Position Description
The Vice President Portfolio Management - VWR Collection owns the strategy, performance, and long-term value creation of the VWR private label portfolio and is accountable for optimizing category positioning, portfolio mix, pricing, and lifecycle decisions across the end markets we serve. The role is responsible for developing and executing category and portfolio strategies that drive profitable growth, expand proprietary product penetration, strengthen competitive differentiation, and improve customer value globally.
Job Responsibilities
P&L and Category Performance Ownership: Own the financial performance of the VWR private label portfolio globally, including revenue, margin, mix, and growth targets, and lead actions to improve category economics and overall portfolio performance. Monitor financial performance and implement corrective actions as needed.
Category Strategy Leadership: Define and lead multi-year category strategies across multiple product categories, using customer, market, competitive, and financial insights to prioritize opportunities and guide portfolio decisions. Drive new product introduction and portfolio gap assessments.
Portfolio Management and Lifecycle Optimization: Own the full portfolio lifecycle including assortment planning/rationalization/obsolescence, commercialization, positioning, and pricing of private label product portfolios, ensuring competitiveness, profitability, and strong and supplier partnerships.
Market Intelligence and Competitive Analysis: Leverage market trends, supplier intelligence, customer insights, and competitor analysis to identify whitespace opportunities, risks, and category shifts that inform portfolio strategy. Identify emerging customer needs and market trends.
Pricing and Mix Strategy: Establish pricing guardrails, product assortment, and mix strategies that strengthen private label competitiveness, expand share of wallet, and improve gross margin performance across target categories.
Commercialization and Go-to-Market Execution: Partner with sourcing, commercial, marketing, finance, supply chain, legal, quality/regulatory, and other functional stakeholders to bring portfolio priorities to market through effective launch planning, customer targeting, sales enablement, and value proposition development.
Supplier Strategy: In collaboration with sourcing, develop strategic relationships with supplier partners. Define requirements for product specifications, cost targets, and supply diversity.
Cross-Functional Enterprise Leadership: Work closely with sourcing, product management, commercial leaders, operations, finance, and regional teams to align category priorities with enterprise objectives, operational capabilities, and customer needs.
Supplier and Pipeline Development: Partner with sourcing and supplier partners to identify innovation opportunities, improve value, mitigate risk, and build a scalable pipeline of differentiated private label offerings.
Team Leadership and Capability Building: Build, lead, and develop a high-performing portfolio management team, establishing strong operating rhythms, decision frameworks, talent development, and succession planning. Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Education & Experience
Bachelor’s degree in business, life sciences, supply chain, marketing, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
10+ years of progressive leadership experience in category management, portfolio management, product management, strategic sourcing, or related commercial roles. Private label, proprietary, self-manufactured category experience strongly preferred.
Demonstrated experience leading large-scale category strategies, portfolio optimization, pricing, commercialization, and cross-functional execution in a complex, matrixed environment.
Experience in working with suppliers, manufacturers, and strategic sourcing partners.
Global perspective with experience operating across regions, understanding diverse market dynamics, customer segments, and regulatory or supply considerations.
Proven experience in leading teams as well as mentoring and developing future leaders.
Core Competencies
Deep expertise in category management, portfolio strategy, and lifecycle management, including assortment, rationalization, and roadmap planning.
Strong financial and analytical acumen with the ability to interpret market, customer, pricing, and performance data to drive strategic decisions and category outcomes.
Demonstrates the ability to evaluate complex business challenges, synthesize diverse sources of information, and make sound, data-driven decisions that advance strategic objectives.
Executive communication and influencing skills, with the ability to align senior stakeholders and translate complex portfolio decisions into clear business actions.
Strategic planning and execution capabilities to lead cross-functional initiatives from insight to implementation across portfolio, pricing, sourcing, and commercialization.
Strong collaboration skills and enterprise mindset to work effectively across sourcing, commercial, operations, finance, and regional teams.
Ability to identify growth opportunities through customer insight, supplier innovation, and market trends, and translate them into scalable category strategies.
Adaptability and sound judgment to lead in a fast-paced, evolving environment while balancing short-term delivery with long-term portfolio value creation.
Proven ability to lead direct and cross-functional teams to drive organizational transformation and sustainable growth.
Disclaimer:
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of employees assigned to this position. Avantor is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.
Why Avantor?
Dare to go further in your career. Join our global team of 14,000+ associates whose passion for discovery and determination to overcome challenges relentlessly advances life-changing science.
The work we do changes people's lives for the better. It brings new patient treatments and therapies to market, giving a cancer survivor the chance to walk his daughter down the aisle. It enables medical devices that help a little boy hear his mom's voice for the first time. Outcomes such as these create unlimited opportunities for you to contribute your talents, learn new skills and grow your career at Avantor.
We are committed to helping you on this journey through our diverse, equitable and inclusive culture which includes learning experiences to support your career growth and success. At Avantor, dare to go further and see how the impact of your contributions set science in motion to create a better world. Apply today!
Pay Transparency:
The expected pre-tax pay for this position is
$212,000.00 - $357,075.00
Actual pay may differ depending on relevant factors such as prior experience and geographic location.
EEO Statement:
We are an Equal Employment/Affirmative Action employer and VEVRAA Federal Contractor. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/province, or local law.
If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at [email protected] and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Requests for accommodation will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.
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3rd Party Non-Solicitation Policy:
By submitting candidates without having been formally assigned on and contracted for a specific job requisition by Avantor, or by failing to comply with the Avantor recruitment process, you forfeit any fee on the submitted candidates, regardless of your usual terms and conditions. Avantor works with a preferred supplier list and will take the initiative to engage with recruitment agencies based on its needs and will not be accepting any form of solicitation.
Avantor offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage, wellness programs, health savings and flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) plan with company match, and an employee stock purchase program. Employees also receive 11 paid holidays, accrue 18 PTO days annually, are eligible for volunteer time off and 6 weeks of 100% paid parental leave (except in states that offer paid family leave). These benefits may not apply to employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement or those subject to other eligibility rules.
