Global Category Manager, R&D

Make your mark for patients

We are looking for a Global Category Manager, R&D, who is adaptable, innovative, and comfortable with ambiguity to join our Procurement Team, based in our Raleigh office in North Carolina, United States. This hybrid role (at least 40% of the time in office) is limited to 5% travel domestically. You'll be part of a collaborative and innovative team that values open communication and continuous improvement.

About the Role
You will have responsibility for a specific spend area of the Global R&D outsourced activities and reports into the Global Category Lead. You will collaborate with stakeholders from Clinical Operations within R&D, ensuring alignment and partnership.

Who you’ll work with
Internally, you will work with Clinical Leadership, Strategic Clinical Partnership group, Quality, Legal and Finance. Externally, you will work with contract research organizations.

What you’ll do

• Lead global sourcing strategy for R&D outsourced services, ensuring alignment with Clinical Operations and the Global Category Lead.
• Develop and execute strategic sourcing initiatives to improve service quality, value delivery, and enhance supplier performance.
• Manage supplier relationships to deliver long-term value in quality, delivery, cost, and innovation.
• Conduct market intelligence and benchmarking to identify trends, assess competition, and explore new partnership opportunities.
• Negotiate commercial terms and develop Master Agreements, ensuring best value and compliance with UCB standards.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with stakeholders and contract managers to implement global strategies and transition plans.
• Ensure regulatory compliance with GCP requirements and act as a role model for ethical behavior and UCB values.
• Create business cases for change, including make-versus-buy analyses and budget impact assessments.
• Maintain preferred supplier lists and oversee contract execution, including pricing updates and risk mitigation.
• Support innovation and sustainability goals by leveraging external partnerships and advocating for best-in-class solutions.

Interested? For this role we’re looking for the following education, experience and skills
Minimum Experience/Skills Required:

• Master’s in Procurement, Science, or related area required
• Minimum 10 years of experience in R&D Procurement, preferably Clinical.

Preferred Experience/Skills:

• 5 years of experience clinical procurement within a CRO or pharma environment
• Category Strategy Development: Proven ability to build and execute sourcing strategies aligned with business goals, delivering long-term efficiencies.
• Contracting Expertise: Extensive experience in complex contract negotiation, execution, and lifecycle management.
• Supplier Relationship Management: Skilled in negotiation and conflict resolution, fostering value-driven partnerships.
• Project Leadership: Led procurement initiatives with a focus on delivery, stakeholder alignment, and change management.
• Market Intelligence: Informed decision-making based on global market trends, including currency and geopolitical factors.
• Data-Driven Analysis: Proficient in data analysis tools to support forecasting, risk mitigation, and contract validation.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Strong teamwork and communication with internal stakeholders and contract teams.
• Regulatory & Ethical Compliance: Deep understanding of R&D regulatory environments and commitment to high ethical standards.
• Global Communication: Fluent in English with the ability to lead meetings and negotiations across international teams.

If you are passionate about driving innovation in R&D procurement and want to make a significant impact, we encourage you to apply today!

This positions reasonably anticipated base salary range is $148,000 - $194,300 per year. The actual salary offered will consider internal equity and may also vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, among other factors.

Are you ready to ‘go beyond’ to create value and make your mark for patients? If this sounds like you, then we would love to hear from you!

About us
UCB is a global biopharmaceutical company, focusing on neurology and immunology. We are around 8,500 people in all four corners of the globe, inspired by patients and driven by science.

Why work with us?
At UCB, we don’t just complete tasks, we create value. We aren’t afraid to push forward, collaborate, and innovate to make our mark for patients. We have a caring, supportive culture where everyone feels included, respected, and has equal opportunities to do their best work. We ‘go beyond’ to create value for our patients, and always with a human focus, whether that’s on our patients, our employees, or our planet. Working for us, you will discover a place where you can grow, and have the freedom to carve your own career path to achieve your full potential.

UCB is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions will be made without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. UCB invites you to voluntarily self-identify during the application process. Provision of self-identification information is entirely voluntary and a decision to provide or not provide such information will not have any effect on your application for employment, your employment with UCB, or otherwise subject you to any adverse treatment. Any information you provide will be considered confidential and will be kept separate from your application and/or personnel file and will only be used in accordance with applicable laws, orders, and regulations.

Should you require any adjustments to our process to assist you in demonstrating your strengths and capabilities contact us on US-Reasonable_Accommodation@ucb.com for application to US based roles. Please note should your enquiry not relate to adjustments; we will not be able to support you through this channel.