Assoc. Dir, Procurement

Associate Director, Capital Project Execution Procurement

Role Summary

The Associate Director of Procurement for Capital Projects will be responsible for overseeing and managing procurement activities for a portfolio of large and complex capital projects. This role includes project procurement planning, supplier management, contract negotiations, and ensuring compliance with company policies and processes.

Reporting to the Director of Capital Procurement Project Execution within the Global Capital Procurement organization, the Associate Director will serve as the primary point of contact for businesses or functions in their assigned area. They will collaborate with Global Capital category teams and cross-functional teams across the organization to ensure the timely and cost-effective procurement of materials, services, and equipment critical to the success of our capital projects, thereby creating significant business impact.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate a wide range of leadership experiences and capabilities, including business partner engagement and agreement, project procurement strategy and planning, market engagement and category strategy alignment, sourcing and contracting execution, contract and claims management, project and risk management practices, and supplier relationship management, all in alignment with Global Category teams.

Role Responsibilities

Project Procurement Planning

• Use your capital procurement expertise to influence global project teams and senior management in developing procurement strategies for large capital projects, ensuring predictable project performance in alignment with safety, quality, cost, and schedule objectives.
• Manage Project Procurement Plans and strategies to enable successful project execution, ensuring full alignment with project objectives and global procurement category strategies.
• Proactively manage planning and due dates for sourcing activities by leveraging market knowledge, in coordination with Global Capital Procurement Category teams.
• Engage in internal and external governance activities to exert procurement influence, ensuring consistent application of sourcing across engineering, construction, equipment, and automation categories for all capital projects.
• Contribute to unified category strategies and ensure supplier risk management aligns with market conditions and business objectives.

Supplier Performance Management

• Forecast and track metrics on assigned projects to drive procurement and supplier performance, ensuring the achievement of procurement and project objectives (awards, savings, payment terms, impact spend, safety, sustainability...) while maintaining compliance with procurement practices.
• Establish and maintain recurring discussions with the Project Leadership teams and conduct performance reviews with suppliers and contractors to measure progress on all metrics and address any issues
• Ensure timely reporting by suppliers in the proper IT system to drive consistency
• Continually drive process improvement across projects and elevate supplier performance using metrics with consistency.
• Support the Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) program by aligning supplier project performance with all stakeholders
• Lead in community impact and sustainability best practices, creating opportunities and ensuring our approach remains cutting-edge to meet corporate goals.

Contract Negotiation and Management

• Oversee contract management by project, lead negotiations for certain contracts, purchase agreements, and service contracts to secure the best terms and conditions.

Experience

• A minimum of 8-10 years of procurement leadership experience, inclusive of design, construction, equipment, and commissioning on large scale projects for the pharmaceutical or related industry.

• Proven track record of successfully managing suppliers (including engineering and construction managers) and procurement activities for concurrent high-impact projects, with exposure to multiple cross functional business teams.

Knowledge

• In-depth knowledge of procurement practices, contract management, strategic sourcing, and category management.
• Knowledge of key performance indicators related to sourcing activities and supplier performance.
• Strong understanding of project management and capital project lifecycle.
• Strong understanding of budgeting models, pricing models and cost structures.
• Strong analytical skills, experience working with data.
• Familiarity with regulations and standards impacting the pharmaceutical industry, including Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and FDA requirements.
• Robust understanding of industry trends, market dynamics, and emerging analytical methods related to sourcing and procurement.
• Knowledge of Environmental, Social and Governance initiatives and consequent supplier impact and environmental sustainability concepts, regulations, and industry best practices is desirable.
• Proficiency in procurement software and tools, such as Ariba, or equivalent Enterprise Resource Planning systems.
• Proficiency in office software, such as MS Office suite and notably advanced Excel functionalities.
• Knowledge of digital tools, such as MS Teams, SharePoint, and Power BI.
• Flexible to changing priorities and comfortable in a fast-paced dynamic environment.
• High level of detail-orientation with an ability to produce high-quality, timely outcomes.
• Ability to challenge the current state, solve problems and drive transformational changes.
• Ability to collaborate with and influence cross-functional leaders.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, ability to effectively communicate complex topics to internal and external stakeholders, including suppliers and industry organizations.

Work Environment:

• Hybrid role.
• This role is based at one of the large manufacturing or research sites and may require occasional travel to other sites in the region and supplier locations.

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Required Skills:
Adaptability, Adaptability, Capital Projects, Change Management, Clinical Supply Chain Management, Commercial Contract Negotiations, Contract Negotiations, Cost Management, Driving Continuous Improvement, Global Sourcing, Inventory Control Management, Logistics, Logistics Management, Management Process, Negotiation, Outsourcing Management, Procurement, Procurement Management, Procurement Strategies, Production Planning, Project Management, Project Procurement Management, Regulatory Compliance, Risk Management, Strategic Procurement {+ 5 more}

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

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We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another's thinking and approach problems collectively.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

U.S. Hybrid Work Model

Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, Monday - Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as "remote".

The salary range for this role is
$126,500.00 - $199,100.00

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at .

You can apply for this role through (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company 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.

Employee Status:
Regular

Relocation:
No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:
No

Travel Requirements:
10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:
Hybrid

Shift:
Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:
No

Hazardous Material(s):
n/a

Job Posting End Date:
10/13/2025
*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

Requisition ID: R367468