Make your mark for patients
We are looking for a Category Manager – MRO who is commercially minded, solutions‑oriented, and operationally focused to join our Investment and Infrastructure Procurement team, supporting UCB’s manufacturing, laboratory, and facility operations, based in Braine-L'Alleud, Belgium.
About the Role
As Category Manager – MRO, you will manage a defined portfolio of indirect materials, spare parts, consumables, and technical services that are critical to the day‑to‑day operation of UCB sites. Your scope will include mechanical and electrical spare parts, industrial consumables, tools, safety equipment, lubricants, and maintenance services.
You will play a key role in ensuring supply continuity, cost efficiency, operational reliability, and sustainability across Patient Supply operations. Working closely with maintenance, engineering, production, and supply chain teams, you will develop and execute sourcing strategies that strengthen UCB’s operational resilience and long‑term competitiveness.
Who You’ll Work With
You will report to the Category Lead – Infrastructure and collaborate closely with stakeholders across Patient Supply, Maintenance, Engineering, Operations, Warehousing, Finance, Legal, Sustainability, and Corporate Risk. You will also work with suppliers and service partners to drive value, innovation, and continuous improvement across the MRO landscape.
What You’ll Do
1. Develop and implement sourcing and category strategies for MRO materials and services.
2. Build strong market intelligence on suppliers, technologies, and emerging trends in industrial maintenance.
3. Partner with maintenance and operations teams to anticipate needs, optimise spare‑parts availability, and reduce downtime risks.
4. Lead sourcing initiatives, including RFI/RFP processes, supplier evaluation, and contract award recommendations.
5. Negotiate and manage framework agreements and service contracts to ensure value, reliability, and compliance.
6. Drive cost optimisation, inventory rationalisation, and total cost of ownership improvements.
7. Support preventive and corrective maintenance programs through effective supplier and service‑level management.
8. Apply structured risk‑management approaches to safeguard supply continuity for critical assets.
9. Lead strategic supplier relationship management to improve performance, innovation, and sustainability outcomes.
10. Ensure adherence to procurement policies, ethical standards, and applicable regulatory requirements.
Interested? For this role we’re looking for:
11. Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent experience); advanced degree is a plus.
12. Experience in procurement, category management, or supply chain roles within industrial, manufacturing, or life‑sciences environments.
13. Solid understanding of MRO categories, maintenance operations, and industrial supply markets.
14. Strong commercial and negotiation skills, with experience managing complex contracts and supplier relationships.
15. Ability to build data‑driven business cases and support strategic decision‑making.
16. Experience working cross‑functionally in a matrix organisation.
17. Fluency in English & French; additional languages are a plus.
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!