About this role
Careers that change lives start here. Medtronic is a global leader in healthcare technology with a Mission to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life. Our 95,000 employees work across more than 150 countries to put patients first — developing innovative medical technologies that improve the lives of 72+ million patients each year. Your unique talents will help shape the future of healthcare while building a career grounded in purpose, growth, and impact.
A Day in the Life
1.) About the Operating Unit / Portfolio / Function
Indirect Supply Management (ISM) is the strategic sourcing function responsible for indirect materials and services that support Medtronic’s business operations. As a business partner to internal functions, ISM supports the full procurement lifecycle, including spend and market analysis, requirements definition, supplier research and evaluation, competitive bidding, commercial and contract negotiation, contract execution, supplier performance management, and procurement-to-pay collaboration. From the perspectives of Quality, Cost, Delivery, service, compliance, and supply risk, ISM promotes transparent and competitive decision-making and creates sustainable value through cost optimization, operational efficiency, risk reduction, and innovation.
2.) About the Position / Primary Responsibilities
The Strategic Sourcing Specialist is an individual contributor reporting to the local ISM lead and working closely with Global, APAC, country ISM, and business stakeholders. The position supports indirect sourcing activities and is responsible for delivering measurable cost, service, compliance, and supplier-performance benefits to the business.
- Collaborate with Global, APAC, other country ISM, and relevant stakeholders to analyze category spend, demand, market trends, and supplier information, and support the development and execution of category strategies, sourcing plans, and a robust pipeline of cost-improvement opportunities.
- Partner with local business leaders and users to clarify requirements, specifications, budgets, timelines, and evaluation criteria, recommend the appropriate procurement approach, and execute the end-to-end sourcing process from intake through RFP, negotiation, contracting, and implementation.
- Manage competitive bidding processes, including RFIs, RFPs, and quotation comparisons, and drive supplier research, selection, evaluation, and internal approvals.
- Negotiate pricing, payment terms, service levels, delivery schedules, and other commercial terms, and support contract execution in coordination with Legal, Finance, and other relevant functions.
- Continuously monitor supplier quality, cost, delivery, service, and risk, and drive corrective actions, relationship development, and performance improvement.
- Identify opportunities for value creation, including cost savings, cost avoidance, improved payment terms, process efficiency, and demand optimization, and quantitatively track and report results.
- Ensure compliance with procurement policies, approval processes, applicable laws and regulations, and ethical standards, while maintaining transparency and appropriate records throughout the procurement process.
- Partner with Finance and the P2P team to enable an effective, integrated procurement-to-pay experience for business stakeholders and resolve process or compliance issues.
- Educate the organization on procurement policies, processes, and capabilities; maintain ISM’s visibility as a trusted business partner; and collaborate with other country ISM teams on APAC initiatives.
- The assigned category will be determined through discussion.
a) Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree or higher; a professional procurement or supply management qualification is desirable.
- TOEIC score of 800 or equivalent; business-level English is required for the role.
- At least 5 years of sourcing and procurement experience in a multinational or similarly complex environment, including at least two years in indirect sourcing and procurement.
b) Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working in the medical device or pharmaceutical industry.
- Experience participating in global projects.
- Experience using AI tools.
c.) Core Competencies
- Stakeholder engagement;
- Negotiation and influencing
- Commercial acumen
- Teamwork and cross-functional collaboration
- Process orientation
- Analytical thinking
- Strong compliance and ethical judgment
3.) Benefits
At Medtronic, we believe that the company’s success and our employees’ growth should go hand in hand. We offer comprehensive benefits and compensation programs designed to support the financial, physical, and emotional well-being of every employee.
- Childcare expense assistance of up to JPY 360,000 per year.
- Up to six weeks of leave when a family member requires care or in connection with adoption.
- Matching services for babysitters and childcare facilities.
- Career development opportunities, including mentoring programs and e-learning.
- An internal career network that supports women’s advancement.
- Employee stock purchase plan, etc.
4.) Other Information
- Work Arrangement: In accordance with company policy. The primary work location is the Shinagawa headquarters.
- Allowances: Commuting allowance, overtime allowance, holiday work allowance, etc.
- Holidays: Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, etc.
- Leave: Annual paid leave, occupational injury and illness leave, menstrual leave, maternity leave, etc.
- Working Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Physical Job Requirements
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this position, but they are not an exhaustive list of all the required responsibilities and skills of this position.
Recruitment Fraud Alert
We are aware of phishing scams targeting job seekers. Please keep the following in mind:
Apply only through official Medtronic channels. All legitimate Medtronic recruiting communications come from approved Medtronic platforms and official @medtronic.com email addresses.
Medtronic will never ask for payment or sensitive personal information (such as bank account or Social Security details) during early stages of the hiring process. Any such requests are not legitimate.
If you receive a suspicious message claiming to be from Medtronic, do not respond, click links, or open attachments.
If you have any questions, concerns regarding the authenticity of a communication alleged to have been made by or on behalf of Medtronic, please contact us immediately at [email protected] .
Benefits & Compensation
Medtronic offers a competitive Salary and flexible Benefits Package
A commitment to our employees lives at the core of our values. We recognize their contributions. They share in the success they help to create. We offer a wide range of benefits, resources, and competitive compensation plans designed to support you at every career and life stage.
This position is eligible for a short-term incentive called the Medtronic Incentive Plan (MIP).