The Senior Director, Commercial Strategic Sourcing is a strategic enterprise leader responsible for defining and executing Otsuka's Commercial Sourcing vision and category management strategy across Media Planning & Buying, Marketing Agencies, Trade Shows, Market Research, Patient Support Programs, Promotional Services, and other Commercial spend categories.
This role serves as the senior procurement partner to the Executive Leadership Team (ELT), Commercial leadership, Finance, and functional stakeholders, driving enterprise-wide value creation through strategic sourcing, supplier innovation, risk mitigation, and operational excellence. The Senior Director is accountable for maximizing the return on commercial investments while ensuring compliance, governance, and alignment with Otsuka's business objectives.
The position oversees a team of strategic sourcing professionals and leads the development of category strategies that strengthen supplier partnerships, accelerate innovation, optimize costs, and enhance business outcomes. This leader will collaborate closely with FP&A to align sourcing activities with future investment plans, identify value creation opportunities, and deliver measurable financial impact while reducing enterprise risk.
Additionally, the Senior Director serves as a key sourcing leader across OAPI/OPDC, partnering with Corporate Services, Supply Chain and R&D to advance sourcing capabilities and drive best-in-class procurement practices.
Key Responsibilities
Enterprise Leadership & Strategic Vision
Establish and execute a forward-looking Commercial Strategic Sourcing vision that aligns with Otsuka's corporate objectives, growth priorities, and financial commitments.
Serve as a trusted advisor to Executive Leadership, shaping sourcing strategies that deliver sustainable business value, competitive advantage, and operational excellence.
Lead enterprise-wide category management strategies across all assigned Commercial spend categories, balancing innovation, quality, compliance, risk, and total cost of ownership.
Anticipate market trends, emerging technologies, supplier innovations, and macroeconomic developments to drive continuous improvement and strategic advantage.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and customer-centricity within the sourcing organization.
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Category Strategy & Value Creation
Develop and execute comprehensive category strategies that maximize value, improve supplier performance, and support evolving business priorities.
Partner with Commercial and Finance leadership to proactively identify cost optimization, demand management, and value creation opportunities.
Drive annual productivity and savings objectives within assigned spend categories, delivering measurable impact to enterprise financial performance.
Lead sourcing activities involving highly strategic and complex supplier relationships, including negotiations for contracts exceeding $100 million in annual value.
Ensure sourcing decisions support long-term business objectives while effectively managing operational, financial, regulatory, and reputational risks.
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Supplier Relationship Management & Innovation
Build and maintain executive-level relationships with strategic suppliers, transforming key vendors into long-term business partners.
Drive innovation through supplier collaboration, leveraging market insights and emerging capabilities to enhance business outcomes.
Establish robust supplier performance management programs, including executive business reviews, performance scorecards, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Promote supplier diversity, sustainability, and responsible sourcing practices where applicable.
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Sourcing Governance, Process & Compliance
Own and continuously enhance Strategic Sourcing policies, frameworks, systems, and governance practices.
Ensure sourcing processes are scalable, efficient, compliant, and aligned with business needs while maintaining appropriate control environments.
Provide oversight of sourcing compliance and proactively address policy exceptions, risks, and process gaps.
Ensure alignment with regulatory requirements and corporate governance standards, including J-SOX, Third-Party Risk Management, audit requirements, and applicable industry regulations.
Champion best-in-class procurement practices, including spend analytics, category management, competitive bidding, contract lifecycle management, and preferred supplier programs.
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Strategic Sourcing Operations
Lead and oversee the sourcing pipeline across Commercial categories, ensuring visibility, prioritization, and execution of key initiatives.
Direct the development of RFx strategies, supplier evaluations, negotiations, and contract execution activities.
Implement performance metrics and dashboards that measure sourcing effectiveness, financial impact, supplier performance, compliance, and business satisfaction.
Partner with business stakeholders to establish clear sourcing objectives and ensure delivery of both financial and operational benefits.
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Talent Development & Organizational Leadership
Build, lead, and develop a high-performing Strategic Sourcing organization recognized for excellence, business partnership, and value delivery.
Establish capability frameworks, career development pathways, and succession plans to strengthen organizational effectiveness.
Recruit, mentor, and develop top talent while fostering a culture of continuous learning and professional growth.
Drive organizational talent strategies that ensure the sourcing team possesses the capabilities required to meet evolving business needs.
Provide coaching and leadership development opportunities that promote engagement, retention, and performance excellence.
Qualifications/ Required
Knowledge/ Experience and Skills:
Required Experience & Expertise
10+ years of progressive experience in Commercial Strategic Sourcing, Procurement, Category Management, or Supply Chain leadership roles, including significant experience leading organizational transformation initiatives.
Deep expertise in pharmaceutical Commercial sourcing categories, including:
Media Planning & Buying
Marketing and Creative Agencies
Market Research
Patient Support Services
Promotional Programs
Meetings, Events, and Trade Shows
Proven track record of developing and executing enterprise category strategies that deliver measurable business value and sustainable savings.
Demonstrated success leading large-scale sourcing initiatives and negotiating complex, high-value commercial agreements.
Experience building and leading high-performing sourcing teams within matrixed global organizations.
Strong understanding of pharmaceutical commercialization, regulatory requirements, and supplier risk management.
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Leadership Competencies
Executive presence with the ability to influence and drive alignment across senior leadership teams.
Strategic thinker capable of translating complex market dynamics into actionable business strategies.
Exceptional stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
Outstanding negotiation, communication, and storytelling capabilities.
Strong financial acumen with the ability to connect sourcing strategies to enterprise performance and shareholder value.
Data-driven decision maker with advanced analytical and problem-solving skills.
Demonstrated ability to lead change, manage ambiguity, and influence outcomes across a complex organization.
Education
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Finance, Operations, or related field required.
MBA, MS, or other advanced degree preferred.
Professional certifications such as CPSM, CIPS, ISM, or equivalent are a plus.
Competencies
Accountability for Results - Stay focused on key strategic objectives, be accountable for high standards of performance, and take an active role in leading change.
Strategic Thinking & Problem Solving - Make decisions considering the long-term impact to customers, patients, employees, and the business.
Patient & Customer Centricity - Maintain an ongoing focus on the needs of our customers and/or key stakeholders.
Impactful Communication - Communicate with logic, clarity, and respect. Influence at all levels to achieve the best results for Otsuka.
Respectful Collaboration - Seek and value others’ perspectives and strive for diverse partnerships to enhance work toward common goals.
Empowered Development - Play an active role in professional development as a business imperative.
Application Deadline: This will be posted for a minimum of 5 business days.
Company benefits: Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, prescription drug coverage, company provided basic life, accidental death & dismemberment, short-term and long-term disability insurance, tuition reimbursement, student loan assistance, a generous 401(k) match, flexible time off, paid holidays, and paid leave programs as well as other company provided benefits.
Come discover more about Otsuka and our benefit offerings; https://www.otsuka-us.com/careers-join-otsuka.
This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by the people assigned to this position. It is not intended to include every job duty and responsibility specific to the position. Otsuka reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet business and organizational needs as necessary.
Otsuka is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will be given consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, national origin, veteran status, marital status, or any other legally protected characteristic.
If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation, if you are unable or limited in your ability to apply to this job opening as a result of your disability. You can request reasonable accommodations by contacting Accommodation Request.
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Otsuka America Pharmaceutical Inc., Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc., and Otsuka Precision Health, Inc. (“Otsuka”) does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs/resumes submitted by search firms to any Otsuka employee directly or through Otsuka’s application portal without a valid written search agreement in place for the position will be considered Otsuka’s sole property. No fee will be paid if a candidate is hired by Otsuka as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.
Skills Required
- 10+ years progressive experience in Commercial Strategic Sourcing, Procurement, Category Management, or Supply Chain leadership, including organizational transformation initiatives.
- Deep expertise in pharmaceutical commercial sourcing categories: Media Planning & Buying, Marketing and Creative Agencies, Market Research, Patient Support Services, Promotional Programs, Meetings, Events, and Trade Shows.
- Proven track record developing and executing enterprise category strategies that deliver measurable business value and sustainable savings.
- Demonstrated success leading large-scale sourcing initiatives and negotiating complex, high-value commercial agreements (including contracts exceeding $100M annual value).
- Experience building and leading high-performing sourcing teams within matrixed global organizations.
- Strong understanding of pharmaceutical commercialization, regulatory requirements, and supplier risk management.
- Experience partnering with Finance/FP&A to align sourcing with investment plans and deliver measurable financial impact.
- Experience with sourcing governance, compliance, third-party risk management, and audit requirements (e.g., J-SOX).
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Finance, Operations, or related field.
- MBA, MS, or other advanced degree.
- Professional certifications such as CPSM, CIPS, ISM, or equivalent.
- Executive presence, stakeholder management, negotiation, strategic thinking, strong financial acumen, data-driven decision-making, and change leadership skills.
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Otsuka America Pharmaceutical and has not been reviewed or approved by Otsuka America Pharmaceutical.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage spans medical, dental, vision, prescription services, telehealth, life insurance, and disability, with notable mental‑health access through therapy, coaching, and digital tools. Wellness resources such as fitness reimbursement, nutrition support, and caregiver assistance further reinforce overall healthcare robustness.
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Retirement Support — Retirement offerings include a strong 401(k) match alongside personalized financial counseling for tax planning, education funding, home buying, and estate planning. These features position retirement support as a differentiator within the total rewards package.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time‑off policies include flexible time off, paid holidays, volunteer time off, and a company winter holiday break. The breadth of leave programs supports work–life balance across various needs.
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical Insights
What We Do
There are two Otsuka pharmaceutical industry companies in the U.S.: Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. (OAPI) successfully commercializes Otsuka-discovered and in-licensed products in North America. Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. (OPDC) clinically develops and registers innovative healthcare products on a global basis.
