Join us as we work to create a thriving ecosystem that delivers accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all.
Business Title: Procurement Manager, Strategic Sourcing
Location: Chennai, India Bangalore, India (Hybrid)
About Athena: Athena is seeking procurement professionals to join our Procurement Team. We operate with speed, precision, and a strong commitment to customer and stakeholder success. At Athena, we value adaptability, collaboration, and analytical excellence. Join us to contribute to our expanding India and U.S. Procurement operations and play a key role in our growing global footprint.
Role Summary:
The Procurement Manager develops and executes category sourcing strategies, manages vendor relationships, and drives procurement practices for assigned categories.
Education & Experience:
- Undergraduate degree in Procurement, Finance, or Business (preferred).
- 8 - 10 years in procurement/strategic sourcing.
- Proven financial analytical acumen and experience in cost optimization.
- Advanced knowledge of procurement cost structures.
- Proficiency in procurement toolsets.
- Strong negotiation and relationship-building skills.
- Commitment to continuous improvement.
- Project management and adaptability.
Job Responsibilities:
- Develop and execute category sourcing strategies for assigned direct and indirect spend areas, ensuring alignment with business priorities and enterprise procurement standards.
- Lead and manage sourcing events, including RFPs, vendor evaluations, and endtoend contract negotiations, driving measurable value and cost optimization.
- Analyze spend data, market insights, and supplier performance metrics to identify savings opportunities, process efficiencies, and riskmitigation strategies.
- Manage supplier relationships, ensuring high performance, compliance, and continuous improvement through structured engagement, reviews, and issue resolution.
- Implement and optimize procurement processes and systems, leveraging procurement toolsets to enhance data accuracy, user experience, and workflow efficiency.
- Monitor supplier compliance and category governance, ensuring adherence to policies, contract terms, and performance expectations.
- Prepare procurement summaries and stakeholder communications, including deal recommendations, category reports, and valuetracking updates for leadership review.
- Partner with crossfunctional teams, including Finance, Legal, IT, and business stakeholders, to ensure sourcing outcomes meet operational, financial, and risk objectives.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives across sourcing, vendor management, and procurement operations by identifying inefficiencies and supporting process enhancements.
- Provide mentorship and guidance to junior team members (Associates/Analysts), supporting capability development and reinforcing procurement best practices.
Key Skills & Competencies
- Strong strategicsourcing skills, including category strategy, market analysis, and competitive bidding.
- Ability to align sourcing and contracting practices to obtain optimal value/benefit for the business.
- Proficient in WSS, Oracle, and procurement technologies.
- Solid financial and analytical capability (TCO, cost drivers, supplier performance).
- Effective at leading complex commercial and contractual negotiations.
- Strong stakeholdermanagement and influencing skills.
- Skilled in assessing supplier risk, performance, and market conditions.
- Clear communicator of sourcing recommendations, risks, and value.
- Proven record of cost savings, risk mitigation, and operational efficiency.
- Ability to manage multiple sourcing initiatives in a fastpaced environment.
- Continuousimprovement mindset with focus and contributions to best practices and governance.
- Adaptable, with strong criticalthinking and problemsolving skills.