Category Associate – Contingent Labor

Overview

Category Associate in Takeda's Indirect Procurement team, supporting the global Contingent Labor category strategy and its execution through market and supplier insights, data-driven analysis and delivery of procurement initiatives.

What you'll do

• Co-lead development and execute the global Contingent Labor category strategy, independently owning assigned subcategories, initiatives and stakeholder relationships.
• Lead assigned category initiatives from opportunity identification through strategy development, sourcing, negotiation, implementation and value realization.
• Proactively identify opportunities across cost, innovation, risk, sustainability and operational performance through stakeholder engagement, spend analysis, supplier intelligence and market insights.
• Maintain an actionable pipeline of opportunities and recommendations.
• Establish and independently manage relationships with assigned global and regional stakeholders, translating business priorities into actionable procurement and category initiatives.
• Develop and deliver category updates, recommendations, supplier evaluations and business cases to Procurement and business stakeholders, including senior stakeholders as appropriate.
• Lead category, stakeholder and supplier meetings, including agendas, recommendations, decisions, actions and follow through.
• Lead assigned supplier selection, onboarding, segmentation, negotiations, governance, performance management, compliance and risk management activities.
• Operate with a high degree of independence within approved category strategies and governance, and escalate material commercial, risk or strategic matters when appropriate.
• Collaborate with the Value Delivery Team, Takeda Business Solutions, Finance, Legal, regional Procurement teams and other cross-functional partners to ensure execution and realization of procurement value.

What you'll need

• Bachelor degree
• 10-12+ years of experience in procurement, category management, strategic sourcing, supply chain, or a related business function
• Understanding of category management, sourcing, supplier management, and procurement processes, with the ability to support category strategy execution
• Experience supporting category activities, supplier evaluations, contract administration, and procurement project delivery
• Strong analytical skills to interpret spend data, market intelligence, supplier information, and performance metrics to support business decisions
• Solid commercial and financial acumen and understanding of procurement principles, including supplier negotiations, cost drivers, and value creation opportunities
• Subject-matter expertise in Contingent Labor related spend categories, or similar categories, in healthcare, biotech or pharmaceutical industry
• Ability to conduct market research and develop insights on supplier markets, industry trends, and competitive dynamics
• Strong stakeholder collaboration and communication skills across procurement, business, finance, legal, and operational teams
• Demonstrated learning agility and continuous improvement mindset, with interest in developing category expertise and leveraging digital, automation, and AI-enabled solutions
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, matrixed environment
• Proven project management skills, including planning, execution, stakeholder alignment, risk management, and delivery of strategic sourcing projects across multiple business functions
• Experience working with ERP systems and procurement platforms such as SAP Ariba, Wave, or equivalent solutions
• Fluent written and spoken English
• Flexibility to participate in occasional meetings and presentations across global time zones

Nice to have

• Relevant academic background

Details

• Location: Bengaluru, India
• Work mode: Hybrid
• Employment type: Full time, regular employee
• Primary collaboration aligned to India-based working hours