Global Procurement Category Manager

Make your mark for patients

We are looking for a Global Procurement Category Manager, IT Hardware & Telecom who is strategic, proactive, and motivated to structure and optimize a critical spend area to join our Procurement team at UCB, based out of Brussels, Belgium.

About the Role

As the Global Procurement Category Manager, IT Hardware & Telecom, you will ensure the organization secures optimal value when acquiring IT hardware and telecommunications solutions. This scope includes global telecom contract negotiations, local provider negotiations, servers and end-user devices. You will work closely with internal stakeholders to understand business needs, assess suppliers, negotiate optimal commercial terms, and proactively manage this global spend area. Your IT procurement experience and ability to propose new ideas for spend management, vendor management, and category development will be key to driving value and procurement excellence across multiple regions.

Who You’ll Work With

You will report to the Head of Digital & IT Procurement and will work closely with Digital Technology, local business stakeholders, infrastructure teams, workplace technology teams, and strategic hardware and telecom suppliers. Operating within a global remit, you will build productive relationships with global telecom and hardware providers acting as a key advisor on sourcing strategy, supplier relationship management, contractual negotiations, and sustainability requirements.

What You’ll Do

· Manage global IT Hardware & Telecom spend and oversee end-to-end procurement processes across the category.

· Develop and implement category strategies covering Telecom and Hardware.

· Identify opportunities to better structure the category, optimize spend, consolidate vendors, and improve commercial outcomes.

· Build and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders, global telecom and hardware providers.

· Identify potential suppliers and lead supplier selection efforts for IT hardware and telecom solutions.

· Manage complex RFI/RFP processes using procurement-approved tools.

· Provide fact-based sourcing recommendations considering hardware and telecom market dynamics, supplier capabilities, service coverage, and competitive trends.

· Negotiate commercial terms with global telecom providers, local providers, hardware suppliers, and service partners, ensuring contractual compliance in partnership with Legal and Digital Technology.

· Embed risk management, service level, data protection, security, quality, and sustainability requirements into supplier contracts where applicable.

· Support continuous improvement initiatives and approve POs within defined thresholds.

Interested? For this role we’re looking for:

· More than 5 years’ experience in IT Procurement, strategic sourcing, supplier management, or category management.

· Previous experience with IT hardware and/or telecommunications categories, including supplier negotiations and contract management.

· Good understanding of hardware and telecom spend areas, including servers, data center infrastructure, end-user devices, global telecom services.

· Strong negotiation and supplier relationship management experience with global and local technology providers.

· Proactive and motivated mindset, with the ability to propose new ideas to better manage spend, vendors, processes, and category governance.

· Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement, and influencing skills in a global and cross-functional environment.

· Team-oriented, collaborative mindset with commitment to diversity and inclusion.

· Fluent in English.

Are you ready to ‘go beyond’ to create value and make your mark for patients? If this sounds like you, then we would love to hear from you