Global Category Lead - Discovery Research

By clicking the “Apply” button, I understand that my employment application process with Takeda will commence and that the information I provide in my application will be processed in line with Takeda’s Privacy Notice and Terms of Use. I further attest that all information I submit in my employment application is true to the best of my knowledge. Job Description About the Role: This role is a member of the R&D Procurement team, leading category strategy and a team of category managers to maximize enterprise value from external spend. It partners with senior stakeholders to shape business priorities, strengthen supplier relationships, and deliver measurable outcomes across cost, innovation, quality, sustainability, and risk. How you will contribute: Define and lead category strategies that maximize enterprise value from external spend through cost optimization, innovation, risk management, sustainability, and business growth Act as a strategic partner to senior business leaders, aligning category priorities with organizational objectives and ensuring external spend supports critical business outcomes Drive long-term business outcomes by shaping category strategy, supplier portfolio strategy, and enterprise spending decisions Orchestrate cross-functional resources and stakeholder collaboration to deliver category goals, strengthen supplier partnerships, and ensure sustainable business performance Manage a small team of category managers Accountabilities: Develop and execute category strategies that align external spend with enterprise objectives, business priorities, and long-term value creation goals Shape demand and business requirements by challenging specifications, operating models, supplier strategies, and sourcing approaches to optimize total value and return on investment Lead complex strategic programs and category value plans, ensuring delivery of cost, productivity, innovation, sustainability, quality, and risk management objectives Drive cross-functional collaboration across business, operations, finance, legal, and procurement teams to deliver End-2-End category strategies and strategic initiatives Build and maintain a high-performing supplier ecosystem that balances innovation, competitiveness, resilience, and long-term business needs, while including Quality and Sustainability requirements. Own strategic supplier relationships, governance, and performance management to drive continuous improvement, innovation, and value delivery Ensure supplier strategies, commercial models, and contractual frameworks support business objectives, regulatory requirements, quality standards, and supply continuity Synthesize market intelligence, supplier insights, and business data into compelling narratives that influence strategic decisions and stakeholder alignment Act as a strategic business partner to senior stakeholders, influencing spend decisions, investment priorities, operating models, and external resource deployment Lead, develop, and enable high-performing teams by building critical capabilities, fostering collaboration, and driving a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and business partnership Coach category managers and associates toward excellent, business-aligned category strategies, embedding adherence to best-practice category-management methodology and raising the quality and consistency of strategy development and execution across the team Attract, develop, and retain category talent in a competitive market, actively building succession strength and career pathways across the team Allocate people and priority across the category portfolio, making cross-category trade-offs to maximize aggregate enterprise value Accountable for the value-delivery agenda across the category portfolio, setting and governing the targets and KPIs — spanning the enterprise value framework of P&L impact, P&L protection, and cash improvement, plus value beyond savings (risk, business performance, inn…

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