Role Description
Zoetis Research & Development is seeking an experienced Category Sourcing Associate to support Capital Laboratory Equipment. As part of the Vendor & Contract Management (VCM) team, this position will guide the selection, development and management of lab equipment suppliers. The ideal candidate will have experience with asset acquisition, cost and term negotiations, asset lifecycles, and vendor and internal stakeholder relations. The position is part of the VCM team consisting of Purchasing Associates (PAs), Category Sourcing Managers (CSMs), & Contract Managers (CMs). This role will work closely with the Lab Instrument Team Lead and head of Laboratory Instrument Support, and in tandem will support many stakeholders across numerous sites in a very dynamic environment.
Responsibilities:
- Partner closely with Lab Instrument Team Lead and R&D line representatives to issue RFPs/competitive bids for large dollar purchases and service contracts.
- Review capital equipment requests, including pricing and business terms. Submit purchase requests into the R&D purchase and legal request system, SPARC. Monitor and approve invoices, deliveries, and associated logistics of purchase.
- Review Purchase Orders (POs) and partner closely with Procurement Associates and Contract Managers to ensure POs are executed with proper legal documentation, pricing, and financial coding.
- Negotiate pricing and deliverables on each purchase. Work closely with Contract Management to ensure the proper legal agreements are negotiated with each purchase.
- Seek opportunities to obtain volume discounts, rebates, and other cost savings.
- Work with other Category Managers in VCM and Indirect Procurement to find advantageous pairings of instrument purchases, service contracts and consumables purchasing from key/select vendors. Ensure scope of purchases is understood and participate actively in managing the vendor's deliverables and performance.
- Works closely with stakeholders in VCM, the capital strategy lead and the laboratories in the pursuit of instrument purchases and instrument lifecycle management.
- Seeks to understand factors that influence and impact asset utilization potential, cost of ownership and business value potential to assist the organization in making current and future asset decisions.
- Seeks and promotes continuous improvement in processes related to scientific asset lifecycle management
- Stays current with the evolution of the science and business needs of the key stakeholders.
- Maintains accurate and highly organized records of procurement activities, asset lifecycle activities and other key sources of information for financial reporting and auditability.
- Works closely with laboratory equipment maintenance and support engineers and facilities planning, safety, and operations teams to ensure new assets can be adequately supported and are compatible with site utility and environmental standards.
- Visit vendors or other Zoetis sites as business needs arise.
- Organize vendor visits and initial vendor discussions in partnership with colleagues.
- Contribute to formalizing a clean process for lab equipment purchasing, including on-site equipment demo's.
Required Qualifications:
- 2-5 Years of Buyer/Sourcing experience in R&D, preferably pharma/chemical industry.
- Bachelor's degree in Science, Procurement, or similar business discipline.
- Experience in negotiating with suppliers (contract, pricing, issue resolution, etc.)
- Ability to work well with colleagues at all levels of the organizationMaintain uncompromising focus on high quality standards, cost reduction and speed for obtaining laboratory instruments and service contracts to support the portfolio.
- Experience in supplier performance and relationship management (methods, tools, practice)
- Abilities in achieving cost savings across vendors & minimizing sourcing bottlenecks for achieving efficient laboratory instrument purchasing against a competitive budget.
- Excellent leadership, communication and interpersonal interactions skills. Can handle multiple tasks in the fast-paced and challenging environment with better stress management.
- Ability to visualize larger picture while working on detailed approaches to a targeted conclusion.
- Excellent in prioritization of various tasks with high level of self-motivation and 'will-do' attitude.
- Strong sense of Customer Service with external and internal customers.
- Ability to work with minimal oversight in complex environment.
- Strong Computer skills (Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.)
- Understanding & ability to navigate Procure-to-Pay (P2P) process (i.e. POs & invoices)
- Ability to travel up to 5% of the time.
- Ability to be on site every day (not a remote or hybrid role)
- Scientific or Pharmaceutical background with exposure to R&D lab environment & equipment
- Understanding of basic financial accounting (capital vs. expense) and budget management
Desired Qualifications:
- Understanding of Third Party Risk Management, Anti-Bribery/Anti-Corruption, and other compliance policies
- Skilled in procurement systems such as SAP, Ariba, etc.
- Presentation Skills
- Understanding of the drug development process, both small & large molecules
- Knowledge of Cost Breakup Analysis & TCO(Total cost of Ownership)
About Zoetis
At Zoetis, our purpose is to nurture the world and humankind by advancing care for animals. As a Fortune 500 company and the world leader in animal health, we discover, develop, manufacture and commercialize vaccines, medicines, diagnostics and other technologies for companion animals and livestock. We know our people drive our success. Our award-winning culture, built around our Core Beliefs, focuses on our colleagues' careers, connection and support. We offer competitive healthcare and retirement savings benefits, along with an array of benefits, policies and programs to support employee well-being in every sense, from health and financial wellness to family and lifestyle resources.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Connected to our purpose and Core Beliefs, at Zoetis, we lead with inclusion. Our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) focus helps create an environment where each colleague can thrive. Our commitment to DE&I begins with our leadership team of diverse backgrounds, experiences and ethnicities, and it is demonstrated in our support of our colleagues and the animal health industry. We have nine colleague resources groups whose members spread awareness, foster inclusivity and make a positive impact on our business and communities.
Our commitment to advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has earned us recognitions as a 2024 Catalyst Award recipient and a Top 50 Company for Workplace Fairness by Fair360 (formerly DiversityInc). Zoetis has also been named a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality, a Best Company for Working Parents, a Top Company for Executive Women, among many others. Learn more here.
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