{"id":497321,"url":"https://alion.io/job/zentiva-head-of-api-procurement","title":"Head of API Procurement","company":{"id":203016,"name":"Zentiva","domain":"zentiva.lv","url":"https://alion.io/company/zentiva","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":83,"open_postings":3,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.667,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":49,"computed_at":"2026-10-29T05:49:05Z"}},"role":"Operations","role_family":"Operations","seniority":"head","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Prague, Czech Republic","Milan, Italy","Berlin, Germany"],"countries":["CZ","IT","DE"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":70000,"max":null,"currency":"EUR","period":"year","gross":true,"usd_annual":81409},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":10,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-08-18T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-08-18","last_verified_at":"2026-10-29T21:07:30Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":73,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":73},"description":"Position Purpose\nThe Head of API Procurement plays a key leadership role in shaping Zentiva’s global sourcing strategy for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and Key Starting Materials (KSMs). This role ensures security of supply, cost competitiveness, and strong supplier partnerships while supporting the company’s growth, profitability, and long-term sustainability.\nYou will lead a global procurement scope across Europe, India, and China, driving measurable business impact and positioning procurement as a strategic partner to the organisation. This role is central to strengthening supply resilience, enabling product launches, and supporting Zentiva’s ambition to become a cost-competitive and resilient European pharmaceutical leader.\nMAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES AND DUTIES\n1. Category Strategy, Financial Performance & Decision Rights\nDefine and execute the multi-year global category strategy for APIs and KSMs, aligned with Zentiva’s growth roadmap, portfolio priorities, and long-range financial ambitions.\nOwn the annual budget, savings pipeline, PPV performance, and long-range planning inputs for the API portfolio in alignment with Finance and Operations.\nDeliver at least 5% year-on-year validated savings against the approved Finance baseline through price reductions, alternate-source implementation, demand optimization, specification changes, supplier competition, and other agreed value levers. Cost avoidance is tracked separately unless explicitly agreed with Finance.\nApply market intelligence, should-cost models, total-cost-of-ownership analysis, cost-driver modelling, and scenario planning to strengthen decision-making and budget predictability.\nOwn commercial supplier recommendations and API sourcing strategies, subject to applicable technical, quality, regulatory, financial, and governance approvals.\nEnsure category strategies support launch readiness, tender competitiveness, lifecycle management, working-capital improvement, and long-term product profitability.\n2. Supplier Ecosystem & Commercial Leadership\nBuild and maintain a competitive, compliant, innovative, and high-performing global API supplier ecosystem across Europe, India, China, and other strategic sourcing markets.\nLead major supplier negotiations, long-term agreements, strategic alliances, commercial escalations, and executive-level supplier relationships.\nOwn supplier segmentation and strategic relationship management, including QBRs, scorecards, joint business planning, supplier-development plans, and continuous-improvement programs.\nIdentify and develop new suppliers to improve competitiveness, geographic balance, innovation, and long-term resilience.\nPartner with suppliers on process improvement, backward integration, capacity expansion, innovation, and structural cost reduction opportunities.\n3. Supply Resilience, Quality, Regulatory & ESG\nEnsure uninterrupted supply of APIs and KSMs across Zentiva’s internal manufacturing sites and external supply network.\nDevelop and execute risk mitigation plans, including dual sourcing, alternate supplier qualification, geographic diversification, inventory strategies, and business continuity planning.\nAnticipate and manage API-specific risks, including DMF/CEP dependencies, GMP compliance, raw-material volatility, capacity constraints, supplier financial health, geopolitical exposure, and market concentration.\nPartner with Quality and Regulatory Affairs to ensure supplier qualification, audit readiness, DMF/CEP alignment, change-control execution, regulatory compliance, and timely implementation of approved sources.\nIntegrate responsible sourcing and ESG expectations into supplier selection, due diligence, performance reviews, and supplier development, in collaboration with the Procurement CoE.\n4. Business Partnering, Governance & Transformation\nAct as the senior procurement partner for API-related topics with Operations, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, Supply Chain, Finance, R&D, Portfolio, Commercial, and site leadership teams.\nEnsure early procurement involvement in new product development, technical transfers, supplier changes, launches, tenders, and lifecycle-management initiatives.\nLead API category governance forums, category-strategy reviews, supplier escalations, executive updates, and cross-functional decisions on molecule and supplier strategies.\nInfluence strategic decisions through robust business cases, cost-driver analysis, supplier risk assessments, and data-driven recommendations.\nAlign with the Procurement CoE on standardized processes, contract templates, digital tools, analytics, ESG integration, and continuous improvement.\n5. People Leadership & Capability Building\nLead and develop a multicultural and geographically distributed API Procurement team.\nSet clear objectives, performance indicators, decision rights, and role expectations across the API Procurement organization.\nBuild capability in category strategy, API market intelligence, cost modelling, negotiation excellence, supplier risk management, and stakeholder influence.\nCreate succession depth for critical roles and actively develop the next generation of procurement leaders.\nFoster a high-performance culture grounded in Trust, Courage, Authenticity, Collaboration, Accountability, integrity, and continuous improvement.\nREQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE & SKILLS\nEssential\nExtensive experience (10+ years) in procurement or category management within pharmaceuticals, APIs.\n\nProven track record in global category management and supplier relationship management for APIs and KSMs, including major negotiations, alternate sourcing, and business-continuity programs.\nStrong understanding of global API supplier markets and sourcing dynamics across Europe, India, China, and other strategic regions.\nDeep working knowledge of GMP, DMF/CEP requirements, supplier qualification, audits, change controls, and regulatory implementation.\nDemonstrated delivery of material savings, complex negotiations, alternate-source implementation, and business-continuity improvements.\nStrong financial acumen, including COGS, PPV, long-range planning, cost-driver modelling, FX exposure, and working capital.\nProven people leadership across multicultural and geographically distributed teams.\nExcellent executive communication, stakeholder management, negotiation, and influencing skills.\nFluent in English; additional European or Asian languages are an advantage.\nWillingness to travel approximately 20%.\nPreferred\nExperience in complex generics, specialty pharma, or a private-equity-backed growth environment.\nFamiliarity with digital procurement tools such as SAP Ariba, GEP, Coupa, advanced analytics, and supplier-risk platforms.\nStrong understanding of sustainable procurement and ESG principles, working in partnership with the Procurement CoE and Sustainability teams.\nOur Recruitment Process:\nTo 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. \nDiversity is a fact. Inclusion is an act @Zentiva\nAt 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.\nJoin our winning team! Be a part of our winning culture! 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