Senior Procurement Specialist/Category Manager

Your Tasks

We are building our procurement function from the ground up within a Swiss-based medical laboratory environment. This is not a role where processes are already in place and you simply maintain them. We need someone who thrives in ambiguity, who can operate autonomously from day one, and who is comfortable toggling between hands-on tactical purchasing work and high-impact strategic initiatives.

As our Category Manager, you will own both direct and indirect procurement categories, develop sourcing strategies, and drive measurable cost savings — all while handling the daily operational realities of a procurement function that is still maturing. You will work closely with a global procurement team and will need to navigate cultural, regulatory, and operational differences with ease.

This role is ideal for someone who is energised by building, not just managing. If you have spent your career in highly structured procurement organisations where everything was already defined, this position will challenge you. If, on the other hand, you have a track record of creating order from complexity and delivering results in imperfect conditions, we want to hear from you.

About This Role

Strategic Work

• Develop and implement category strategies across direct (laboratory consumables, reagents, medical devices, scientific equipment) and indirect (facilities, IT, professional services, MRO) spend categories, tailored to Swiss market dynamics and aligned with global procurement direction.

• Lead sourcing events end-to-end: from market analysis and specification development through RFx execution, negotiation, supplier selection, and contract award.

• Drive change projects that deliver significant, quantifiable cost savings — not just price reductions, but total cost of ownership improvements, demand management initiatives, and process efficiencies.

• Manage Capex procurement for medical equipment, laboratory instruments, and facility investments: define technical specifications, evaluate proposals with stakeholders, and optimise total cost of ownership in compliance with industry regulations.

• Build and maintain a supplier performance management framework, including regular business reviews, KPI tracking, and corrective action plans.

• Coordinate with the Global Category Manager to ensure Swiss strategies contribute to — and benefit from — the company’s global supplier agreements and procurement policies. Day-to-Day Operational Work

• Manage requisitions, and resolve supplier issues in a timely manner — this function is still building its maturity, and tactical execution is a part of the workload today.

• Support the transition and adoption of procurement tools and systems, including ERP environments (experience with SAP, Dynamics 365, Coupa, or equivalent is relevant).

• Collaborate daily with finance, supply chain, quality, and laboratory teams to ensure procurement decisions support operational needs.

• Ensure compliance with corporate procurement guidelines, Swiss regulatory requirements, and industry best practices

Your Profile

We are deliberately specific below. We want to attract candidates who genuinely recognise themselves in this description — not those who simply match keywords.

Required Experience and Competencies

• A minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in procurement, category management, or strategic sourcing, with demonstrable exposure to both direct and indirect categories.
• Proven experience managing Capex procurement — ideally in the medical, pharmaceutical, or life sciences sector. If your Capex experience is from another regulated industry, explain the parallels in your application.
• A track record of delivering cost savings or value improvements through change projects, not just routine negotiations. We will ask you to quantify specific examples.
• Hands-on experience working in a low-maturity or developing procurement function — you kno