with user/stakeholder requirements, project risk profiles, and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany standards.
Drive a portfolio-driven sourcing strategy that reduces time-to-value and improves project outcomes at FEL (Front End Loading) stages.
Map supplier capabilities in the U.S. market, project needs, identify and mitigate gaps through supplier development or alternative sourcing.
Develop and formalize supplier selection criteria, scoring models, and contractual frameworks in collaboration with legal, finance, and E&T.
Manage RFPs/RFQs, negotiate contracts and rates, and secure favorable commercial terms while maintaining compliance with corporate policies.
Drive integration with FEL planning, ensuring two or more preferred suppliers are ready for project assignment and consistent with the portfolio strategy.
Transition from project-by-project bidding to a strategic, portfolio-level sourcing approach to reduce cycle times and increase velocity by reducing project execution by six months.
Establish governance and communication cadences with E&T, Value Stream leaders, and project teams; provide regular status updates and risk/ issue logs.
Develop and monitor KPIs (e.g., supplier performance, cycle time, cost savings, contract compliance, risk ratings) and continuously improve category performance.
Identify and implement continuous improvement initiatives (standard operating procedures, playbooks, templates) to scale best practices across the construction portfolio.
Ensure alignment with safety, quality, compliance, and ESG requirements; oversee audits and corrective actions as needed.
Bring together Technical Sourcing Managers from Capex and Recurring spend to act and think as one team.
Define and implement a structured stakeholder management approach.
Responsible for leading site support under the proximity scheme, coordinating with recurrent spend sourcing managers and ensuring alignment with the project sourcing managers.
Follow strategy outlined by Category Managers and Global Sourcing Managers.