Global Vendor Strategy Lead

Jobgether; Australia; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements

Opportunities for professional develop

Exposure to international clients

Collaborative culture

Pharmacovigilance and regulatory focus

Meaningful work contributing to public

Job summary

Jobgether and its partner seek a Head of Vendor Management / Associate Director to lead centralized vendor strategy for an international pharmaceutical and life sciences environment in Australia. You will shape outsourcing, governance, and supplier partnerships while driving cost optimization and risk management across the vendor lifecycle.

You will collaborate across Legal, Quality, Contract Management, and Finance to ensure audit-ready documentation and scalable onboarding processes, with a

Qualifications

• Significant experience in vendor management, procurement, strategic sourcing, outsourcing, or partnership management within pharmaceutical, life sciences, clinical research, or similarly regulated environments.
• Proven track record of developing, managing, and optimizing high-performing vendor networks.
• Strong understanding of pharmacovigilance, regulatory affairs, quality and compliance requirements, and outsourced service delivery models.
• Experience negotiating complex commercial agreements and large-scale vendor contracts.
• Experience designing and implementing vendor governance frameworks, performance management programs, service-level metrics, and risk management processes.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including cost optimization, budgeting, forecasting, expenditure analysis, and financial control.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a centralized vendor management and procurement strategy across business units, aligned with organizational priorities and long-term growth.
• Build and maintain strategic vendor partnerships that support business objectives, service quality, and reliable delivery.
• Contribute to senior management discussions, strategic planning, and decisions concerning outsourcing and external service providers.
• Serve as the senior escalation point for vendor disputes, performance concerns, and other supplier-related issues.
• Oversee the full vendor lifecycle, including sourcing, qualification, evaluation, onboarding, performance management, governance, and offboarding.
• Maintain comprehensive oversight of approved, preferred, and prospective vendors, ensuring the supplier network remains appropriate for current and future business needs.
• Establish scalable vendor qualification and onboarding processes in collaboration with Quality Assurance and other relevant stakeholders.
• Monitor vendor capacity and ensure supplier capabilities align with forecast business requirements.
• Conduct market assessments to identify alternative suppliers, emerging capabilities, competitive pricing, and opportunities to strengthen the vendor network.
• Establish and maintain vendor governance frameworks, key performance indicators, service metrics, and quality standards.
• Ensure vendor documentation, contractual agreements, and qualification records remain compliant, accurate, and audit-ready.
• Identify and mitigate third-party risks while supporting business continuity planning and the resilience of outsourced services.
• Collaborate with Legal, Quality, and Contract Management teams to manage vendor agreements and maintain contractual compliance.
• Lead commercial negotiations and develop vendor pricing strategies that support value, quality, and cost efficiency.
• Drive cost optimization across third-party expenditure categories while maintaining service standards and business continuity.
• Monitor vendor spending and provide financial reporting to support budgeting, forecasting, expenditure management, and financial control.
• Evaluate opportunities for outsourcing, insourcing, vendor consolidation, automation, and technology adoption.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to strengthen vendor management processes, transparency, scalability, and operational effectiveness.
• Support the implementation of vendor management systems, process automation, and other technology solutions.
• Contribute to proposals, pricing submissions, and client-facing commercial discussions when required.
• Provide training, guidance, and mentorship to develop team capabilities and promote consistent vendor management practices.
• Build strong working relationships across Commercial, Technical Operations, Quality Assurance, Finance, Human Resources, Legal, and Project Management teams to ensure effective supplier performance and alignment.

Skills

Vendor management

Procurement

Strategic sourcing

Outsourcing

Partnership management

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

Contract management

Regulatory compliance

Project management

Leadership

Tools

Vendor Management Systems (VMS)

ERP systems

CRM systems

Job description

Jobgether and its partner seek a Head of Vendor Management / Associate Director to lead centralized vendor strategy for an international pharmaceutical and life sciences environment in Australia. You will shape outsourcing, governance, and supplier partnerships while driving cost optimization and risk management across the vendor lifecycle.

You will collaborate across Legal, Quality, Contract Management, and Finance to ensure audit-ready documentation and scalable onboarding processes, with a