Senior Specialist, Indirect Site Services Procurement

Job Description

We aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company. We're at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions that advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in people and animals. Join our team and be part of a diverse group of colleagues who are dedicated to saving and improving lives around the world.

Position Summary

We are seeking a Senior Specialist, Indirect Site Services to support sourcing for multiple North American manufacturing sites, including DeSoto, KS; Elkhorn, NE; Ames, IA; Worthington, MN and Millsboro, DE. The position will focus on sourcing indirect services categories such as Maintenance, Repair and Operations, Integrated Facilities Management, gases, electrical/mechanical site services, production equipment maintenance, and calibration services.

The ideal candidate will be based in DeSoto, KS (preferred site location) or at the Millsboro, DE site and will work in a hybrid capacity, with three days on-site and two days working from home.

Responsibilities:

• Support manufacturing operations by driving sourcing strategies and stakeholder management for indirect services categories.
• Understand stakeholder requirements to establish supply strategies and proactively mitigate supply risks/issues.
• Lead stakeholder engagement meetings and schedule routine reviews.
• Translate stakeholder requirements into tangible business results.
• Develop requirements with business representatives, legal, and other stakeholders.
• Conduct relationship management meetings with key and active suppliers.
• Manage supplier performance levels.
• Create and execute RFI and RFP processes, ensuring all business requirements are captured.
• Lead the assessment of proposals using predefined criteria derived from business requirements.
• Develop sourcing strategies aligned with stakeholder business requirements to drive value for the company.
• Create detailed pre-negotiation plans, lead negotiation sessions, and conduct post-negotiation debriefs.
• Prepare and implement appropriate forms of contract and commitment with suppliers.
• Liaise with corporate Legal for contract clause reviews.
• Ensure supplier agreements and relationships have good supplier matrix embedded within.
• Monitor, report, manage, and continuously improve supplier performance using OTIF metrics.
• Drive innovation with key suppliers and conduct routine meetings.
• Share best practices cross-functionally within the site team, region, and across categories.
• Ensure procurement is carried out ethically and in line with procurement policy and procedures.
• Identify, track, and deliver cost reduction opportunities and working capital improvement opportunities.
• Participate in strategic initiatives to improve and advance the category/subcategories.
• Support/manage performance of the category/subcategories in delivering critical department metrics.
• Be an active member of category teams, leading local/regional category strategies or subsets of global category strategies.

Qualifications:

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply chain, Science, Engineering, or related area of study.
• Minimum three years' experience in procurement within Life Sciences or related industry environments.
• Experience with multi-site sourcing of indirect services categories including gases, electrical/mechanical site services, production equipment maintenance, and calibration services.
• Strategic and effective negotiation/commercial skills.
• Capable of prioritizing and multi-tasking, and working to an agreed schedule.
• Self-motivated and able to work both individually or as part of a team.
• Flexible approach to workload.

Preferred

• Other purchasing qualification, i.e., CPM | CIPS.

Our Manufacturing Division is dedicated to being the most trusted supplier of bio-pharmaceuticals worldwide. Our facilities, along with our external contractors, suppliers, and partners, create a reliable global manufacturing network that’s devoted to delivering a high-quality, reliable supply to customers and patients on time, every time.

Required Skills:

Indirect Sales, Indirect Sourcing, Life Science, Manufacturing, Manufacturing Sourcing, Multi-Site Experience, Procurement, Sourcing and Procurement, Sourcing Strategies

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.  As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.  For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

EEOC Know Your Rights

EEOC GINA Supplement​

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

The primary location for this posting is:

USA - Kansas - De Soto

Where required by law, the compensation range for this role is provided below.

The salary range for the primary location of this role is:

$96,200.00 - $151,400.00

This range reflects the Company's reasonable expectation of the base salary applicable to this role at the time of posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs. The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

Additional location(s): Please note the salary range above applies to the Primary Location of the position. Where a role has other listed locations, different compensation guidelines may apply. You may find the salary ranges for additional locations below. If the salary range is not listed for the location you are applying to, our Talent Acquisition team will provide further information to you relevant to your location.

Additional location(s) Compensation Information:

San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

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:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

25%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

Yes

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

11/16/2026

*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.