Sourcing Manager - Clinical Trial Management

Overview

Sourcing Manager for Clinical Trial Management (R&D) categories, owning end-to-end source-to-contract for defined spend thresholds, with CROs, functional service providers, site networks and clinical trial delivery partners as the primary anchor category.

What you'll do

• Develop and execute sourcing strategies aligned with Global Category Manager direction and business needs.
• Identify and drive value levers (cost, demand, innovation, risk, ESG) and support Category Managers to drive value.
• Lead negotiations with suppliers, driving value and competitive advantage to Takeda.
• Own relationships with suppliers and stakeholders when managed by the value delivery team.
• Develop and own sourcing strategies for Clinical Trial Management categories aligned with business priorities and category strategies.
• Prepare sourcing events and align with Central Finance on RFx execution.
• Maintain the project pipeline in Wave and drive continuous improvement against quality targets.
• Act as primary procurement interface for Clinical Operations, Clinical Development, R&D Finance, Quality (GCP), Legal and Privacy in sourcing.
• Challenge demand, specifications and sourcing approaches constructively.
• Socialize procurement best practices (preferred suppliers, SoW optimization, BuyEasy@Takeda etc.).
• Collaborate with business partners, Procurement CoE, Finance and Takeda Business Solutions.
• Support supplier selection decisions, segmentation and performance governance; support strategic supplier relationships and escalate risks to Sourcing Lead.
• Implement and enforce standardized sourcing templates, playbooks and workflows.
• Identify opportunities for automation with digital and AI for process optimization and simplification.
• Deliver value through supplier relationships, governance and performance management across the Clinical Trial Management portfolio.
• Identify and mitigate supply chain risks to ensure business continuity and patient supply security; develop contingency and alternative sourcing plans.
• Lead negotiations and contract finalization for assigned sourcing events within defined thresholds, using should-cost models and benchmarks.
• Ensure alignment with Category Manager, Legal, Finance and risk frameworks.
• Support delivery of savings targets and value realization; contribute to supplier risk management and compliance.
• Ensure alignment with Takeda procurement policies and governance standards; drive CI and performance management of KPIs.
• Collaborate with operational buyers in Central Finance on execution and service delivery; ensure smooth handover of sourcing inputs and outputs for operational RFx execution.
• Lead sourcing and negotiation for full-service CRO, FSP and hybrid delivery models, including preferred provider governance.
• Analyse and negotiate unit-based clinical pricing (unit cost, pass-through, overhead, FTE rates, change orders) and benchmark against market data.
• Partner with Clinical Operations on protocol-driven demand, study bid defence and resourcing assumptions.
• Manage change-order exposure and study budget re-forecasting across the trial lifecycle.
• Ensure contracting aligns with GCP, ICH, data privacy (GDPR/HIPAA), inspection readiness and transparency/disclosure requirements.

What you'll need

• Bachelor degree in relevant field.
• 12+ years in procurement, sourcing or shared services.
• In-depth knowledge of strategic sourcing, with ability to leverage digital and AI improvements in ways of working.
• Strong commercial acumen and negotiation experience; ability to define strategies using should-cost models and benchmarks for professional services and marketing spend.
• Experience managing complex business stakeholders across Clinical Operations, Pharma Sciences, Finance, Legal and Business Units.
• Proficiency with SAP Ariba or equivalent eSourcing tools; experience with Wave pipeline management.
• Understanding of clinical development phases, protocol cost drivers and GCP/ICH requirements.
• Experience with CRO bid grids, unit-cost and FTE-rate models, pass-through vs. direct fee structures and change-order control.
• Familiarity with Master Service Agreements, Work Orders and clinical benchmarking data sources.
• Exceptionally skilled at stakeholder management; proven ability to manage senior, cross-functional stakeholders.
• Collaborative and diplomatic, with a track record of operating successfully with limited day-to-day direction and ambiguity.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Exceptional oral and written communication and presentation skills.
• Extensive experience using Microsoft desktop applications (e.g. PowerPoint, Excel) and experience using Generative / Agentic AI.
• Fluent written and spoken English.

Nice to have

• Experience with indirect categories.
• Experience working in a complex global environment.

Details

• Location: IND - Bengaluru.
• Worker type: Employee; sub-type: Regular.
• Time type: Full time.