Director, APAC Commercial Procurement – Marketing Category

The role is responsible for developing and executing best‑in‑class Marketing procurement strategy across APAC for categories such as Advertising, Media, Creative & Production, Digital/MarTech,, PR/Communications, Meeting & Events Services. The remit is to deliver solid value to AZ businesses through innovative, end‑to‑end supplier solutions that enhance brand impact, quality, speed, and cost effectiveness, while ensuring compliance and sustainability.

The role engages closely with internal and external partners, including senior Marketing leaders, Global Category Leaders, Country Procurement Heads, GSCE APAC, Finance, Legal, Compliance, and strategic suppliers/agency partners, building collaborative, outcome‑focused relationships.

Key Accountabilities

Strategy

• Accountable for designing and implementing APAC Marketing category, regional, and market strategies that optimize brand performance, speed to market, and value for money.
• Owns Marketing category management regionally/locally, including strategic sourcing, contracting, supplier performance, risk, and sustainability.
• Develops and maintains expert knowledge of APAC marketing supply markets, competitive dynamics, pricing models, and innovation trends.
• Partners with Marketing to understand spend, channel mix, and campaign priorities; identifies opportunities to improve ROI, quality, and efficiency; facilitates procurement‑led change initiatives within marketing to improve business performance.
• Collaborates with Global Category teams to align on global strategies, leverage scale, and localize for APAC market needs and regulatory requirements.

Leadership

• Manages the APAC Marketing Category team with clear targets (savings/ROI, quality, speed, compliance, sustainability); oversees the regional portfolio and performance.
• Leads, builds capabilities in agency management, media benchmarking, rate/fee negotiations etc..
• Fosters a diverse, collaborative, and growth‑oriented team culture.

Business & Supplier Engagement

• Develops deep understanding of Marketing customer needs, brand strategies, omnichannel plans, and market environments; builds strong relationships with senior stakeholders to ensure satisfaction and outcomes.
• Works with Strategic Intelligence/Insights and Finance to deliver reporting and analytics on media/production benchmarks, supplier performance, and ROI; identifies improvement opportunities and innovative sourcing solutions that drive cashable savings and process efficiencies.
• Addresses supplier/agency issues to ensure highest service delivery; maintains contractual and business relationships to the highest standards, including clear scopes of work, KPIs, SLAs, and governance.
• Fosters trusted, performance‑based partnerships with agencies and platforms to achieve better pricing, transparency, quality, and innovation.
• Conducts annual peer reviews of category, regional, and market strategies; calibrates against industry benchmarks.
• Plans and reviews performance of Procurement and cross‑functional teams within scope; drives initiatives for compliance, continuous improvement, technical excellence, and cost‑effectiveness.
• Leads business case development and approval for major Marketing investments, translating needs into resource and supplier requirements.
• Develops senior‑level relationships to resolve issues, optimize performance, and shape future opportunities (e.g., consolidated rosters, outcome‑based fees, near‑shore/off‑shore models).
• Ensures the highest standards of compliance and ethics across AZ, including data privacy, fair‑market value, anti‑bribery, third‑party risk, inclusion & diversity, and sustainability in production.

Required Skills & Knowledge

• Degree‑level qualification.
• Strong knowledge of the pharmaceutical/healthcare industry and Marketing/commercial models.
• Deep expertise in Marketing Procurement (at least one core area such as media, creative/production etc; broad knowledge across others).
• Proven leadership experience managing regional teams and complex stakeholders.
• Excellent communication and influence skills; ability to partner with senior Marketing leaders and agencies.
• Comfort with risk and ambiguous situations; adept at navigating evolving media, digital, and regulatory landscapes.
• Fluency in verbal and written English; additional APAC languages are a plus.

Optional additions

• Familiarity with marketing acitvities, rate card governance, and outcome‑based remuneration.
• Commitment to sustainability in marketing (low‑carbon production, responsible media, inclusive representation).

Date Posted

Closing Date

AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity.  We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills.  We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.  We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics.  We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements.