Job Description Summary
The Head of Procurement, Region Europe & Headquarters is responsible for leading the Europe & Headquarters Procurement organization including Corporate global categories.
The role is accountable for driving and implementing the Procurement strategic goals on country levels and successfully managing relevant KPIs regarding productivity, compliance metrics, processes, customer satisfaction, and people development. The role is also responsible for successfully managing and developing relationships and effective demand management with senior stakeholders, driving value for their business across the organization, and with key suppliers to increase value for Novartis.
The Head of Procurement, Region Europe & Headquarters is the primary procurement business partner for Europe & Headquarters incl. International, ensuring budget-alignment, strategy, and productivity achievement, including design and delivery of margin expansion initiatives across Novartis. The purpose of the role is to develop and maintain all organizational structures and necessary internal alignments to ensure an effective procurement process and provide high-value external solutions to the business supporting projects.
The role is also responsible for the global category management of marketing agencies, Consulting service, Legal, External Workforce and Financial services. This includes the overall governance and management of special projects.
Job Description
Key Responsibilities:
• Implement for key sourcing category plans to source fit for purpose demand from suppliers with optimal unit cost for materials / services (competitive bidding, majority of spend with new & disruptive suppliers).
Work on Intake Solutions and Demand Management to enable active demand management in all categories and strengthen unit cost KPIs.
• Analyzing specifications for optimization. Linking specification to customer value, challenging specification confidently. Conveying messages clearly and convincing stakeholders.
Executing the Source-to-Contract process including respective strategies, approaches and methods: preparing and conducting fact-based negotiations. Adapting tactics from a broad portfolio of negotiation strategies to achieve results that support business and Procurement.
• Keep supplier base stable while focus on “Supplier Diversification” to foster the usage of acceptable suppliers within the updated preferred vendor concept as part of the new Global Procurement Guideline
• Accountable for productivity/cost efficiency targets as well as for key compliance metrics such as PO-compliance, process compliance, internal audits.
• Support centrally led processes (e.g., NFCM, TPRM).
• Successful implementation of global, regional and country projects across categories & functions, ensure key stakeholder alignment and customer satisfaction.
• Manage quality of the Rest of Europe end-to-end Procurement process incl. compliance to policies, sourcing strategies and processes.
Introduce new disruptive vendors to exchange existing ones with same quality but cheaper prices
•Serve as the key contact for senior stakeholders in the organization for all Procurement-related topics. Build effective relationships of mutual trust and understanding.
•Achieving results by proactively building long-term, sustainable and effective relationships, understanding the stakeholder landscape and demonstrating political astuteness across business structures and networks.
• Lead the Country Procurement team and act as a role model of the Novartis Values & Behaviors.
• Lead Procurement Europe & HQ governance model in the areas of responsibility.
• Regularly assess & develop the team’s capabilities (hard & soft skills).
Identify and develop key talents in the organisation through assignments, (above)-country projects, mentoring & coaching.
Key Requirements:
• University/Advanced degree is needed with Master’s Degree/other advanced degree is preferred
• Preferably > 10 years of experience in Procurement or other related experience within the pharmaceutical industry, preferably in category management, supplier management, or related area, with a focus in with a focus in the Procurement domain.
• Strong project management or other leadership experience.
You’ll receive (Applicable for Prague)
Monthly pension contribution matching your individual contribution up to 3% of your gross monthly base salary; Risk Life Insurance (full cost covered by Novartis); 5-week holiday per year; (1 week above the Labour Law requirement) ; 4 paid sick days within one calendar year in case of absence due to sickness without a medical sickness report; Cafeteria employee benefit program – choice of benefits from Benefit Plus Cafeteria in the amount of 17,500 CZK per year; Meal vouchers in amount of 105 CZK for each working day (full tax covered by company); Car Allowance or Car of eligible category; MultiSport Card, Employee Share Purchase Plan. Find out more about Novartis Business Services: https://www.novartis.cz/
Skills Desired
Effective Communication, Finance Management, Influencing And Persuading, Strategic Thinking And Planning
Novartis Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Novartis and has not been reviewed or approved by Novartis.
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Healthcare Strength — Pay and benefits are described as a strong overall package, supported by medical, dental, and vision insurance alongside FSAs/HSAs and disability and life coverage. Mental-health support is reinforced through an employee assistance program with psychological support and a network of mental health first aiders.
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Retirement Support — Retirement support is positioned as a standout element, with an automatic company contribution plus dollar-for-dollar matching in the 401(k). Additional retirement funding is described through an age-based defined contribution program and access to an employee share purchase plan discount.
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Parental & Family Support — Family-related benefits are framed as robust, including a global minimum of paid parental leave for new parents following birth or adoption. Added supports include domestic partner coverage, dependent-care resources, and benefits such as adoption assistance and child/elder care options.
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What We Do
Novartis is an innovative medicines company. Every day, working to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people’s lives so that patients, healthcare professionals and societies are empowered in the face of serious disease. Our medicines reach more than 250 million people worldwide.
