Junior Category Manager

Today, Lonza is a global leader in life sciences operating across three continents. While we work in science, there’s no magic formula to how we do it. Our greatest scientific solution is talented people working together, devising ideas that help businesses to help people. In exchange, we let our people own their careers. Their ideas, big and small, genuinely improve the world. And that’s the kind of work we want to be part of.

The Junior Category Manager will work closely with the capsule and health ingredient stakeholders for the raw materials in scope to ensure the requirements are understood as well as managing their assigned categories. They will proactively drive communications and support decision making while developing procurement strategies and providing market expertise as well as relationships with suppliers and key stakeholders.

Key responsibilities:

• Business Stakeholder Management :
• Work closely with CHI stakeholders for the raw materials in scope.
• Clarify procurement and business requirements.
• Drive proactively communications and support decision making. Jointly develop and implement global & regional procurement strategies for assigned categories.
• Provide expertise in the assigned categories markets and advise on new business opportunities.
• Engage as needed with other internal stakeholders (corporate functions or sites).
• Category Management & Strategic Procurement :
• For the assigned categories, analyze business requirements, associated spend information, competitive market intelligence and demand plans.
• Develop and maintain knowledge on supply market, supply economics, supply processes and supply cost drivers for the assigned portfolio.
• Match internal demand with market insights into actionable strategies for the assigned portfolio.
• Develop and implement category strategies for the key categories of the assigned portfolio.
• Ensure that strategies, objectives, actions and priorities are aligned within procurement, with CHI business and with corporate functional stakeholders.
• Deliver measurable value and competitive procurement costs :
• For the assigned categories, work closely with key stakeholders to develop procurement value, margin improvement strategies and implementation plans that meet business needs, for the assigned portfolio.
• Drive tendering, negotiation, contracting and sourcing for the assigned categories, globally or regionally.
• Optimize supplier’s payment terms for the assigned portfolio.
• Drive and track Procurement Value Contributions (PSC, KPIs…).
• Supply Assurance :
• Ensure business continuity for the assigned portfolio.
• Deeply assess supply base and identify risks of supply disruption or competitiveness gaps.
• Develop risk management strategies & appropriate risk mitigations plans.
• Work closely with business stakeholders to understand business impact.
• Coordinate with appropriate key stakeholders in case of major issues (crisis management).
• Supplier Relationship Management :
• For the assigned categories, lead key suppliers relationship management and development activities.
• Build a strong and reliable supply base as differentiator to competition
  Identify suitable suppliers and evaluate their capability.
• Coordinate approval of promising sources of supply to support innovative solutions ahead of competition.
• Identify and leverage global or regional synergies opportunities with suppliers and materials.
• Review key suppliers performances with corresponding Lonza sites and assess potential impact to the Lonza network.
• Support escalation from sites operational buyers or from strategic buyers to resolve complaints and quality issues.
• Processes, tools and Systems :
• Ensure compliance with Lonza standards and regulatory requirements
• Support roll-out of Lonza procedures, policies and guidelines.
• Support Procurement initiatives, roll-out of procurement tools, processes and systems.
• Personal development and capability building :
• Define personal development goals & needs and potential associated training.
• Complete mandatory training and capability building program.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Key requirements:

• Master’s degree in Business, Procurement, Chemistry, Pharma, Food/Nutrition or related field
• Extensive experience in Pharma/Health/Nutrition/Food industry
• Procurement experience required.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Global relationship-building, both internal and external.
• Must be able to interact with colleagues at all levels of the business.
• Analytical and problem-solving ability in order to make timely and sound business decisions.
• Strong collaboration skills in order to work closely with cross functional working groups.
• Sustain the Quality, Health, Safety and Environment Management Systems and promote safety within the organization.
• Supports colleagues and management in providing a climate that stimulates and motivates colleagues to participate in the preservation of the environment and in protection of health and safety.
• Contributing in taking initiatives that reduces the environmental print of the company through promoting the right behaviors

Every day, Lonza’s products and services have a positive impact on millions of people. For us, this is not only a great privilege, but also a great responsibility. How we achieve our business results is just as important as the achievements themselves. At Lonza, we respect and protect our people and our environment. Any success we achieve is no success at all if not achieved ethically.

People come to Lonza for the challenge and creativity of solving complex problems and developing new ideas in life sciences. In return, we offer the satisfaction that comes with improving lives all around the world. The satisfaction that comes with making a meaningful difference.

Lonza is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a qualified individual with disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.