Procurement Manager - Johannesburg at AstraZeneca

What you’ll do?

• Here you will be leading the procurement team supporting SA and SSA markets. You will drive Procurement Strategy, oversee Supply/Procurement activities and be responsible for supplier relationship management. You will handle complex management issues and provide guidance/coaching to more junior staff on sourcing and other business-related issues. You will be the first contact person for the business in all regards related to Procurement driven activities. As part of your role, you ensure all sourcing arrangements are successful and aligned to the company and Middle East and Africa Area strategy, and manage supplier relationships at a strategic level while bringing all the possible benefits to business.

Typical Accountabilities will include:

• Handles complex management issues and provides guidance to more junior staff on sourcing-related issues. Ensures all sourcing arrangements are successful and aligned to company and area strategy and manages supplier relationships at a strategic level. Otherwise, may be responsible for strategic planning, relationship management and reviews of existing supplier arrangements for an entire spend category for a region or all of AstraZeneca.
• Acts as lead for a significant functional area within procurement or manages a group of smaller functions.
• Contributes to the development, and drives implementation, of operational plans to achieve procurement strategy objectives.
• Ensures procurement processes and supplier management are implemented in line with identified AstraZeneca policies, procedures and standards, to achieve agreed scope.
• Provides technical guidance to team members and customers on procurement processes by using existing knowledge and experience and by seeking out information to resolve problems.
• Manages and monitors supplier spend against budgeted targets.
• Investigate current and future procurement needs, communicating them appropriately and translating them into specific requirements.
• Manages the demand and supply activities within areas of responsibility within procurement.
• Oversees the introduction of new processes from the identification of business need, through to the timely introduction and formal acceptance of the change by all customers.
• Leads individuals within own section of Procurement to deliver the highest levels of performance and maintain both function and supplier relations.
• Provides clear leadership, direction, communication and development opportunities to enable the team to meets its objectives
• In conjunction with Global Procurement Group, identifies and leads improvement initiatives and project teams in support of longer-term business strategy. Develops and maintains Service Level Agreements
• Develops and cultivates technical expertise and knowledge within project team or broader Procurement function by disseminating best practices and sharing knowledge across functions and project teams.
• KPI’s include but not limited to savings, extended payment terms, vendor optimization, governance & compliance activities.
• Must be able to engage and manage Suppliers and Stakeholder relationships.
• Able to extrapolate required spend reports from SAP to support business requests e.g. BBBEE spend.
• Analyzing market trends and supplier landscape
• Providing insights and recommendations to senior management and suppliers
• Spotting and exploiting emerging trends and technologies.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

• Completed Bachelor’s degree in Commerce – Procurement and/or Supply Chain Management
• Post Grad Degree will be advantageous
• Degree plus 5 years’ experience in procurement including 4 of which must be in an operational environment within the pharmaceutical, Medical, Retail, and/or FMCG industry.
• 2 years of Project management, change management and people management skills
• Knowledge of PPPFA and BBBEE.
• Significant experience in a similar environment at a management level
• Sound understanding of Safety, Health and Environment
• Ensure team compliance with the code of ethics.
• Strong negotiation skills (contracts with suppliers)
• Technical expertise in at least one Procurement area, and competence in several others
• Demonstrating a keen awareness of strategic opportunities and effectively engaging others in innovative thinking to drive outcomes. Proficiency in influencing stakeholders across various functions (including Brand Management, Finance, Legal, Operations, and Procurement) to formulate and execute strategic plans and foster productive relationships, resulting in exceptional performance.
• Excellent Communication skills with a passion for Purchasing / Marketing & Finance
• Leadership Capability: knowledge transfer to junior team.
• Relationship Building and Maintenance - Exhibit proficiency in orchestrating high-level engagements with internal stakeholders, suppliers, and agencies, fostering collaboration across diverse functions, regions, and cultural contexts. Possess adept interpersonal skills to cultivate relationships and exert influence, particularly in navigating remote interactions. Dedicate substantial time and effort to managing supplier relationships, devising supplier relationship management strategies, and implementing joint business plans.
• Communication skills and ability to influence others.
• Comfort with risk and ambiguous situations