Category Leader - General & Administrative

Position Overview

As Category Leader - General & Administrative, you are responsible for leading and executing sourcing activities across General & Administrative categories, including People & Organization services, Consulting.

Operating in a highly competitive, cost-sensitive, and regulated generics pharmaceutical environment, the role is critical to ensuring service quality, supplier performance, compliance, business continuity, and cost efficiency while supporting organizational effectiveness and employee experience across the Group.

You act as a strategic procurement partner to P&O, Finance, Facilities, Legal, Compliance, and business stakeholders.

You independently drive sourcing initiatives, supplier interactions, and contract negotiations within your scope, while supporting category strategy development and working under the direction of the Category Manager for broader strategic initiatives and long-term category priorities.

Key Responsibilities

• Category Strategy & Value Creation
• Actively support the development, updates, and periodic review of the Global General & Administrative category strategy, working closely with the Category Manager and procurement leadership.
• Proactively gather and consolidate business requirements, demand forecasts, service specifications, and consumption patterns to ensure category strategies are aligned with business priorities.

• Contribute to the execution of category strategies across

• People & Organization services (recruitment agencies, RPO, temporary workforce, learning & development, HR services)
• Consulting services
• Support the alignment of category strategies with business objectives, employee experience initiatives, cost competitiveness, sustainability goals, and policy requirements.
• Contribute to value creation initiatives beyond savings, including supplier consolidation, demand management, process simplification, service standardization, digital learning solutions and transformation programs.
• Monitor market trends including labor market dynamics, consulting rates, and emerging service delivery models, translating insights into sourcing recommendations and category inputs.
• G&A Sourcing and Procurement Execution
• Execute category plans and lead sourcing activities for assigned sub-categories, including RFIs, RFQs, RFPs, supplier evaluations, commercial assessments, procurement recommendations, and contract implementation in line with the strategy defined by the Category Manager.
• Conduct commercial evaluations, including pricing analysis, benchmarking, total cost of ownership (TCO), rate card analysis, and service model comparisons.
• Ensure structured and competitive supplier selection processes.
• Lead contract negotiations covering commercial terms, service levels, pricing structures, performance commitments, and contractual risk mitigation.
• Act as a key procurement contact for stakeholders, translating business demands into sourcing strategies and procurement actions.
• Support supplier onboarding and qualification activities, ensuring required legal, compliance, insurance, ESG, and contractual documentation is in place.
• Ensure contracts align with agreed commercial terms, internal policies, and compliance requirements.
• Supplier Relationship Management (SRM)
• Lead supplier interactions and negotiations within defined scope, focusing on pricing, service quality, operational performance, innovation, and value creation.
• Manage strategic and operational supplier relationships across G&A categories.
• Identify and drive cost optimization opportunities, including supplier consolidation, demand aggregation, specification optimization, and contract harmonization.
• Support the implementation and continuous improvement of the SRM framework defined by the Category Manager.
• Monitor supplier performance through KPIs, scorecards, service reviews, and governance meetings.
• Coordinate corrective action plans and continuous improvement initiatives with suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Ensure supplier risk mitigation plans are in place, including business continuity, workforce availability, service continuity, and contractual compliance considerations.
• Cross-functional Collaboration
• Act as a key procurement partner to Procurement Co E, P&O, Finance, Legal, Compliance, and business stakeholders.
• Serve as primary procurement contact for routine sourcing requests and category-related initiatives.
• Support Category Manager-led transformation programs.
• Collaborate in cross-functional sourcing projects and support larger tenders and procurement initiatives across the Group.
• Mentor and provide practical guidance to Buyers supporting G&A categories.
• Cost Management & Budget/LRP exercise
• Deliver targeted savings and cost-control initiatives identified within the category plan and ensure appropriate documentation and validation of results.
• Support Procurement Co E and Finance in monitoring savings delivery, budget adherence, and spend evolution across G&A categories.
• Contribute to demand management initiatives, policy compliance programs, and consumption optimization measures.
• Participate in annual Budget and Long-Range Planning (LRP) exercises.
• Support budget alignment, cost forecasting, spend visibility, and variance analysis activities.
• Sustainability & ESG Integration
• Embed ESG criteria into supplier selection and supplier performance management processes.
• Promote responsible workforce practices, supplier diversity.
• Support suppliers in implementing sustainability improvement initiatives.
• Track and report sustainability KPIs aligned with corporate ESG objectives and reporting requirements.
• Governance & Compliance
• Ensure full compliance with internal procurement policies, labor, mobility, and ethical standards and pharmaceutical industry requirements
• Maintain accurate documentation, contracts, and supplier records.
• Support audit readiness and continuous improvement of procurement governance.
• Required Qualifications & Skills
• Master’s degree in Procurement, Business, HR, or related field.
• 5 - 8 years of experience in strategic sourcing or category management, category strategy preferably in with exposure to G&A categories within the pharmaceutical or FMCG sector.
• Proven track record in managing global suppliers and delivering complex procurement projects.
• Fluent in English (written and spoken); additional languages are a plus.
• Advanced negotiation, stakeholder management, and project leadership skills.
• Our Recruitment Process

To be considered for this role, please apply in our Applicant tracking system and refrain from sending your CV via email.

Upon the completion of sourcing (CV collection) period, all received application will be reviewed by our Recruitment experts and evaluated against the needs of the open role.

Successful candidates will be contacted by our Recruiting experts for an initial screening interview during which further details about the selection process will be shared.

Successful candidates will progress to interviews with line managers, while not selected candidates will be informed in a written form as soon as possible.

Diversity is a fact. Inclusion is an act @Zentiva

At Zentiva, we are a team of 5000 unique talents bonded together by our purpose to provide health and well-being for all generations.

We strive daily to create a work culture where everyone feels appreciated, can be their true selves, and contribute to the best of their ability.

Seeking for a balanced team across the company, we welcome applications from all qualified candidates with various educational and industry experiences, cultural or ethnical backgrounds, and different life experiences or abilities, regardless of their religious or philosophical beliefs or whomever they choose to love.

Join our winning team! Be a part of our winning culture! Be Zentiva!

Minimum Gross Annual Salary in Italy: 58,000 EUR