Job Description

Associate Director, Procurement

Associate Director, Regional Category Lead Corporate Services
(HR, Professional & Advisory Services)

Location:

Hyderabad, India

Work Arrangement:

Hybrid Working

Overview

Our Corporate Services procurement team partners with the business to ensure the efficient acquisition of goods and services that enables the commercialization of our medicines, vaccines, and Animal Health products. We collaborate internationally and are grouped into Category led teams.

Role Scope & Scale

This role oversees a highly complex and diverse regional portfolio, requiring strategic oversight and meticulous execution across the Asia Pacific region.

Geographic Coverage
(12 Countries)

Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam

Category Breadth
(17+ Categories)

Spanning HR and Professional Services (Includes Advisory, Tax/Audit, HR Benefits, Contingent Labor, and similar)

Financial & Supplier Scale

Managing approximately $60M Spend and 410 Suppliers across the region

Job Description

The Associate Director, Regional Category Lead Corporate Services will lead the procurement strategy for Human Resources, Professional, and Advisory Services across the Asia Pacific region. Partnering with senior leaders throughout the organization, this role is critical in bridging global initiatives with regional execution across our 12 distinct markets.

The successful candidate will possess an entrepreneurial mindset and strong business savviness, enabling them to connect the dots across a complex regional landscape. You will be responsible for influencing senior leaders in the region to drive procurement strategy alignment, ensuring that our sourcing approaches meet the changing needs of the business, reflect the rapidly changing work environment, and deliver maximum ROI.

Primary Goals

·       Develop and execute Global and Regional strategies for Corporate Services that mitigate risk and optimize value across the $60M spend portfolio.

·       Lead the refresh of the current Category Management Strategy, including Contract, Risk, and Stakeholder Management, as well as our Supplier Relationship Management Program within the region.

Primary Capabilities

·       Business Outcome Orientation & Savviness: Uses deep knowledge of stakeholder needs and industry trends to identify and tailor procurement activities. Demonstrates strong business savviness to positively affect stakeholder relationships and decision-making.

·       Strategic Alignment & Influencing: Ability to connect the dots between global directives and regional nuances. Expertly influences senior leaders in the region to drive procurement strategy alignment and champion change.

·       Category & Technical Expertise: Applies in-depth category knowledge across the 17+ HR, Professional, and Advisory Services categories to introduce new procurement processes and client service capabilities.

·       Change Management: Identifies comprehensive groups of stakeholders across the business to drive support for initiatives; builds support by making the case for change personally relevant.

·       Negotiation & Contract Management: Sets and leads negotiation strategies with key suppliers. Manages complex agreements across regional boundaries and multiple business units to ensure value and reduced risks.

·       Sourcing Management Process: Drives competitive sourcing events (RFQs, RFIs, RFPs) and supports vendor selection, commercial negotiation, and market awareness.

·       Supplier Relationship Management: Implements SRM with the 410+ suppliers to foster innovation, establish Governance Models, and optimize supplier capabilities to address regional business requirements.

·       Diversity and Inclusion: Actively supports diversity, expanding relationships and spend with Diverse Partners across the APAC region.

Position Qualifications

Education Minimum Requirement

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Administration, Finance, or a related field.

Required Experience and Skills

·       Procurement Experience: 10+ years of Global Procurement / Global Strategic Sourcing or global business management (Consulting, Finance, HR) experience.

·       Regional & Scale Expertise: Proven experience managing large-scale categories ($50M+ spend) across the Asia Pacific region, with a deep understanding of the diverse dynamics across the specific 12 countries in scope.

·       Category Knowledge: Deep expertise in Corporate Services (HR, Professional, and Management Advisory Services), including Category Strategy Development, Strategic Sourcing, and Project Execution.

·       Entrepreneurial Mindset: A self-starter with the ability to identify opportunities, challenge the status quo, and implement innovative strategies to improve operational efficiency.

Preferred Experience and Skills

·       Leadership: Excellent interpersonal and influential skills with the ability to interact with and sway all levels of the organization, especially senior regional executives.

·       Problem Solving & Analytical Approach: Demonstrates the ability to identify and integrate patterns, trends, and inconsistencies across multiple data sources to develop innovative solutions to complex business problems.

·       Working Across Boundaries: Highly skilled in developing and maintaining networks that span divisions and geographical boundaries.

·       Growth Mindset: Demonstrates a clear focus on self-development, thriving on challenges, and growing through experience and learning from others.

Required Skills:

Change Management, Change Management, Clinical Development, Clinical Supply Chain Management, Commercial Contract Negotiations, Contract Management, Cross-Functional Communications, Customer-Focused, Data Analysis, Distribution Management, Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), Driving Continuous Improvement, Inventory Control Management, Negotiation, Outsourcing Management, Problem Solving, Production Planning, Project Procurement Management, Relationship Building, Requisition Management, Sourcing Services, Stakeholder Management, Stakeholder Relationship Management, Strategic Procurement, Strategic Sourcing Methodology {+ 2 more}

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully 
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:

08/17/2026

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.