The Associate Director, Procurement will be responsible for overseeing the full materials and equipment procurement life cycle including supplier selection, negotiation of contracts, purchase order management, capacity scale-up, and supplier performance. The successful candidate will be responsible for optimizing and scaling current planning and purchasing processes for research and development functions as well as maintaining associated procurement systems. They must be able to think strategically, manage relationships with suppliers and internal stakeholders, and deliver results in a timely and cost-effective manner. The ideal candidate will have a strong management style that emphasizes accountability, and a passion for driving success.
They will achieve this through their knowledge of best-in-class procurement processes, supply chain subject matter expertise, and strong collaboration with R&D, technical operations and finance teams to understand materials and services requirements, policies and procedures.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop, implement, and manage procurement strategies, tools, and plans that align with the company's goals and objectives, while maintaining sustained supply in a highly dynamic environment
- Direct activities of all functions involved in planning and purchasing of materials and capital equipment; partner with internal teams on inventory management of acquired elements
- Manage direct reports including coaching and mentoring employees in the performance of daily duties, establish performance standards, and provide support to ensure job results meet expectations
- Source, develop, qualify and maintain vendor relationships and associated negotiated agreements in collaboration with the technical teams and in compliance with policies and controls, ensuring timely delivery of quality goods and services. Use best practices such as careful requirements definition to develop and execute comprehensive RFPs
- Strong negotiation skills with ability to reduce costs with sole and single source suppliers, both as the leader of a cross-functional negotiation team or independently
- Oversee the purchase order process and ensure proper tracking and documentation of all procurement activities including administering core procurement systems
- Provide procurement guidance and support to develop R&D team capabilities such as generation of increasingly accurate forecasting models for prudent inventory management
- Using market knowledge to mitigate supply chain risks; proactively seek information to predict, understand, and analyze risks and develop appropriate strategies
- Identify and implement Continuous Improvement opportunities such as cost reductions, quality improvements, and supplier consolidations/reductions
- Optimize current procurement and related systems to deliver operational efficiencies including development and implementation of relevant key performance indicators
- Lead quarterly reviews of procurement function including supplier performance
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Business Administration, Operations, Supply Chain Management or related field
- 10+ years experience in Supply Chain or Procurement in Biotechnology companies; 7+ years experience with Master's
- 2+ years management experience, including people management
- Category knowledge in Life Sciences reagents and consumables
- Comprehensive knowledge of commercial contract terms and ability to lead supply agreement negotiations independently
- Experience with purchasing systems appropriate for small-to-medium sized businesses
- Experience working in a fast-paced startup environment with the ability to quickly ascertain needs, develop collaborative solutions and communicate actions effectively
Preferred Qualifications
- Strong understanding of procurement best practices and industry trends in highly regulated environments, specifically therapeutics or clinical supply chain management
- Ability to develop innovative and creative output based on interpretation and analysis
- Understanding of end-to-end supply chain business processes (Demand and Supply Planning, Inventory Management, Lifecycle Management)
- Strong communication skills with the ability to successfully interact and influence across functions and at various levels of the organization in an effort to gain alignment and mitigate program risks/challenges
- Demonstrates strong aptitude for managing and motivating others and building team unity
- Results oriented with strong sense of urgency to mitigate risk and close issues
- Demonstrated agility working in team environments and as an individual contributor as situations require including adapting to priorities and tasks in a changing business environment
- Experience working with Google Suite and Coupa, Jira, Netsuite, SAP, or similar platforms
Benefits
- Company-paid health/vision/dental benefits
- Unlimited vacation and generous sick time
- Company-sponsored meals and snacks
- Wellness, caregiver and ergonomics benefits
- 401(k) with company matching
