Associate Director, Global Category Lead (Marketing and Print) - job 6 of 6

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas – immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Tik Tok.

Join an evolving agile, diverse and global function poised to deliver value beyond financials through category management, innovative problem-solving, data and analytics, risk management and supplier management. Our Procurement team is integral to driving AbbVie’s business strategy, serving as trusted partners with leading capabilities and a customer of choice for our suppliers.  

This Procurement leader will play a strategic role in building a next-generation approach to Procurement as it transforms to become a trusted business partner and an enabler of key business strategy, along with customer of choice for suppliers. Now is the time to join a best-in-class Procurement organization shaping the future of value generation.  

This role is based in our Global Procurement Hub in North Chicago, IL; onsite 3 days per week. Remote work is not available for this position. 

Job Description

The Associate Director, Global Category Lead – Creative/Print will serve as a primary strategic leader and stakeholder manager within AbbVie’s Commercial/Aesthetics Procurement team.  This person will actively drive the development and implementation of strategies associated with our creative/digital agencies and print partner at the enterprise/global level.   The role will work closely with other leaders across procurement, commercial, and finance functions to serve as consultative business partner and lead strategic supplier initiatives to drive improved financial, operational, and marketing performance.

Core responsibilities:

• Lead a small team of procurement professionals with a vision of becoming best-in-class “investment managers” and strategic advisors for partners in commercial who directly own and manage promotional spend and marketing/print activity.
• Understand brand strategy and how it affects demand of creative/digital/production/print tactics, using the knowledge to enhance ways of working with internal and external partners.
• Partner with AbbVie’s Agency Relations, Marketing Operations, Digital Lab, and ADL teams to review enterprise and market trends and translate into actionable projects that drive new and diverse value across the organization, balancing both efficiency and effectiveness.
• Develop long-range Category strategies that incorporate innovation roadmaps, improves vendor performance, and generates value beyond savings.
• Work closely alongside the Media Category team on shared, enterprise initiatives
• Serve as liaison between business leaders and key agency/supplier partners to continually improve vendor relationships/performance and go-to-market strategies related to advertising.
• Manage a procurement category team that is global in nature, developing strategies in consideration of international requirements and specifications.  Occasional early-morning or late-evening calls are possible to accommodate team members in other time zones.
• Actively manage and nurture supplier relationships through hosting QBRs and engaging in future-oriented strategic planning in accordance with AbbVie’s strategic needs.
• Act as lead for commercial partnership contract negotiations (MSAs, SOWs, JBPs), factoring in business priorities, supplier imperatives, and other considerations while leveraging data from multiple systems or other inputs.
• Lead for end-to-end sourcing events (RFP / RFI / RFQ / Pricing Auctions), working with team of sourcing experts, to identify potential vendors and execute on category strategy.
  • Partner with Procurement Managers in related to teams to prospect, source, and develop preferred supplier networks, improving overall partnership value.
  • Perform and collect due diligence information required for evaluating and approving new and existing suppliers.
  • Data analysis for procurement projects and supplier management (supplier metrics and research, master data, market basket analysis, pricing analysis, monthly/quarterly reporting of KPI’s, savings reporting)
  • Improve supplier service levels by integrating business-specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Partner with related teams, including legal, to draft contracts while keeping close contact with respective suppliers to ensure timely completion and execution.
• Implement short term and long-term cost reduction strategies and work with high ethical standard, in compliance with the law and the AbbVie policies and procedure.
• Participate as category thought-leader in all Procurement related initiatives and exercises, like those related to our ongoing Procurement Transformation
• Managing, motivating, and developing a team of three (3) direct reports in addition to one (1) dotted-line relationship residing outside the United States.

#LI-AL1

• Bachelor’s degree and 8 years equivalent work experience
• A minimum of 5 years’ experience in the creative or brand marketing field, possessing a strong working knowledge overall marketing operations, strategy, and spend activities.
• Deep knowledge of the industry dynamics, cost-structures, and success criteria of a variety creative tactics (visual aids, banners, emails, videos, websites, etc).  Similar knowledge across experiential tactics (meetings, events, symposia) a plus.
• Acute understanding of creative agency and content strategy and its role/impact on overall marketing and brand management, as well as its connection to data strategy and patient experience.
• Knowledge and experience managing external operations related to print and fulfillment networks for promotional activity.
• Solid understanding of holistic creative/media agency operations and processes, including how marketing/print tactics work together to achieve brand goals.
• Ability to effectively communicate, especially with senior executives both internally and externally, with a knack for selling new or unique strategies or considerations.
• Demonstrates a high proficiency in account management and/or client service skills.
• Experience drafting sophisticated and detailed documentation related to Agency operational procedures, governing contracts, and scope considerations.
• Ability to prioritize, organize, and delegate workload across multiple projects and team members.
• Ability to develop, nurture, and grow relationships with internal stakeholders and external suppliers.
• Ability to collaborate strongly in a highly-matrixed, cross-functional environment.
• Time spent in a procurement or finance management role highly preferred.
• Time spent in a creative agency strategy, operations, or account management role high preferred.
• Time spent in a pharmaceutical marketing role highly preferred.
• Experience within marketing technology or ad-tech/e-commerce platforms preferred.
• Self-motivated and able to work with minimal direction.
• Strong knowledge of MS Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Outlook.
• Interest and experience in developing high-performing teams.  This role has three (3) direct reports, and one indirect report outside of the United States.

Applicable only to applicants applying to a position in any location with pay disclosure requirements under state or local law: ​

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• The compensation range described below is the range of possible base pay compensation that the Company believes in good faith it will pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors including geographic location, and we may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future.​

• We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick), medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.​

• This job is eligible to participate in our short-term incentive programs. ​

• This job is eligible to participate in our long-term incentive programs​

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Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, incentive, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole and absolute discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole and absolute discretion, consistent with applicable law. ​

AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives, serving our community and embracing diversity and inclusion.  It is AbbVie’s policy to employ qualified persons of the greatest ability without discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, status as a protected veteran, or any other legally protected group status.

US & Puerto Rico only - to learn more, visit https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/equal-employment-opportunity-employer.html 

US & Puerto Rico applicants seeking a reasonable accommodation, click here to learn more:

https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/reasonable-accommodations.html