Job Description

About the Role
The Senior Director, External Manufacturing Procurement, leads AstraZeneca's procurement strategy and execution for outsourced services, equipment suppliers, and contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs). This role is accountable for performance across multiple sites and countries, driving commercial excellence, robust governance, and reliable supply while meeting Safety, Health & Environment standards and all applicable regulations. The leader will manage and develop a team of Procurement professionals, build executive-level supplier relationships, and serve as a trusted partner to senior stakeholders across Operations and R&D.
Key Accountabilities

• Strategic Leadership: Define the Procurement strategy for External Manufacturing and contribute expert input to broader Procurement strategy development.
• Delivery Management: Ensure objectives are met across all sites within remit, with disciplined value tracking and measurable financial and operational outcomes.
• Resource Planning: Partner with Line Managers to identify resource needs; secure and allocate resources to ensure timely delivery and progression of priorities.
• Team Leadership: Manage, motivate, coach, and set goals for Procurement leads; build a culture of leadership, creativity, collaboration, and high performance.
• Supplier Strategy & Negotiation: Lead negotiations and selection of outsourced service and equipment suppliers; oversee commercial governance and executive supplier relationships.
• Risk & Contingency Planning: Develop and manage contingency risk plans to assure on-site availability, quality, and budget adherence; escalate issues to protect patients and business reputation.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Lead key interactions with internal stakeholders to build reputation and broker cross-functional decisions and trade-offs.
• Best Practice & Compliance: Drive knowledge sharing and dissemination of best practices; establish and oversee processes ensuring compliance with Safety, Health & Environment standards, AstraZeneca policies, and applicable laws.
• Talent Development: Support senior staff in coaching and developing talent to maintain a healthy pipeline and succession for senior Procurement roles.

People Leadership

• Span of Leadership: Approximately 10-15 total direct and indirect reports

Global Remit

• Operates in 2-3 countries with a minimum of 40% international engagement and travel

Required Qualifications, Skills, and Experience

• External Manufacturing Expertise: Extensive leadership experience within external manufacturing and CMO environments.
• 10-15 years of industry experience with Supply Chain or Manufacturing
• Category Strategy & Value Delivery: Proven track record in setting category strategies and delivering multi-year improvement plans with measurable financial and operational outcomes.
• Performance Management: Demonstrated success holding teams and suppliers to account; establishing milestones; addressing underperformance promptly; ensuring delivery.
• Executive Communication: Exceptional communication and gravitas; trusted partner to senior leaders across Operations and R&D adept at brokering cross-functional decisions and trade-offs.
• Commercial Governance: Demonstrated success leading executive supplier relationships, negotiating large and complex agreements, and driving commercial governance.
• Change Leadership: Strong record leading complex change programs with high adoption; experience deploying governance models and business process frameworks.
• Financial Acumen: Strong cost modelling, benchmarking, and P&L impact understanding; disciplined approach to value tracking.
• Core Requirements: Degree-level qualification; significant management experience in Procurement; excellent people management and motivational skills; ability to lead cross-functional teams; proven priority-setting and resource management in global/regional environments; excellent written and verbal communication; negotiation, collaboration, and interpersonal leadership skills; budgetary and resource planning experience; willingness to travel; strong conceptual, analytical, and strategic thinking; ability to influence strategically and persuade tactfully while maintaining positive relationships.

Key Relationships

• Internal: Senior Procurement staff; leaders across Operations, R&D, and other functions.
• External: Global Suppliers and outsourced service providers; executive-level supplier stakeholders.

Why AstraZeneca
Join a company driven by science and innovation, dedicated to improving patient outcomes worldwide. You will shape external manufacturing strategies, lead high-impact teams, and forge strategic supplier partnerships that enable reliable, efficient, and compliant supply.
Date Posted 09-Dec-2025
Closing Date
Our mission is to build an inclusive and equitable environment. We want people to feel they belong at AstraZeneca and Alexion, starting with our recruitment process. We welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of characteristics. We offer reasonable adjustments/accommodations to help all candidates to perform at their best. If you have a need for any adjustments/accommodations, please complete the section in the application form.

Skills Required