Category Manager - Capital Equipment

Make your mark for patients

We are looking for a Category Manager - Capital Equipment who is strategic, commercially minded, and relationship‑focused to join our Engineering & Investment Procurement team, supporting UCB’s global manufacturing and investment priorities, based in Braine-l'Alleud, Belgium.

About the Role
You will be accountable for the end‑to‑end management of a defined capital equipment portfolio, driving category strategies, supplier performance, risk management, and long‑term value creation.

You will act as a key business partner to Engineering, Manufacturing, and Capital Project teams, ensuring procurement strategies support both current operations and future investment plans. Working across a global supplier landscape, you will identify opportunities to optimize total cost of ownership, enhance supply resilience, and leverage innovation to support UCB’s manufacturing transformation.

Who You’ll Work With
You will report to the Global Category Lead Equipment Technologies and collaborate closely with stakeholders across Engineering, Manufacturing, Technical Operations, Capital Projects, Quality, Finance, Legal, and Sustainability. You will also work closely with Sourcing & Contracting Managers and strategic suppliers to ensure consistent delivery of category objectives.

What You’ll Do

• Develop and implement category strategies aligned with manufacturing roadmaps and capital investment plans.


• Build and manage strategic supplier relationships, driving performance, innovation, and long‑term value creation.


• Identify opportunities for standardization, modularization, and global leverage across sites and projects.


• Lead total cost of ownership optimization across the equipment lifecycle, from acquisition through end‑of‑life management.


• Provide strategic direction for sourcing initiatives and support supplier selection and award decisions.


• Partner with Engineering and Capital Project teams to align procurement strategies with future technology and investment needs.


• Monitor market developments, supplier capabilities, and emerging technologies to inform category decisions.


• Develop and implement risk mitigation strategies related to supply, technology, capacity, and market dynamics.


• Support business case development and investment decisions through commercial and market expertise.


• Champion sustainable and compliant procurement practices in line with UCB’s values and objectives.

Interested? For this role we’re looking for:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Business, Supply Chain, Procurement, or a related field.


• Experience in category management, strategic sourcing, or procurement within pharmaceutical industry.


• Strong commercial and negotiation skills, with experience managing complex supplier relationships and contracts.


• Knowledge of capital equipment, automation technologies, manufacturing operations, or related industrial systems.


• Strong stakeholder‑management, analytical, and communication skills, with the ability to influence across a global matrix organization.

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! 

About us 
UCB is a global biopharmaceutical company, focusing on neurology and immunology. We are over 9.000 people in all four corners of the globe, inspired by patients and driven by science. 

Why work with us? 
At UCB, we don’t just complete tasks, we create value. We aren’t afraid to push forward, collaborate, and innovate to make our mark for patients. We have a caring, supportive culture where everyone feels included, respected, and has equal opportunities to do their best work. We ‘go beyond’ to create value for our patients, and always with a human focus, whether that’s on our patients, our employees, or our planet. Working for us, you will discover a place where you can grow, and have the freedom to carve your own career path to achieve your full potential. 

At UCB, we’ve embraced a hybrid-first approach to work, bringing teams together in local hubs to foster collaborative curiosity. Unless expressly stated in the description or precluded by the nature of the position, roles are hybrid with 40% of your time spent in the office.

UCB is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions will be made without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable laws. 
 
Should you require any adjustments to our process to assist you in demonstrating your strengths and capabilities contact us on [email protected]. Please note should your enquiry not relate to adjustments; we will not be able to support you through this channel.