Associate Director, Procurement

Position overview

This position is for a seasoned, proactive procurement leader who will build and scale the purchasing function during a fast-growth phase. The role sits at the highest level of procurement in the organization and combines hands-on buying execution with strategic supplier partnership development in support of research and development, engineering, and operations.

The person in this role will work closely with technical and operational stakeholders to forecast needs early, involve suppliers ahead of time, and make sure materials, services, and equipment are sourced on time, efficiently, and at strong value. The right candidate will be comfortable handling purchase orders and contracts while also shaping vendor strategy, leading complex negotiations, and representing the company in external supplier interactions.

This is a highly collaborative role that will help establish the procurement backbone needed for rapid expansion in a technically complex, R&D-focused environment.

Procurement strategy and leadership

• Set and continuously improve the procurement approach so it supports R&D, engineering, manufacturing, and corporate teams.
• Act as the main procurement contact for functional leaders by anticipating upcoming needs and converting them into sourcing and supplier plans.
• Create scalable policies, controls, and operating methods suitable for a young, fast-growing company, covering both direct and indirect buying.
• Evaluate supplier exposure and reduce risk using KPIs, audits, and structured risk reviews.

Purchasing and operational execution

• Oversee the full purchasing cycle, including requisitions, purchase orders, vendor onboarding, and resolution of delivery or invoice issues.
• Make sure equipment, consumables, reagents, services, and capital items needed for scientific and engineering work are acquired on time and at the lowest total cost.
• Work with Finance on budgeting, spend monitoring, accruals, and readiness for audits.

Supplier and partner engagement

• Identify, assess, and onboard important suppliers and outside partners in a proactive manner.
• Handle supplier negotiations covering price, lead time, service expectations, and contract language.
• Develop productive long-term relationships with key vendors and serve as their main point of contact and escalation route.
• Run business reviews with strategic suppliers.

Systems, process, and scale

• Own procurement tools and systems, including purchasing workflows and vendor master data management.
• Track, measure, and improve procure-to-pay processes and systems.
• Build KPI reporting and dashboards that give visibility into spend, supplier performance, and procurement risks.
• Help shape long-term supply chain and procurement capability planning as the company expands.

Qualifications

Required qualifications:

• At least 10 years of increasing responsibility in procurement, purchasing, or supply chain positions, ideally in biotech, life sciences, advanced technology, or other R&D-driven settings.
• Background as a senior or lead procurement professional with direct ownership of supplier relationships and sourcing decisions.
• Proven ability to balance tactical purchasing work with strategic supplier management.
• Strong cross-functional experience working with scientific, engineering, operations, finance, and legal teams.
• Excellent abilities in negotiation, communication, and relationship management.
• Experience evaluating make-versus-buy choices and preparing total cost comparisons.
• Experience developing, running, and presenting recommendations based on RFPs and RFQs.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience supporting early-stage or high-growth businesses.
• Familiarity with sourcing scientific equipment, consumables, reagents, capital equipment, and engineering services.
• Experience creating procurement processes and systems from scratch.
• Bachelor’s degree is required; an advanced degree or supply chain certification such as CPSM or CSCP is preferred.

Why join

• Work closely with leading scientists and engineers on advanced technology development.
• Have a visible, high-impact role in how the company works with suppliers and external partners.
• Receive competitive compensation and equity, broad benefits, and flexibility that supports work-life balance.

Equal opportunity

The employer is committed to equal opportunity and values diversity and collaboration.

Compensation

Compensation range: USD 200000 to 215000 per year.