Senior Specialist, Indirect Site Services Procurement
MerckJob Description We aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company. We're at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions that advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in people and animals. Join our team and be part of a diverse group of colleagues who are dedicated to saving and improving lives around the world. Position Summary We are seeking a Senior Specialist, Indirect Site Services to support sourcing for multiple North American manufacturing sites, including DeSoto, KS; Elkhorn, NE; Ames, IA; Worthington, MN and Millsboro, DE. The position will focus on sourcing indirect services categories such as Maintenance, Repair and Operations, Integrated Facilities Management, gases, electrical/mechanical site services, production equipment maintenance, and calibration services. The ideal candidate will be based in DeSoto, KS (preferred site location) or at the Millsboro, DE site and will work in a hybrid capacity, with three days on-site and two days working from home. Responsibilities Support manufacturing operations by driving sourcing strategies and stakeholder management for indirect services categories. Understand stakeholder requirements to establish supply strategies and proactively mitigate supply risks/issues. Lead stakeholder engagement meetings and schedule routine reviews. Translate stakeholder requirements into tangible business results. Develop requirements with business representatives, legal, and other stakeholders. Conduct relationship management meetings with key and active suppliers. Manage supplier performance levels. Create and execute RFI and RFP processes, ensuring all business requirements are captured. Lead the assessment of proposals using predefined criteria derived from business requirements. Develop sourcing strategies aligned with stakeholder business requirements to drive value for the company. Create detailed pre-negotiation plans, lead negotiation sessions, and conduct post-negotiation debriefs. Prepare and implement appropriate forms of contract and commitment with suppliers. Liaise with corporate Legal for contract clause reviews. Ensure supplier agreements and relationships have good supplier matrix embedded within. Monitor, report, manage, and continuously improve supplier performance using OTIF metrics. Drive innovation with key suppliers and conduct routine meetings. Share best practices cross-functionally within the site team, region, and across categories. Ensure procurement is carried out ethically and in line with procurement policy and procedures. Identify, track, and deliver cost reduction opportunities and working capital improvement opportunities. Participate in strategic initiatives to improve and advance the category/subcategories. Support/manage performance of the category/subcategories in delivering critical department metrics. Be an active member of category teams, leading local/regional category strategies or subsets of global category strategies. Qualifications Required Bachelor’s degree in Supply chain, Science, Engineering, or related area of study. Minimum three years' experience in procurement within Life Sciences or related industry environments. Experience with multi-site sourcing of indirect services categories including gases, electrical/mechanical site services, production equipment maintenance, and calibration services. Strategic and effective negotiation/commercial skills. Capable of prioritizing and multi-tasking, and working to an agreed schedule. Self-motivated and able to work both individually or as part of a team. Flexible approach to workload. Preferred Other purchasing qualification, i.e., CPM | CIPS. Our Manufacturing Division is dedicated to being the most trusted supplier of bio-pharmaceuticals worldwide. Our facilities, along with our external contractors, suppliers, and partners, create a reliable global manufacturing network that’s devoted to delivering a high-quality, reliable supply to customers and…