Sr. Specialist, Procurement System Owner

Job Description

You will drive SAP Ariba adoption and strengthen procurement operations by expanding platform capabilities, improving supplier enablement, and supporting key Source-to-Settle (S2S) initiatives across the organization. 

As a Procurement System Owner (Senior Specialist), you will be accountable for ensuring SAP Ariba and connected systems operate effectively across the end-to-end S2S process. You will promote adoption of core capabilities such as sourcing (RFX), guided buying, and contract workspaces, while enabling seamless orchestration across sourcing, contracting, purchasing, and supplier integration. 

This role requires a strong understanding of system orchestration, data flows, and analytics across platforms, ensuring integrations, master data, and workflows operate cohesively between SAP Ariba, SAP ERP, and external supplier systems. You will leverage hands-on SQL and data analysis to drive insights, troubleshoot issues, and enable data-driven decision-making. 

You will act as a key link between Procurement, IT, and business stakeholders to drive scalable, integrated system solutions and support ongoing transformation initiatives. 

What you’ll do

• Act as System Owner for SAP Ariba capabilities, driving adoption, system stability, and continuous improvement across sourcing, buying, and contracting processes. 

• Ensure end-to-end S2S orchestration, aligning sourcing, contracting, purchasing, and supplier processes across systems (Ariba, SAP, and external platforms). 

• Promote and expand use of SAP Ariba capabilities, including RFX, guided buying, and contract workspace functionality. 

• Leverage hands-on SQL and data analysis to extract, analyze, and validate system data across SAP Ariba and SAP to support troubleshooting, reporting, and process optimization. 

• Perform root cause analysis using system and transactional data, identifying process gaps, integration issues, and data inconsistencies across the S2S lifecycle. 

• Partner with stakeholders to advance supplier consolidation initiatives and improve supplier experience, process consistency, and operational efficiency. 

• Own coordination, testing, and stabilization of system integrations (cXML, ERP-to-ERP), ensuring reliable connectivity with suppliers and external partners. 

• Enable and maintain punchout catalogs to improve guided buying experiences and ensure accurate supplier enablement. 

• Oversee material master-related activities, ensuring data integrity and alignment across systems and processes. 

• Maintain and optimize SAP release strategies and approval workflows and Order Management Team, ensuring alignment with governance, controls, and business requirements. 

• Collaborate cross-functionally (Procurement, IT, Finance, Operations) to define requirements, resolve issues, and implement scalable system solutions. 

• Partner with IT and data teams to support data validation, reconciliation, and testing across system integrations and process flows. 

• Document business requirements, process changes, system dependencies, and test scenarios to support system enhancements and operational readiness. 

• Provide ongoing system support, issue resolution, and user enablement to increase adoption and system effectiveness. 

• Support system improvements across procurement and adjacent platforms (e.g., Fieldglass). 

What you’ll bring 

• Hands-on experience with SAP Ariba (sourcing, guided buying, supplier enablement, contracts). 

• Strong understanding of end-to-end Source-to-Settle (S2S) processes, including process, system, and data flows across the procurement lifecycle. 

• Experience acting as a System Owner, System Analyst, or functional lead within enterprise systems (procurement or broader domains). 

• Strong understanding of system orchestration and integrations, including interactions between SAP Ariba, SAP ERP, and external systems. 

• Hands-on SQL experience required, including the ability to query, analyze, and validate data across enterprise systems to support troubleshooting, reporting, and process improvement. 

• Ability to use data to identify trends, root causes, and improvement opportunities across systems and processes. 

• Experience with supplier onboarding, supplier consolidation, and supplier connectivity processes. 

• Familiarity with integration concepts such as cXML, APIs, and ERP-to-ERP connectivity, including testing and issue resolution. 

• Experience with punchout catalogs and understanding of how catalog integrations support compliant buying channels. 

• Knowledge of master data management and dependencies across procurement and SAP systems (e.g., material master, purchasing info records). 

• Experience managing SAP approval workflows / release strategies or similar governance models. 

• Strong problem-solving and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to operate across business, IT, and data teams. 

• Ability to translate business needs into system and data-driven solutions. 

• Strong communication and documentation skills in a global, cross-functional environment. 

• Exposure to enterprise platforms such as Fieldglass or similar systems is a plus. 

Education and Experience 

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field

• 5+ years of experience in enterprise systems, SAP Ariba, procurement systems, or similar roles. 

• Experience supporting system implementations, integrations, or transformation initiatives in a global environment. 

• Demonstrated experience using SQL to analyze system and operational data in support of decision-making and issue resolution. 

• Proven ability to work across business, IT, and data stakeholders to deliver system and process improvements. 

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:

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The salary range for this role is

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits.  Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

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Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

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