Category Manager – Raw Materials

Location: San Rafael, CA

15-month W2 contract assignment

Pay: $50/ HR

About The Role

Our client, a world leader pharmaceutical manufacturing company who focuses on delivering therapeutics that provide meaningful advances to patients who live with serious and life-threatening rare genetic diseases, is looking for a Category Manager – Raw Materials to join their Procurement team. This strategic role is responsible for developing and executing category strategies in close partnership with functional stakeholders. You will support the full contract lifecycle, lead supplier negotiations, and ensure value realization and high supplier performance through effective management practices.

Key Responsibilities

Category Strategy Development

• Collaborate with business functions to drive execution of a multi-year value creation pipeline.
• Utilize spend analytics and market intelligence to identify cost-saving and innovation opportunities.
• Maintain deep understanding of supplier capabilities and financial health to support supplier selection.
  
  

Contract Management

• Negotiate and manage supplier contracts in collaboration with Legal and stakeholders.
• Ensure contracts are robust, comprehensive, and meet business needs.
  
  

Supplier & Stakeholder Relationship Management

• Foster strong supplier relationships and represent the business at an enterprise level.
• Lead cross-functional category council meetings and participate in RMAB.
• Resolve supplier issues by partnering with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Legal, and other internal functions.
• Support new product introductions and technology transfers.
• Track and report on supplier performance and value realization using scorecards and KPIs.
  
  

Operational & Process Excellence

• Maintain data accuracy in systems such as PowerBI, SharePoint, GEP Smart, Coupa/Ariba, and Oracle/SAP.
• Support new item setup, SCNs, supplier investigations, and timely closure of CRs and deviations.
• Lead and execute sourcing processes (RFx), including evaluation, selection, and contracting.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance procurement processes and tools.
  
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Life Sciences, Finance, or Supply Chain.
• 3–5+ years of procurement experience with category management and sourcing expertise.
• 1–3+ years of experience in the biotech/life sciences industry.
• Solid understanding of GMP manufacturing processes and compliance.
• Proficiency in procurement systems; experience with Ariba and SAP preferred.
• Strong interpersonal, negotiation, and analytical skills.
• Proven ability to operate on cross-functional and global teams.
• Effective problem-solving skills aligned with organizational goals.
  
  

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