GPS Category Management Associate Director in Warsaw, GPS will supervise and manage a Category Management Team in GPS to implement category strategies around the globe and deliver agreed savings targets. The scope will include various categories from Indirect & Commercial, Operations, Digital and R&D areas, mainly leverage & non-critical. Procurement Director Category Management will have the responsibility for ensuring rigour and creativity is applied to Category strategies within their team. The role will carry elements of responsibility for the successful review, implementation and ongoing performance improvement of Category Management Team in Warsaw. The role requires a high level of people management skills and the ability to design and implementing new ways of working. The role also requires skills in dealing with different categories and functions so the capability to balance different stakeholder needs will be key.

The role reports directly into the Head of Procurement GPS and forms part of the GPS Leadership Team.  The role will manage the change to the current Operating Model, implementation, communication and strategy change around the scope addressing how would this be delivered and what would be the impact.

The Director Category Management, Warsaw, will contribute to the development and maintenance of a world class procurement capability within the GPS and ensure alignment with the overall purpose and ambition for AstraZeneca Procurement.

A leadership role that provides overall management and leadership to a category family globally or within a country or small region.  Ensures that sourcing and procurement strategies are aligned to corporate strategy and feasible with existing and future suppliers. Alternatively may oversee the implementation of complex, strategic regional or global sourcing solutions in specific area of expertise.

Typical Accountabilities, Experience & Behaviours:

Strategy:

• Accountable for designing, and implementation of category, region or market strategies to optimize business efficiency.

• Accountable for category management either globally, regionally or locally including strategic sourcing, SC&I, contract and risk management.

• Accountable for developing and maintaining expert knowledge of respective global supply markets, competitors and product innovations.

• Works with Procurement in understanding the global spend and identifying opportunities to increase quality and improve value for money. Facilitate implementation of procurement change initiatives within category to improve business performance.

Leadership:

• Accountable for managing the team, resources, and category targets through direct reports. Manage overall portfolio and all direct reports performance globally.

• Leads, Coaches and develops professional aspects of Procurement team members

• Establishing and developing a team by attracting high calibre talent from within and outside the organization and providing appropriate opportunities and support

• Day to day operational management for Category Management Team and responsibility for the timely delivery of quality of work including effective workload management and prioritisation of categories assigned

• Recruits, defines goals, sets and manages performance standards for the team able to deliver procurement projects to time, cost and quality standards

Business Engagement:

• Develop an extensive understanding of customer needs and the business environment. Build strong relationship with customers and ensure customer satisfaction.

• Work with the Strategic Intelligence team to perform procurement reporting and analysis of management information to identify potential improvement opportunities as well as identification of innovative procurement solutions that provide cashable savings and process efficiencies for the organization.

• Conduct annual peer reviews of category, region or market strategies

• Plans and reviews the performance of Procurement and other function teams within area of responsibility

• Directs new initiatives and improvement programmes aimed at ensuring compliance, continuous improvement, technical excellence and improving cost-effectiveness

• Leads, defines and gains approval of business needs and the translation of these needs into specific resource requirements

• Develops senior level relationships in order to resolve issues, optimise business performance and develop future improvement opportunities

• Instil the highest standards of compliance and ethics consistently across AZ

Category Management:

• Delivery responsibility for assigned Categories to develop and deliver breakthrough regional or global category strategies

• Responsibility for monitoring and appraising Category and Supplier strategies

• Results reporting including savings and broader values.

Influencing & Strategic Partnering:

• Relationship building and liaising closely with AZ’s Global Procurement Category Teams and with Key stakeholders within the broader AZ organisation

• Ongoing stakeholder management activities related to key stakeholders within AZ’s Global Procurement Team

Change Management:

• Manage the change to the current Operating Model as a part of GPS Leadership Team.

• Undertake projects or initiatives to improve performance, seize opportunities or address key challenges

Typical Behaviours:

• Adaptive and change focused. Comfortable operating in an environment where not all processes, rules and systems are defined, and where the jobholder will need to come up the answers

• Decisive and Pragmatic. Willing to make decisions and live by the consequences of their actions

• Highly customer focused and concerned with meeting and exceeding customer expectations

• Both a ‘doer’ to ‘leader’ and can comfortably adapt their style to teach, coach, or delegate, as appropriate

• Emotionally intelligent. Comfortably relates to many different types of people. Is personally self-aware of strengths and weaknesses

Measurables:

• Service delivery against pre-defined objectives and customer satisfaction goals

• Effective management of the GPS Category Management Team measured by employee satisfaction and stakeholder feedback

• Delivery of Procurement continuous improvement initiatives

• Budget control

Requirements

Essential:

Education

• Bachelor/ Master’s Degree (Business)

Experience:

• Minimum 7 years of procurement experience, including category management ideally on global level

• Proven experience of managing global categories including strategy creation & implementation without the merit on many markets

• Effective line management in an International environment

• Strong International stakeholder management and relationship building skills within the matrix organization

• Proven experience in contributing to and delivering continuous improvement initiatives

Skills:

• Excellent communications skills (verbal and written) with the ability to present information in a clear and concise format to all levels within the organization

• Excellent influencing skills in the matrix organization

• Strong relationship and business partnering skills

• Ability to engage fast with the stakeholders on different level in the organization

• Project management skills

• Microsoft Office proficiency

Language capabilities:

• Written and spoken proficiency in English and Polish (Polish is not a must)

• Additional language would be a benefit but not a must

Date Posted

Closing Date

AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity.  We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills.  We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.  We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics.  We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements.