new company altogether.

Task:

The challenge was that the contractor didn’t report to me directly—so I had to influence without authority,
and still find a way to get things back on track without escalating too early or creating unnecessary friction.

Action:

Instead of rushing to escalate, I said to myself: “Let me understand what’s really going on here.” I reviewed
his work and asked around for informal feedback. Then I sat down with him and just asked, “What’s holding
you back?”

To his credit, he was candid. He admitted he was completely overwhelmed by Bayer’s internal structure—he
didn’t know who to go to for what, or when to escalate. I realized this wasn’t a capability issue—it was a
clarity issue.

So, I worked with the project team to create a simple escalation and contact map—basically a cheat sheet
that explained who handles what, and how to escalate based on the type of issue. I also kept quick weekly
check-ins with him for a few weeks to make sure he was gaining confidence.

Result:

Within a month, the change was visible. He was meeting deadlines, proactively engaging with the right
stakeholders, and even led a supplier negotiation with minimal support. One of the project engineers
actually told me, “He’s become a completely different guy.” We avoided a messy replacement process, and
instead, turned a liability into a reliable partner.

1. Tell me about a time you had to manage poor performance without having direct authority.
– This is a perfect fit, since the contractor didn’t report to you but you still turned around the
performance effectively.

2. Tell me about a time you had to influence someone you didn’t manage.
– Your story highlights how you used empathy, structure, and support to influence behavior without
formal control.

3. Describe a situation where you helped someone improve their performance.

– This showcases coaching and development, even outside your team—something Amazon values
 under “Hire and Develop the Best.”

4. Tell me about a time you dived deep into a problem to find the root cause.
– Rather than reacting or escalating, you took the time to understand the contractor’s perspective
and uncover the real issue.

5. Tell me about a time when you earned someone’s trust.

– Your approach with the contractor, built on respect and support rather than blame, demonstrates
how you built trust over time.

6. Tell me about a time you had to resolve a conflict or handle a difficult conversation.
– This story shows how you addressed a sensitive performance issue constructively and
collaboratively.

7. Tell me about a time when you prevented a project from going off track.
– The contractor’s delay could have derailed the project, but your intervention helped avoid
escalation and kept it on schedule.

8. Tell me about a time your team was unhappy or demotivated, and you had to step in.
– Your team was covering for missed deliverables, and your actions helped relieve the pressure and
improve overall performance.

Question: Provide example of a time when you exceeded customer expectations

Situation:
In 2024, I took on the role of Procurement Lead for a $1.5 billion CapEx project at a top 10 global
pharmaceutical company. The project involves over 100 high-value procurement packages—ranging from
production building construction, engineering, warehousing, logistics, and equipment procurement—
sourced globally from Europe, Japan, and beyond. I lead the procurement team and coordinate with four
cross-functional stakeholder teams, totaling around 40 members.

Task:
My objective was to deliver all procurement packages on schedule and within budget, while ensuring a fully
compliant process. A key target was to generate at least 5% savings or cost avoidance against the baseline
budget.
Action:
To ensure long-term success and mitigate the risk of delays or overruns, I designed a phased procurement
strategy and reporting framework. Instead of tracking the project over the full 4-year duration, I broke it
down into five manageable phases: Basic Design, Detailed Design, Mid-Execution, Execution Completion,
and Project Close.

I implemented a visual Gantt-based reporting system that made progress and risks easy to communicate to
stakeholders. I aligned each phase with clear deliverables, budgets, and milestones, allowing the team to
continuously monitor performance and proactively course-correct when needed.

This approach not only increased transparency and accountability but also enabled faster decision-making
by leadership.

Result:
For the first two phases—Basic and Detailed Design—my team delivered 100% of procurement packages on
time and within budget. We achieved a 20% savings/cost avoidance, exceeding our 5% target by 4X. These
savings were reinvested into critical areas of the project, such as upgraded quality assurance equipment. I
received excellent feedback from senior leadership and was awarded a performance factor of 160%—the
highest rating tier within the organization.

Describe a situation when you refused to meet a customer demand.

Situation:
While leading procurement for a complex production equipment valued 25 OY on a time-critical CapEx
project, I initiated an RFP process with 5 suppliers, to identify the most suitable supplier. Given the high
technical complexity and tight deadlines, I introduced an additional confirmation step—requiring suppliers
to confirm by a cutoff date whether they could handle the scope and deliver within the project timeline.
Task:
My responsibility was to ensure a fair, transparent, and timely selection process. I needed suppliers who
were fully committed and capable, without causing delays to the overall project timeline. One supplier failed
to respond by the cutoff, but contacted me a week later, asking to be included in the RFP.

Action:
Although I understood their interest, I respectfully declined their request. I explained that our procurement
process must adhere to defined timelines to remain fair and compliant for all participants. Allowing late
entry would compromise the integrity of the process and potentially delay downstream activities.

I documented the communication for auditability and informed the supplier that while we couldn't
accommodate them for this package, I would keep them in consideration for upcoming opportunities. I also
shared general feedback on improving communication timeliness for future RFP rounds.

Result:
By upholding the deadline, I preserved the fairness and compliance of the procurement process and avoided
introducing risk to the project timeline. The selected suppliers delivered on time, and the supplier who was
excluded appreciated the transparency and continued to engage with us for later packages.

Leadership Principle How Your Answer Demonstrates It

Customer Obsession Ensured fairness and clear expectations to all suppliers

Ownership Took responsibility for upholding process discipline

Earn Trust Maintained integrity and transparent communication

Insist on the Highest Standards Refused to compromise the process even under pressure

Bias for Action Acted decisively to avoid delays and protect project schedule

Tell me about a time you faced a difficult challenge at work.

Situation:
In my previous role as Procurement Lead for a $1.5 billion CapEx project at a global pharmaceutical
company, we faced a critical delay in the procurement of HVAC systems—a core component for GMP
compliance. The supplier had pushed back the delivery by 8 weeks due to global supply chain disruptions.
This delay threatened to derail our construction timeline and delay commissioning.

Task:
My task was to resolve the issue quickly, minimize the project impact, and still meet our overall schedule.
The challenge was high-stakes: the delay would cost the company approximately $3 million and impact
multiple downstream activities.

Action:
First, I immediately escalated the issue internally and aligned all stakeholders—engineering, construction,
QA, and project leadership—on the potential risks and mitigation options. Then, I initiated direct
negotiations with the supplier’s executive team. Instead of simply escalating delivery, I proposed a revised
delivery model where they would ship in phased batches—prioritizing units needed for the most time-critical
areas.

Simultaneously, I worked with our engineering team to adjust the construction sequence and ensured we
had temporary HVAC coverage for non-critical zones using rental equipment.

To avoid future surprises, I introduced a new risk tracking and early-warning dashboard for long-lead
equipment across the project.

Result:
We recovered 5 of the 8 weeks through the phased delivery plan and re-sequencing. The project stayed on
schedule with no cost overrun. Leadership praised the proactive mitigation, and the supplier adopted our
phased delivery model as a best practice for other clients. Additionally, the risk tracking dashboard I
developed was later rolled out across other CapEx projects within the organization.

Why this works for Amazon:

• Customer Obsession: Protected the project timeline and compliance standards.

• Ownership: Took full responsibility, didn't wait for others to solve it.

• Bias for Action: Acted quickly and creatively to mitigate delay.

• Invent and Simplify: Created a phased delivery solution and new dashboard.

• Deliver Results: Avoided millions in delay-related costs and maintained GMP readiness.

Question: Tell me about your proudest achievement.

Situation:
In 2024, I was appointed as Procurement Lead for a $1.5 billion CapEx project at a global pharmaceutical
company—one of the largest and most complex projects in the organization’s history. The scope included
over 100 high-value procurement packages such as production building construction, warehousing, logistics,
and GMP-critical equipment sourced globally.

The challenge was delivering all procurement within tight timelines, ensuring global compliance, and
achieving a minimum 5% savings target across the board—all while coordinating with four cross-functional
teams and managing a distributed supplier base from Japan, Europe, and North America.

Task:
My key objective was to ensure that procurement activities were completed in alignment with each project
phase—basic design, detailed design, execution, and close-out—without impacting the critical path. I also
aimed to significantly exceed the 5% cost savings target while maintaining quality and supplier reliability.

Action:
To manage a 4-year project effectively, I introduced a phase-based procurement strategy with clearly defined
timelines, budgets, and deliverables for each phase. I also:

• Developed a visual reporting system using simplified Gantt charts to improve real-time visibility for
stakeholders.

• Created a phasing budget model, breaking the total project budget into actionable chunks that
enabled us to monitor progress and cost discipline with agility.

• Led high-stakes negotiations with suppliers across multiple time zones and regulatory environments,
proactively managing risks like global lead time fluctuations and material price volatility.

• Empowered my team by assigning ownership of key packages while providing coaching and
escalation support where needed.

Result:
For the first two phases (basic and detailed design), my team delivered 100% of procurement packages on
time, and achieved a 20% cost savings/cost avoidance—quadruple the original target. The savings enabled
us to reinvest in higher-spec equipment for quality control and analytics.

My leadership was recognized at the corporate level: I received a 160% performance factor, placing me in
the top percentile of performers globally. More importantly, I built a scalable framework that is now being
reused for other large CapEx projects.

Why it’s my proudest achievement:

Because it wasn’t just about savings or meeting a deadline—it was about building trust across global teams,
delivering value beyond expectations, and creating systems that outlive the project itself. It tested every
aspect of my leadership—strategic thinking, negotiation, stakeholder alignment, and people development—
and proved that I could lead at the highest level of complexity.

Conversational STAR Story: Contract Database Consolidation at AstraZeneca

Situation:
When I was working as a Procurement Manager at AstraZeneca, I was part of a team of 8. One big challenge
we had was that all our contracts were scattered—some were in outdated systems, others in personal folders
or even on individual laptops. It made it really hard and time-consuming to find contracts when needed, and
there was no central visibility or control.

Task:
I wanted to fix that by creating a centralized, searchable database of all procurement contracts. It would save
time, reduce mistakes, and make future system upgrades a lot smoother.

Action:
I proposed the idea and volunteered to lead it. I reached out to team members and asked them to send me
whatever contracts they had—no matter the format or where it was stored. I also put together some simple
rules for naming files, set up a basic approval flow so that all new contracts would be stored in one place, and
built an Excel-based searchable index to make it easy to look things up.

There was a lot of pushback, especially from some senior team members. They said it was too difficult
because no one really knew where all the contracts were. When I asked them to send me their files, a few
even said it would take too much time and effort.

Eventually, the Head of Procurement supported my proposal and made it a team priority. But even then, I
got little help. So I rolled up my sleeves, dug into folders myself, read through hundreds of contracts, and
logged basic details into the new system. I also arranged for a bit of temporary help from interns and admin
staff to get it done.

Result:
It made a huge difference. Searching for contracts, which used to take 1–3 hours, could now be done in
under 5 minutes using a simple Excel filter. We also saved a lot of manual effort across the team. And
importantly, we were now in a good position to migrate everything into the global contract management
system once it became available.

Despite the early resistance, this ended up being a really impactful project that improved both efficiency and
data quality. It also helped build trust in the value of internal process improvements.