Procurement Category Specialist

Vantive is a vital organ therapy company on a mission to extend lives and expand possibilities for patients and care teams everywhere. For 70 years, our team has driven meaningful innovations in kidney care. As we build on our legacy, we are deepening our commitment to elevating the dialysis experience through digital solutions and advanced services, while looking beyond kidney care and investing in transforming vital organ therapies. Greater flexibility and efficiency in therapy administration for care teams, and longer, fuller lives for patients— that is what Vantive aspires to deliver.

We believe Vantive will not only build our leadership in the kidney care space, it will also offer meaningful work to those who join us. At Vantive, you will become part of a community of people who are focused, courageous and don’t settle for the mediocre. Each of us is driven to help improve patients’ lives worldwide. Join us in advancing our mission to extend lives and expand possibilities.

SUMMARY (Why) – Purpose of the position

Purpose: Responsible for identifying, assessing, and mitigating supply risks that could impact manufacturing, product availability, customer service, or patient supply. Acts as the primary Procurement coordinator for supply continuity issues, partnering cross-functionally to identify, prioritise, and resolve risks, while driving containment actions and ensuring effective corrective and preventive measures.

The role also manages a portfolio of lower-spend suppliers and/or categories, supporting Procurement Category Team initiatives and developing commercial, negotiation, and supplier management capabilities as a pathway to future Category Management roles.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (What)

·         Act as the Procurement focal point for supply continuity issues, identifying, assessing, prioritising, and coordinating mitigation of supplier, material, and component risks impacting manufacturing, product availability, and customer/patient supply.
Scope: Operational | Impact: Major

·         Lead end-to-end management of supply disruptions, including issue triage, business impact assessment, containment actions, recovery planning, escalation, and resolution.
Scope: Operational | Impact: Major

·         Coordinate closely with suppliers and cross-functional stakeholders to secure supply, remove barriers, align actions, and support timely decision-making.
Scope: Operational | Impact: Significant

·         Evaluate supply risks using factors such as inventory, lead times, supplier capacity, sourcing strategy, product criticality, and recovery timelines, recommending appropriate mitigation priorities.
Scope: Tactical | Impact: Significant

·         Manage supplier communications during disruptions, challenge recovery commitments, monitor performance, and ensure effective corrective and preventive actions are implemented.
Scope: Operational | Impact: Significant

·         Support root cause investigations, identify recurring or systemic risks, and drive sustainable improvements to reduce future supply continuity issues.
Scope: Tactical | Impact: Significant

·         Assess and coordinate mitigation plans for supplier changes, discontinuations, end-of-life events, capacity constraints, regulatory changes, and other continuity-related risks.
Scope: Tactical | Impact: Major

·         Support Last-Time Buy activities, alternative sourcing, supplier transitions, and other continuity-of-supply strategies.
Scope: Tactical | Impact: Significant

·         Manage a portfolio of assigned suppliers and/or lower-spend categories, including supplier relationships, negotiations, commercial agreements, performance management, cost savings, and contract support.
Scope: Tactical | Impact: Direct

·         Support Procurement Category Team initiatives and ensure commercial decisions appropriately balance cost, risk, and continuity of supply.
Scope: Tactical | Impact: Direct

·         Maintain accurate continuity risk data, reporting, and documentation, while contributing to governance, risk reviews, process improvements, early-warning capabilities, and sharing of lessons learned.
Scope: Operational / Tactical | Impact: Significant

JOB REQUIREMENTS (How)

1. Essential Skills, Knowledge, and Experience

·         Ability to analyze supply chain data (inventory, supplier lead times, production schedules) and identify risks to material availability.

·         Experience managing supplier or material shortages, disruptions, or continuity issues in a manufacturing environment.

·         Working knowledge of procurement processes, supplier management workflows, and supply planning principles.

·         Familiarity with incident management tools, root cause analysis methods, and corrective/preventive action tracking.

·         Ability to coordinate cross-functional responses involving Procurement, Planning, Quality, and Manufacturing Operations.

·         Knowledge of change control requirements as applied to regulated manufacturing environments.

2. Communication Requirements

Communicates regularly with Procurement Category Team, site Supply Chain teams, Quality, and Manufacturing operations to coordinate continuity actions and status updates.

Provides structured written and verbal updates on risk status, incident progress, and mitigation plans.

·         Prepares reports and summaries for regional management reviews.

·         Communicates with supplier representatives to obtain status clarification, negotiate interim supply measures, and confirm recovery plans.

·         May participate in discussions with senior leadership when supply risks impact production or service levels.

3. Innovation / Problem-Solving Requirements

·         Works within established continuity, change control, and risk assessment frameworks.

·         Identifies relevant mitigation options based on availability of alternate materials, capacity, or inventory sources.

·         Recommends process adjustments or improvements to prevent recurrence of identified supply risks.

·         Applies structured problem-solving techniques to define root cause and ensure accountabilities for corrective actions.

4. Knowledge Requirements

·         Applied knowledge of supply chain and procurement operations, including planning, purchasing, supplier performance monitoring, and logistics.

·         Practical understanding of supplier qualification, validation, and change control in regulated environments (e.g., ISO 13485, MDR, FDA expectations).

·         Working knowledge of material/component lifecycle considerations, including last-time buys, end-of-life planning, and safety stock strategy.

·         Ability to interpret data from ERP/MRP systems and continuity management platforms to support decision-making.

5. Competences and Behaviors Required by the Role

·         Decision-making: Makes timely decisions on escalation and mitigation approaches based on available data.

·         Collaboration: Works effectively across functions and regions to align continuity actions and responsibilities.

·         Risk awareness: Identifies emerging risks and communicates their potential impact clearly and factually.

·         Process adherence: Operates within defined governance, quality system requirements, and compliance frameworks.

·         Follow-through: Ensures incidents progress to closure and required documentation, RCA, and CAPA are completed.

6. Education

·         Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Procurement, Engineering, Business, or a related field (or equivalent relevant experience).

·         Experience in Pharmaceutical and/or Medical device manufacturing sector.

1.    Language skills

Specify required languages and proficiency level necessary to perform the role effectively

Spoken

Written

Read

English

Fluent

Fluent

Fluent

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Reasonable Accommodation

Vantive is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities globally. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or interview process, please click on the link here and let us know the nature of your request along with your contact information. Form Link

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