Sr. Director, Global Indirect Procurement; Marketing

Overview

Life Unlimited. At Smith+Nephew we design and manufacture technology that takes the limits off living. Join Smith+Nephew’s Global Indirect Procurement organization as the Senior Director, Global Category Lead for Marketing, where you will shape and execute procurement strategies that directly accelerate our commercial and brand ambitions. You will serve as the strategic thought partner to senior Commercial, Marketing, and Medical Education leaders across regions and business unites — optimizing third‑party spend, driving supplier innovation, and ensuring effective stewardship of company resources.

This role owns a global portfolio that includes marketing services, meetings & events, agencies, digital marketing, and medical education. You will lead the development of long‑term category strategies, cultivate high‑value supplier partnerships, mitigate risk, and deliver measurable impact across savings, innovation, and performance. You will also lead a high‑performing team responsible for delivering world‑class procurement outcomes.

Strategic Business Partnering

• Build strong, trust-based partnerships with Commercial, Marketing, and Medical Education leaders across franchises and regions.
• Develop a deep understanding of brand, customer, and commercial priorities to shape procurement strategies that enable business outcomes.
• Drive resource optimization by balancing spend efficiency with investment in growth-critical marketing initiatives.

Category Strategy Leadership

• Integrate business needs, market intelligence, supplier capabilities, and emerging trends to craft mid- and long‑term global category strategies.
• Align and collaborate across regional and local procurement teams to ensure consistent execution and adoption of category strategies.
• Identify future capabilities, innovation opportunities, and digital trends that can enhance S+N’s commercial performance.

Supplier Engagement & Performance Management

• Own executive-level relationships with strategic marketing agencies and key suppliers.
• Apply robust Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) frameworks to deliver performance, innovation, and value creation.
• Proactively manage supplier risk, including compliance, data privacy, sustainability, and operational resiliency.

Contracting, Negotiation & Compliance

• Lead high-value, multi-country negotiations and contracting efforts leveraging strong commercial and legal acumen.
• Ensure all contracts maximize value, manage risk, and comply with global procurement and ethical standards.
• Partner with Legal, Finance, Compliance, and Commercial Excellence to uphold governance requirements.

People Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop a global team of procurement professionals.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Build organizational capability in marketing procurement, supplier management, and digital buying practices.

Digital Enablement & Process Innovation

• Champion the adoption of digital procurement tools, AI‑enabled workflows, and advanced buying channels.
• Drive simplification, automation, and user‑friendly processes that improve stakeholder experience while optimizing spend and supplier risk.
• Partner with technology and process teams to shape the next wave of digital procurement evolution within Smith+Nephew.

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 15+ years of procurement or relevant business experience with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Experience leading and developing global or matrixed teams with direct people management experience leading a team of indirect procurement professionals.
• Proficiency in English (written and oral).

• Deep procurement expertise in marketing services, agencies, meetings & events, digital marketing, and medical education, ideally in healthcare, life sciences, or regulated sectors.
• Demonstrated success developing and executing global category strategies aligned to business strategy.
• Strong commercial acumen with proven experience in contracting, complex negotiations, and managing high‑value global suppliers.
• Advanced analytical, financial modeling, and problem‑solving…