This role is responsible for one of our most critical global categories, Lab Operations. The category has Executive Committee and Board level visibility given the criticality, risk and level of spend. The ideal candidate must have a proven track record of partnering with business stakeholders to deliver value and support of critical business objectives. They must be collaborative in nature with the ability to influence others and lead change. They must be highly analytical, a problem solver and an out of the box thinker with the ability to develop market insights and implement tactics to simplify buying for the scientific community. They will bring innovative technology and solutions to CRL, identify trends and devise strategies to manage the various market forces that drive risk and cost for CRL and the industry, understand global multimillion dollar spend categories and act as a strategic partner to functional areas within the company. In addition, the candidate must be capable of driving overall best value sourcing strategies for categories (risk, quality, service and cost), rationalizing the supply base, negotiating and contracting, SRM (supplier relationship management) and establishing partnerships with key suppliers.