Discovery Research Procurement Lead, R&D Procurement

Role Summary

The Discovery Research Procurement Lead oversees the Research Procurement Category Team and manages a large annual spend on preclinical external services, lab supplies, and equipment for R&D, GMS, GQ, and global manufacturing, supporting Research, Pharma Sciences, and Development. The role drives category strategy, supplier management, and cross-functional collaboration to deliver savings, governance, and value across R&D and related functions.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with key stakeholders globally to meet regional and global goals.
• Serve as a senior, influential leader impacting decisions within Takeda R&D and beyond to deliver high-quality strategy and outcomes.
• Socialize procurement and category management best practices within the business and promote sustainable purchasing decisions.
• Champion procurement policy and initiatives (Ways of Working, Sustainability, Supplier Diversity, etc.).
• Provide strategic guidance on annual planning, budgeting, and forecasting; align inputs with the procurement annual plan.
• Challenge category stakeholders based on Patient-Trust-Reputation-Business decisions as part of decision making.
• Develop strong relationships with supporting functions to ensure alignment on procurement topics.
• Lead category strategy development and management to meet objectives, savings targets, KPIs, and ESG initiatives.
• Oversee category initiatives (councils, risk management, cash flow, etc.) to align with regional/global requirements.
• Create and execute procurement annual plans using market intelligence; collaborate with global/regional teams and functions to implement effective strategies and buying channels.
• Communicate category strategies and KPIs to internal stakeholders and senior management.
• Ensure effective internal category management processes for timely issue resolution.
• Drive a frictionless day-to-day buying experience and maintain best-practice procurement content and channels.
• Realize savings through rates, demand management, and supplier negotiations.
• Lead cross-functional discussions to drive process and system improvements for better value realization.
• Provide regular feedback to operational buyers for continuous improvement.
• Coach and develop the category team, establish clear roles, manage performance, and support development plans.
• Lead negotiations to secure favorable terms and ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
• Foster a high-performance, collaborative, and inclusive team culture; manage change and ensure training compliance.

Qualifications

• BA/BS required; MBA or Master’s with a Supply Chain/Procurement emphasis preferred.
• 15+ years of strategic and operational procurement experience with category management and advanced sourcing techniques.
• 15+ years in biotech/pharma or similarly regulated industries with progressive procurement leadership.
• Deep knowledge of Category Management and Supplier Relationship Management; experience managing large teams.
• Experience in complex global environments; strong stakeholder management and business partnering skills.
• Proven ability to lead category strategy development and execution; experience in executing operational buying activities.
• Strong financial acumen and change management capabilities.

Skills

• Strategic thinking and multi-tasking with strong leadership capabilities.
• Excellent interpersonal communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
• Category strategy creation and execution; operational buying expertise.
• Stakeholder engagement and business partnering; budgeting and planning support.
• Change management and process improvement; proficiency with Microsoft Office.

Location

• Hybrid role based in Cambridge, MA with onsite expectation of at least 8 days per month; must reside within commutable distance.