Senior Procurement Specialist/Category Manager

Develop and implement category strategies across direct (laboratory consumables, reagents, medical devices, scientific equipment) and indirect (facilities, IT, professional services, MRO) spend categories, tailored to Swiss market dynamics and aligned with global procurement direction. Lead sourcing events end-to-end: from market analysis and specification development through RFx execution, negotiation, supplier selection, and contract award. Drive change projects that deliver significant, quantifiable cost savings — not just price reductions, but total cost of ownership improvements, demand management initiatives, and process efficiencies. Manage Capex procurement for medical equipment, laboratory instruments, and facility investments: define technical specifications, evaluate proposals with stakeholders, and optimise total cost of ownership in compliance with industry regulations. Build and maintain a supplier performance management framework, including regular business reviews, KPI tracking, and corrective action plans. Coordinate with the Global Category Manager to ensure Swiss strategies contribute to — and benefit from — the company’s global supplier agreements and procurement policies. Manage requisitions, and resolve supplier issues in a timely manner — this function is still building its maturity, and tactical execution is a part of the workload today. Support the transition and adoption of procurement tools and systems, including ERP environments (experience with SAP, Dynamics 365, Coupa, or equivalent is relevant). Collaborate daily with finance, supply chain, quality, and laboratory teams to ensure procurement decisions support operational needs. Ensure compliance with corporate procurement guidelines, Swiss regulatory requirements, and industry best practices.

Unilabs is the largest provider of medical laboratory diagnostics for prescribers and hospitals in Switzerland and employs around 800 people.

• A minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in procurement, category management, or strategic sourcing, with demonstrable exposure to both direct and indirect categories.

• Proven experience managing Capex procurement — ideally in the medical, pharmaceutical, or life sciences sector. If your Capex experience is from another regulated industry, explain the parallels in your application.

• A track record of delivering cost savings or value improvements through change projects, not just routine negotiations. We will ask you to quantify specific examples.

• Hands-on experience working in a low-maturity or developing procurement function — you know what it means to build processes, templates, and stakeholder trust from scratch.

• Demonstrated ability to work autonomously, prioritise competing demands, and make sound decisions without waiting for detailed instructions.

• Strong analytical capabilities: you are comfortable with Excel (pivot tables, data modelling), Power BI or equivalent tools, and you use data to support your sourcing decisions, not just to produce reports.

• Experience collaborating with global or matrix procurement teams across different time zones and cultures.

• Fluency in English and French (C1 minimum). Proficiency in German is a strong differentiator.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Procurement, Supply Chain, Business Administration, Engineering, or a related discipline.