Category Manager, Indirect (m/f/d)

Category Manager, Indirect Procurement (EMEA) – Life Sciences Industry

Location: Nordrheine-Westfalia, Germany | Hybrid (approx. 3 days on‑site)

As a procurement recruitment specialist working closely with a high‑growth organisation in the Life Sciences industry , I'm supporting them in appointing a Category Manager, Indirect Procurement – a newly created and strategically important role offering genuine impact, visibility, and longtime progression.

This is an exceptional opportunity to join a business recognised globally for innovation, regulatory excellence, and a mission‑driven approach that directly contributes to improving patient outcomes. If you're looking for a role where procurement is viewed as a strategic value creator – not just a cost function – this is one you'll want to explore.

Why This Role Stands Out

• You'll join a fast‑growing Life Sciences business with a multi‑billion‑dollar footprint and a highly diversified indirect spend portfolio.
• The organisation is scaling rapidly, which means procurement has a direct influence on operational agility, compliance, and innovation.
• This is a brand-new position , giving you the opportunity to shape category strategies from the ground up.
• You'll work closely with senior stakeholders across R&D, Operations, IT, Commercial, Facilities, and more.
• The company's culture strongly supports innovation, continuous improvement, and cross‑functional collaboration.

If you're passionate about strategic procurement and want to be part of a sector making a tangible difference to global health, this role offers huge potential.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Sourcing

• Lead sourcing initiatives that deliver cost optimisation, value creation, and improved supplier performance.
• Manage RFx processes and complex negotiations across multiple indirect categories.
• Work closely with internal stakeholders to understand requirements and translate them into actionable sub‑category strategies.
• Leverage market intelligence to anticipate risks, opportunities, and innovation trends.
• Support key business and product initiatives through effective sourcing of indirect services.

Supplier Partnership & Performance

• Develop strategic supplier relationships to drive performance, compliance, risk management, and innovation.
• Lead supplier reviews, monitor KPIs, and identify continuous improvement opportunities.
• Ensure supplier adherence to relevant regulatory, quality, and corporate standards.

Category Strategy Development

• Build robust category strategies informed by data, market analysis, and stakeholder needs.
• Strengthen the supply base by identifying alternative suppliers and optimising competitiveness.
• Apply your knowledge of the EMEA supplier landscape to accelerate sourcing effectiveness.

Contracting & Risk Management

• Lead contract creation, approvals, compliance, and lifecycle management.
• Collaborate closely with Legal to ensure agreements are aligned to wider business objectives and risk frameworks.

Cross‑functional Leadership

• Represent procurement in wider supply chain initiatives (digitalisation, capacity planning, network optimisation, resiliency programmes).
• Deliver procurement KPIs and elevate risks when needed.
• Help shape the long‑term vision of the procurement function.

Candidate Profile

I'm looking to connect with professionals who bring:

• Degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, Operations, or related fields (MBA/MS desirable).
• 5+ years' progressive experience in indirect procurement within a regulated industry – Life Sciences, Medical Devices, Healthcare, or similar.
• Strong background across categories such as R&D, Professional Services, IT, Operations, Facilities, Sales & Marketing.
• Proven success in developing and executing category strategies that drive value and mitigate risk.
• Experience managing complex supplier relationships and high‑value contracts.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, including interactions with senior leaders.
• Familiarity with procurement systems (SAP, Coupa, Ariba) and strong Excel capability; Power BI/Tableau is a plus.
• Continuous improvement mindset – experience with Lean/Six Sigma advantageous.
• Fluency in English and preferably German.
• Ability to travel up to 30% as required.