ppAs Category Manager – Commercial Market Services, you are accountable for defining, deploying, and continuously evolving global category strategies covering Communication Agencies Media, Market Research, and Sales Promotional Services across the generics pharmaceutical business.
Operating in a highly competitive, cost?constrained, and regulated environment, this role is critical to enabling commercial performance while ensuring cost efficiency, compliance, scalability, innovation, and transparency.
You act as a strategic business partner to Commercial, Marketing, Market Access, Sales Excellence, and Finance teams.
The role requires strong expertise in category management, supplier relationship management (SRM), budget ownership, and Long?Range Planning (LRP) in a global, matrix organisation.
/p h3Key Responsibilities And Duties /h3 h3Category Strategy Value Creation /h3 ul liDevelop and execute global, multi?year category strategies for commercial and market services, aligned with business objectives, cost competitiveness, and regulatory requirements.
/li liTranslate commercial strategies into actionable sourcing roadmaps supporting speed to market, launch excellence, and ethical promotion standards.
/li liDrive value beyond savings through innovation access, standardisation, and scalable sourcing models across regions.
/li liMonitor market dynamics (media inflation, agency consolidation, data providers, digital transformation) and integrate insights into sourcing decisions.
/li /ul h3Category Management /h3 ul liLead end?to?end category management, including spend analysis, demand challenge, contract negotiation, and framework agreements.
/li liDesign and deploy preferred supplier models, rate cards, and global and local playbooks.




/li liEnsure robust contracting covering IP ownership, data privacy (GDPR), pharmaceutical promotional compliance, and performance?based mechanisms.
/li liEnsure execution of category strategies by countries, contributing to increased procurement maturity, governance, and standardisation.
/li /ul h3Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) /h3 ul liBuild and manage structured relationships with strategic suppliers across commercial and marketing categories.
/li liDefine and monitor performance KPIs and governance models.
/li liDrive continuous improvement initiatives, innovation pilots, and joint business reviews.
/li /ul h3Cross?Functional Collaboration /h3 ul liCollaborate closely with Global and Local Marketing, Sales Commercial Excellence, Market Access, Finance, Legal, and Compliance.
/li liSupport product launches, portfolio transitions, and market entries through agile and compliant sourcing solutions.
/li liAct as procurement lead in commercial category transformation initiatives.
/li /ul h3Cost Management Budget /h3 ul liPlay a key role in the annual budget cycle and Long?Range Plan (LRP).
/li liEnsure budget governance, spend visibility, and variance analysis.
/li liPartner with Finance and Procurement CoE to support savings delivery, cost evolution modelling, and financial transparency.




/li /ul h3Governance Compliance /h3 ul liEnsure compliance with internal procurement policies, ethical promotion standards, and pharmaceutical regulations.
/li liManage supplier risks related to dependency, data confidentiality, and regulatory exposure.
/li liMaintain sourcing documentation and ensure audit readiness across the category.
/li /ul h3Qualifications Required Skills /h3 ul liMaster's degree in Procurement, Business, Marketing, or a related field.
/li li8–12 years of experience in procurement or category management, with exposure to commercial, marketing, or sales?related categories.
/li liStrong expertise in category strategy, supplier relationship management, and complex stakeholder environments.
/li liProven negotiation and value?creation track record.
/li liHigh financial acumen, including experience with budgets, LRP, TCO, and ROI.
/li liFluent in English; additional European languages are an advantage.
/li liStrong stakeholder?management skills, with the ability to influence without authority and challenge senior stakeholders constructively.
/li /ul pDiversity is a fact.
Inclusion is an act @Zentiva At Zentiva, we are a team of **** 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 variouseducational and industry experiences,cultural or ethnical backgrounds, and differentlife experiencesorabilities,regardless of theirreligious or philosophical beliefsorwhomever they choose to love.
/p /p #J-*****-Ljbffr

📌 Category Manager - Commercial & Market Services (Generics Pharma) (Milano)
🏢 Zentiva
📍 Milano