Head of Procurement Operations, Germany

THE COMPANY
- Axplora is dedicated to helping pharmaceutical companies make critical medicines better, faster, safe, reliable, and sustainably benefitting patients worldwide. Leveraging its combined expertise and manufacturing capabilities across its ten industrial sites in Europe, India, and the USA, Axplora offers API manufacturing and CDMO solutions to innovators for their small molecule and biomolecular active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Axplora was created by the merger of two companies which share a track record of high quality, and reliability: PharmaZell Group (a leading manufacturer of genericAPIs with the two brands PharmaZell and Farmabios) and Novasep (a leading development partnerto innovator clients). With the PharmaZell, Farmabios, and Novasep brands being unified under a single name, Axplora brings together companies with a complementary set of differentiated technologies.

THE ROLE
- The Head of Procurement Operations in Germany will be part of the Global Procurement Leadership Team (PLT), will be located in Raubling, and plays a crucial leadership role in overseeing and optimizing procurement activities across our two manufacturing locations in Germany (Raubling and Leverkusen) and our Headquarters also in Raubling - Munich Cosmopolitan Area.

You will be responsible for developing and implementing procurement strategies and governance for the region streamlining processes, and managing a team of procurement professionals to ensure cost-effective and efficient sourcing of goods and services for the indirect spend in Germany. This position demands a strong combination of strategic thinking, operational expertise, and exceptional leadership capabilities.

Your expertise will be instrumental in driving efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability, contributing significantly to our overall success and growth.

The position holder will be reporting into the Global Head of Procurement and will lead up to 5 team members.

This role will be based in Raubling/Bavaria.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Collaborate with regional senior management to formulate a comprehensive procurement strategy aligned with the business requirements (business partnering). Establish regional procurement objectives, goals, and performance metrics to drive operational excellence and value creation.
- Provide strategic direction and guidance to the regional procurement team, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture. Lead, motivate, and develop a team of sourcing managers supporting the regional operations
- Oversee the selection, evaluation, and negotiation with suppliers to ensure the best value for the organization. Accountable for the indirect spend within the portfolio and for the management and nurturing of suppliers’ commercial relationships
- Promote synergies with sound action plans that are well articulated and aligned across the organization
- Accountable for the deployment of the procurement strategy across the region and for ensuring the compliance with existing policies and guidelines.
- Deliver year-over-year productivity by managing local teams towards cost improvement projects and appropriated sourcing strategies.
- Provide site directors and peers with market trends, the competitive landscape and the dynamics around the supply markets enabling the development of sound commercial strategies and execution plans.
- Provide leadership and guidance to all procurement related activities concerning the region complying with existing regulatory requirements and local laws.
- Provide site directors and peers with market trends, the competitive landscape and the dynamics around the supply markets enabling the development of sound commercial strategies and execution plans.

**Qualifications**:
YOUR EXPERIENCE
- Procurement Growth: Relevant technical and/or academic background. A highly credible, experienced leader with a track record in scaling up and building best-in class supplier relationships and high-performance teams.

Industry Experience: Proven experience in procurement operations management, including a leadership capacity. Strong understanding of regional supply market landscape and trends, sourcing strategies, and supply chain best practices. Experience in fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals or FMCG industries preferred.

Team Player: Inspiring and driven team player with a successful track record of working in international teams, as well as with the capacity to strengthen organizational capabilities. Act as an inclusive and approachable team member.

Communication Skills: Ability to think creatively, engage in effective communication and promote change with internal stakeholders and suppliers. Fluent in English.