Category Lead - Lab/Scientific/Academic

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Procure products, equipment, services and arrange for leases and rentals.
Coordinate and conduct negotiations with suppliers to achieve business objectives with a positive result.
Develop new sources of supply as needed. Evaluate and select vendors. Perform strategic sourcing activities utilizing an array of e-procurement tools.
Negotiate, write and revise contracts ensuring they include preferential commercial terms, adherence to relevant laws/regulations and risk mitigation.
Build and maintain strong working relationships with internal customers and enhance working relationships with preferred key suppliers.
Establish category metrics and savings targets, monitor performance, and communicate these to stakeholders.
Develop a working knowledge of relevant industry trends and issues, market conditions, audit process and ethical standards governing relationships between buyer and seller.
Participates in portfolio category strategy development and implementation activities leveraging current and future business requirements, market intelligence, and historical spend to drive cost reduction, enterprise consistency, and business value.
Develops and maintains collaborative relationships with stakeholders to ensure strategy alignment to divisional needs over time as well as work collaboratively with Johns Hopkins Health System where interests align.
Provides category specific subject matter expertise and insights to internal clients and regular status updates of all projects to leadership.
Maintains expertise in the spend category through relationships with internal customers, suppliers and market experts.
Participates in the processing and maintenance of purchase orders, contracts and proposals for clients and vendors, per the spend category.
Accountable for the negotiation and establishment of preferential commercial terms with suppliers and directing, preparing and reviewing related legal contracts.
Works with legal, internal audit and other related compliance groups to ensure category strategies and supplier contracts account for relevant laws, regulations, and risk policies.
Acts as change agent and advocate for procurement as a value-added partner.
Performs other duties as assigned.

Special Skills and Knowledge

Keen negotiation skills.
Be comfortable working in a de-centralized procurement environment.
Familiarity with applicable state and federal laws and regulations helpful.
Experience in use of eSourcing tools to enable optimal strategic outcomes.
Experience compiling and analyzing data to identify trends.
Knowledge of P2P process.
Ability to process multiple projects, set priorities and work independently.
Strong analytical and financial skills.
Strong oral and written communication.
Proficiency in MS Suite (Microsoft Word, Power Point, Project, Excel) and eSourcing tools.
Knowledge of SAP a plus.
Applies flexible approach to achieving category results in dynamic situations.
Innovative Thinking: Proven ability to connect ideas, events, and circumstances to find solutions to business problems or goals.
Contract knowledge of both commercial and legal terms.
Ability to work independently. Energetic and self-motivated.

Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor's Degree.
Two years of experience in purchasing or strategic sourcing.
Additional education may substitute for required experience and additional related experience may substitute for required education beyond a high school diploma/graduation equivalent, to the extent permitted by the JHU equivalency formula.

Preferred Qualifications
Bachelor’s Degree required*, preferably in Supply Chain Management or related discipline. CPM or CPSM preferred.
Additional year of progressive procurement experience, preferably designing and implementing successful Administration, Facilities & Construction category portfolio strategies.

Technical Qualifications & Specialized Certifications

Proficiency in MS Office.

Technical Skills & Expected Level of Proficiency

Analytical Skills - Developing
Category Management - Developing
Data Management and Analysis - Developing
Influencing Skills - Developing
Negotiation - Developing
Procurement Industry Knowledge - Developing
Supplier Performance Management - Developing
Supplier Relationship Management - Developing
Strategic Sourcing - Developing