Asst Sourcing Manager Indirect Spends Strategic Sourcing

Overview

Intermediate-level Assistant Sourcing Manager role in Indirect Spend Strategic Sourcing, executing P2P and sourcing activities, supplier negotiations and category management for assigned categories.

What you'll do

• Review purchase requisitions and create POs for the NA/EU/AMEA regions.
• Export and analyse SAP BW reports; work with accounts payable transactions and reports in SAP.
• Source vendors for assigned projects and float RFPs for assigned categories.
• Obtain market intelligence data and maintain a repository of contracts.
• Handle supplier negotiations, contract management, supplier mentorship, supplier relationship management, S2C, stakeholder management, risk management and category management.
• Conduct market research for indirect commodities, including global subcategories individually.
• Run market assessments, prequalification and RFQ processes; issue RFQs, evaluate quotations and negotiate commercial terms.
• Select the most appropriate suppliers through objective criteria to meet business needs.
• Achieve systematic and sustainable cost reductions through strengthened spend and category management processes.
• Manage renegotiations with suppliers at contract renewal; manage supplier relations, monitor performance and follow up supplier development activities.
• Maintain the contract archive system and ensure compliance with company guidelines, purchasing policies and procedures.
• With the global category manager, identify areas for improvement and cost reduction.
• Evaluate supplier core competencies and competitive positioning using industry cost models and benchmarking analysis.
• Manage sourcing and supplier engagement fundamentals including RFx, spend pattern analysis, contract analysis, bid evaluation, auctions, negotiations and supplier consolidation.
• Process requests to meet and exceed defined KPIs and Service Level requirements set by the business unit, centre or stakeholder.
• Upskill process knowledge periodically and work in a team to achieve team goals and objectives.
• Develop, implement and manage market analyses and benchmarking processes, using key insights to inform the category strategy process.
• Partner with leadership teams to identify cost-saving opportunities, centralised sourcing in place of standalone sourcing, and avoidance of maverick spend.
• Establish strong relationships with internal business stakeholders and understand strategic business direction, requirements and priorities.
• Uphold VWR culture and values at all times.
• Identify and drive savings and controllership improvements with business and finance colleagues, focusing on total cost of ownership.
• Provide guidance to internal stakeholders on procurement strategies and maintain procurement ethics in line with global policies.
• Act as Finance Business Partner for the indirect sourcing operations team, providing forward-looking analysis of indirect spend.
• Initiate discussions and reviews with business partners to support key business decisions.
• Provide in-depth analysis of global indirect spend analytics by supplier, region, category and other dimensions using AFO, SAP and QlikView.
• Identify and propose productivity opportunities; analyse trends and provide proactive recommendations highlighting business risks and opportunities.
• Partner with Finance and Operations leadership on ad hoc projects and reporting.
• Assess existing KPIs and reports, identify gaps, propose changes and drive business results.
• Partner with FP&A and accounting teams to avoid wrong cost allocation; contribute to performance reviews and key business-specific or global initiatives.
• Map existing processes and implement efficiency improvements, including process simplifications and adoption of best practices.
• Prepare process documentation, review it periodically, and prepare financial analysis for what-if and sensitivity scenarios.
• Coach and mentor new team members through transitions and knowledge-sharing sessions.

What you'll need

• Master's degree in Materials Management, or bachelor's degree in science, commerce, engineering or economics with relevant experience in indirect spend strategic sourcing.
• Minimum 10-14 years of experience in indirect spend strategic sourcing (S2C), preferably in MNCs, captive finance shared services organisations, global centres or reputed Indian manufacturing companies.
• Working knowledge of finance aspects including FP&A, accounting, integrated supply chain and costing.
• Experience leveraging financial and business systems to monitor business activities and aid decision-making.
• Hands-on experience in supplier negotiations, auctions and advanced negotiation methods, supplier relationship management, data analytics, Power BI, and use of AI/Copilot in sourcing activities.
• Knowledge of category strategy, vendor markets, and indirect and economic megatrends.
• Comfortable working in a matrix environment with multiple stakeholders, including executives, managers and stakeholders across regions and functions.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and analytical skills; demonstrated leadership; ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and explain business performance with data.
• Computer proficiency with strong ERP knowledge, preferably SAP, plus MS Office, Tableau, Alteryx, QlikView and HFM.
• Transformation mindset, open to change in ways of working, structure and content; independent, self-starter and highly motivated.

Nice to have

• Prior experience working with pharma companies.
• Six Sigma or Lean training.
• Strong affinity with LEAN processes and tools.
• Basic understanding of SaaS and on-prem licensing models, and literacy on software landscape and IT trends.

Details

• Location: Pune, India.
• Willingness to work in any shift.
• Flexibility for lateral movement across business functions.