Head API Procurement & Global Sourcing

Position Purpose

We are looking for an experienced Head API Procurement & Global Sourcing to lead the global procurement strategy for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and Key Starting Materials (KSMs).

This is a strategic leadership position responsible for securing supply, improving cost competitiveness, developing strategic supplier partnerships and strengthening supply resilience across key global sourcing markets.

The role will work across Europe, India, China and other strategic sourcing regions, delivering measurable business impact and positioning Procurement as a strategic business partner to the organisation.

The position will play a critical role in supporting business growth, product launches, supply continuity, cost competitiveness and long-term profitability.

Key Responsibilities

1. Category Strategy, Financial Performance & Decision Rights

• Define and execute a multi-year global category strategy for APIs and KSMs, aligned with business growth plans, portfolio priorities and long-term financial objectives.
• Own the annual procurement budget, savings pipeline, PPV performance and long-range planning inputs for the API portfolio in partnership with Finance and Operations.
• Deliver at least 5% year-on-year validated savings against the approved Finance baseline through price optimisation, alternate sourcing, demand optimisation, specification changes, supplier competition and other value levers.
• Use market intelligence, should-cost models, total-cost-of-ownership analysis, cost-driver modelling and scenario planning to improve procurement decisions and budget predictability.
• Lead commercial supplier recommendations and API sourcing strategies, subject to appropriate technical, quality, regulatory, financial and governance approvals.
• Ensure category strategies support new product launches, tender competitiveness, lifecycle management, working-capital improvement and product profitability.

2. Supplier Ecosystem & Commercial Leadership

• Build and maintain a competitive, compliant, innovative and high-performing global API supplier network across Europe, India, China and other strategic sourcing markets.
• Lead major supplier negotiations, long-term agreements, strategic partnerships, commercial escalations and executive-level supplier relationships.
• Establish supplier segmentation and strategic relationship management, including QBRs, supplier scorecards, joint business planning and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Identify, assess and develop new suppliers to improve competitiveness, geographic diversification, innovation and supply resilience.
• Partner with strategic suppliers on process improvements, backward integration, capacity expansion, innovation and structural cost-reduction opportunities.

3. Supply Resilience, Quality, Regulatory & ESG

• Ensure continuity of API and KSM supply across internal manufacturing sites and the external supplier network.
• Develop and implement supply-risk mitigation strategies including dual sourcing, alternate supplier qualification, geographic diversification, inventory strategies and business continuity planning.
• Proactively manage API-specific risks including DMF/CEP dependencies, GMP compliance, raw-material volatility, capacity constraints, supplier financial health, geopolitical exposure and market concentration.
• Partner closely with Quality and Regulatory Affairs on supplier qualification, audit readiness, DMF/CEP alignment, change controls, regulatory compliance and implementation of approved sources.
• Integrate responsible sourcing and ESG expectations into supplier selection, due diligence, supplier performance management and supplier development.

4. Business Partnering, Governance & Transformation

• Act as the senior procurement partner for API-related matters across Operations, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, Supply Chain, Finance, R&D, Portfolio, Commercial and site leadership.
• Ensure early Procurement involvement in new product development, technical transfers, supplier changes, product launches, tenders and lifecycle-management initiatives.
• Lead API category governance, strategy reviews, supplier escalations, executive updates and cross-functional decisions on molecule and supplier strategies.
• Influence strategic business decisions through robust business cases, cost-driver analysis, supplier-risk assessments and data-driven recommendations.
• Partner with the Procurement Centre of Excellence on standardised processes, contract frameworks, digital tools, analytics, ESG integration and continuous improvement.

5. People Leadership & Capability Building

• Lead, develop and motivate a multicultural, geographically distributed API Procurement team.
• Establish clear objectives, KPIs, decision rights and performance expectations.
• Build organisational capability in category strategy, API market intelligence, cost modelling, negotiation, supplier-risk management and stakeholder influence.
• Develop succession depth for critical roles and build future procurement leadership capability.
• Foster a high-performance culture based on trust, accountability, integrity, collaboration, courage, authenticity and continuous improvement.

Candidate Profile

Essential Qualifications & Experience

• 9+ years of procurement or category-management experience, preferably within pharmaceuticals, APIs or related life-sciences industries.
• Proven experience in global category management and supplier relationship management for APIs and/or KSMs.
• Strong experience in major supplier negotiations, alternate sourcing and supply-continuity/business-continuity programmes.
• Strong understanding of global API supplier markets and sourcing dynamics across Europe, India, China and other strategic sourcing regions.
• Working knowledge of GMP, DMF/CEP requirements, supplier qualification, audits, change controls and regulatory implementation.
• Demonstrated track record of delivering significant cost savings, complex negotiations, alternate-source implementation and supply-resilience improvements.
• Strong financial acumen covering COGS, PPV, long-range planning, cost-driver modelling, FX exposure and working capital.
• Proven experience leading multicultural and geographically distributed teams.
• Excellent executive communication, stakeholder-management, negotiation and influencing skills.
• Fluent English communication skills.
• Willingness to travel internationally, approximately 20%.

Preferred Qualifications & Experience

• Experience in complex generics, specialty pharmaceuticals or a high-growth pharmaceutical environment.
• Experience managing strategic API/KSM sourcing across multiple international markets.
• Familiarity with digital procurement platforms such as SAP Ariba, GEP, Coupa, advanced analytics and supplier-risk management platforms.
• Strong understanding of sustainable procurement and ESG principles.
• Additional European or Asian language skills would be an advantage.