Future Talent Program - Global Supplier Management Sourcing & Procurement Co-op

About the role

This is a 2027 Future Talent Program cooperative education placement of up to 6 months within Merck's Global Supplier Management Group, supporting the Research and Development Sourcing & Procurement organization. The co-op includes one or more projects and offers development and exposure to the company's strategic supplier management methodology, which relies on market intelligence, supplier performance analysis and spend and savings reporting. The position is fixed term, with no relocation, visa sponsorship or travel required.

Key responsibilities

• Gather market intelligence and run strategic analysis, supplier and supply market analysis, and supplier performance monitoring and issue resolution
• Prepare pre-negotiation plans, lead negotiations, and conduct post-negotiation debriefs
• Create and run RFIs, RFPs, Qs and e-auctions, and analyze quotations and costs
• Build cost models and purchase price analyses, including supplier visits to understand cost structures
• Assess financial solvency, FCPA compliance, and other risks, and set mitigation plans
• Report monthly on category spend, savings and compliance, and support annual budget and profit planning
• Support the annual budget process, maintain financial reporting systems such as SAP, and join category teams
• Share learnings across the group and contribute to corporate communications, including articles, blogs, newsletters and slides

Required profile

• Sophomore or junior student pursuing a bachelor's degree in business, supply chain, manufacturing, market research, communications or a science field, or enrolled in an MBA or graduate program
• Strong interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills, including presentation skills and sensitivity to cultural differences
• Excellent data collection, analysis and reporting skills, and strong project management skills
• Ability to work independently, flexibly and quickly learn technical, business and commercial skills
• Demonstrated academic achievement

Required skills

• Microsoft Office suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
• SharePoint and enterprise social media (Yammer)
• Preferred: TIBCO Spotfire or similar data visualization tools, and experience managing large data sets in Excel

Salary range: $39,908 - $111,111 USD.