Project Procurement Manager (f/m/d)

Bring more to life.

Are you ready to accelerate your potential and make a real difference within life sciences, diagnostics and biotechnology?

At Leica Microsystems, one of Danaher’s 15+ operating companies, our work saves lives—and we’re all united by a shared commitment to innovate for tangible impact. 

You’ll thrive in a culture of belonging where you and your unique viewpoint matter. And by harnessing Danaher’s system of continuous improvement, you help turn ideas into impact – innovating at the speed of life.

Shape the Future with Us!

At Leica Microsystems, we have been shaping the future for over 175 years with groundbreaking optical and digital solutions.  With a culture rooted in customer focus, innovation, and teamwork, we lead the market in microscopy, imaging, and analysis, unveiling the invisible and empowering our customers to build a better, healthier world.

Joining Leica Microsystems means contributing to scientific discoveries and supporting surgeons in making critical decisions. Our advanced microscopes and AI-based image analysis solutions enable users to gain profound insights into development and engineering challenges. Here, you will work on meaningful projects alongside passionate colleagues, driving progress and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

Learn about the Danaher Business System which makes everything possible.

The Project Procurement Manager reports to the Global Head of Project Procurement & Process Excellence and leads procurement activities for New Product Introduction (NPI) and strategic transition projects. The role serves as the primary procurement interface between R&D, Operations, Quality, Commodity Management, Value Engineering, Marketing, and suppliers, ensuring alignment with project milestones, sourcing strategies, cost targets, quality requirements, and business objectives.

The position is responsible for managing project scope, timelines, budgets, resources, risks, and deliverables, while providing transparent stakeholder reporting. Key responsibilities include supplier selection, qualification, onboarding, and development; ensuring supplier and material readiness; coordinating prototype sourcing; and proactively managing risks related to critical components, long lead times, compliance, end-of-life situations, and last-time-buy requirements.

The role drives early supplier involvement, leverages supplier expertise to optimize design and manufacturability, and manages product cost throughout development using Design-to-Cost, Should-Cost, and Total Cost of Ownership principles. In close collaboration with Commodity Managers, the Project Procurement Manager supports commercial negotiations, contract implementation, and cost-effective sourcing solutions.

Additionally, the role monitors supplier markets and emerging technologies, promotes continuous improvement through DBS and Kaizen, and ensures compliance with corporate policies, quality, EHS, legal, and ethical standards while supporting effective procurement governance and decision-making.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead procurement activities for NPI and transition projects, defining scope, timelines, milestones, budgets, risks, and stakeholder requirements while ensuring transparent reporting and delivery against project tollgates.
• Drive supplier selection, qualification, and readiness in alignment with commodity strategies, including prototype sourcing, supplier onboarding, and management of critical components and long-lead items.
• Enable early supplier involvement and Design-to-Cost, leveraging supplier expertise to improve manufacturability, optimize material selection, manage technical changes, and reduce Total Cost of Ownership.
• Negotiate and implement commercial agreements, including development contracts, pricing, lead times, service levels, and other terms in coordination with Commodity Managers.
• Ensure cross-functional alignment, compliance, and continuous improvement by collaborating with R&D, Operations, Quality, Marketing, and Commodity Management, while maintaining accurate data, applying DBS tools, and sharing relevant market and technology insights.

The essential requirements of the role include:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Supply Chain Management, or a related field
• Over 7 years of expertise in project management, preferably in procurement, sourcing, or supply chain
• Strong collaboration, communication and stakeholder management skills in a global, matrixed organization
• Experience in price and contract negotiations, ideally within high-mix, low-volume operations
• Fluency in English at a professional negotiation level

Experience in the following areas is considered an advantage:

• SAP, e‑procurement tools, Microsoft Office Suite, and Power BI
• Good knowledge of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), Should-Cost modeling, and Lean/Six Sigma principles
• Proven ability to drive continuous improvement initiatives to increase efficiency and reduce costs

Travel Requirements

• Willingness to travel internationally (up to 25%)

Leica Microsystems, a Danaher operating company, offers a broad array of comprehensive, competitive benefit programs that add value to our lives. Whether it’s a health care program or paid time off, our programs contribute to life beyond the job.

Join our winning team today. Together, we’ll accelerate the real-life impact of tomorrow’s science and technology. We partner with customers across the globe to help them solve their most complex challenges, architecting solutions that bring the power of science to life. For more information, visit www.danaher.com.

Join our winning team today. Together, we’ll accelerate the real-life impact of tomorrow’s science and technology. We partner with customers across the globe to help them solve their most complex challenges, architecting solutions that bring the power of science to life.

For more information, visit www.danaher.com.