Head of API Procurement

Esson Pharma; Mumbai; On-site; INR 5,000,000 - 8,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Esson Group, headquartered in Mumbai, is seeking a senior leader to consolidate API procurement in India and China into a single, efficient system. You will build and grow the Mumbai team, report to the CEO, and drive sourcing standards and performance across borders.

You will negotiate with manufacturers, set and monitor KPIs and SLAs, and help expand our supplier network, including visits to China. Fluency in English and Hindi is required; willingness to travel within India and to China is

Qualifications

• 10+ years in API procurement or sourcing in a pharmaceutical context.
• 3+ years leading a team.
• Strong network among Indian API manufacturers; experience sourcing from China.
• Proven negotiation results and cost/terms improvements.
• Experience building processes: SOPs, KPIs, CRM.

Responsibilities

• Lead API procurement for the group and manage KPIs and SLAs.
• Set sourcing standards for Mumbai and coordinate with Hangzhou head.
• Prioritize and allocate requests from sales teams; decide between Indian and Chinese sources.
• Train and develop the team; coaching and regular case reviews.
• Negotiate with manufacturers: price, availability, production slots, payment terms.
• Grow the portfolio by finding new manufacturers and representing the company at industry events.

Skills

Negotiation

Leadership

KPI management

SLA management

Procurement strategy

Cross-cultural communication

Fluent English

Hindi

Tools

CRM

Job description

About Esson Group

Esson Group is an international pharmaceutical group that sources and supplies active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and intermediates to drug manufacturers. We are headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Moscow and Hangzhou and our own R&D centre in Hyderabad.

Sourcing is the core of our business. Our sales teams win deals only when procurement gives them a fast, competitive and reliable offer.

Where we are heading: from distribution to our own products exclusive partnerships with plants, manufacturing at partner GMP sites under our own name, and in-house synthesis technology. Our ambition is to become one of the top 10 global API platforms by 2030.

We are a team of about 25 people across three countries. Leadership is close, decisions are fast, and your results show directly in the company's numbers.

About the role

We are looking for a leader who will turn our API procurement in India and China into one system — with clear standards, response times and results — and grow the team that delivers it. You will report to the CEO.

What you will do

Lead the function and deliver results:

• Own API procurement results for the group; monitor and achieve the function's KPIs: response time, share of requests answered with a complete offer, share of winning prices, number of manufacturers checked per request, sample rejection rate, and no surprises after order confirmation
• Make sure the team meets the agreed SLAs (response times) on every request
• Lead the buying team in Mumbai; set sourcing standards for the Hangzhou office together with its head
• Prioritise and distribute requests from sales teams in Moscow and Hangzhou; decide between Indian and Chinese sources in the group's interest
• Train and develop the team: negotiation coaching, regular case reviews, joint calls with suppliers, individual development plans

Develop and optimise the processes needed to reach these results:

• Set procurement standards: how many manufacturers to check, what to ask on every call, what to record in the CRM, which documents to verify before an offer goes to sales
• Work with sales on target prices using market data, import-export statistics and the theoretical cost of an API based on its intermediates
• Define what we share with suppliers about clients and volumes
• Keep one supplier database with a reliability rating; organise quality checks for new suppliers and first shipments together with QC and regulatory
• Regularly review where requests get stuck and remove the bottlenecks

Negotiate:

• Personally lead key negotiations with manufacturers and traders: price, availability, production slots, price validity, payment terms
• Find a route when there is no obvious one: production schedules, alternative manufacturers, traders, supplying intermediates to the manufacturer

Grow the portfolio:

• Proactively find new manufacturers and promising molecules for our markets
• Represent the company at industry exhibitions such as CPHI

What we are looking for

• 10+ years in API procurement or sourcing at a pharmaceutical manufacturer, trader or distributor, including 3+ years leading a team
• A strong network among Indian API manufacturers and experience sourcing from China
• Proven negotiation results: you can show cases where you got a better price or terms than the market
• Experience managing a team against KPIs and SLAs
• Solid knowledge of API documentation: DMF (open and closed parts), CEP, CoA, specifications, pharmacopoeias, GMP
• Understanding of API cost structure and intermediates
• Experience building processes: SOPs, KPIs, CRM
• Working knowledge of export logistics and Incoterms
• Fluent English and Hindi
• Readiness to travel within India and to China

Nice to have

• Experience supplying regulated and semi-regulated export markets (Russia and CIS, Southeast Asia, Africa)
• Contacts in Chinese API and intermediates manufacturing

What we offer

• A leadership role reporting directly to the CEO, with real influence on how the function is built
• Base salary plus a performance bonus linked to procurement results [scheme to be confirmed]
• An international team: colleagues in Moscow and Hangzhou, English every day
• Growth together with the group as it moves into its own products

Hiring process

1. Screening call with HR
2. Interview with the CEO, including a practical case
3. In-person meeting at our Mumbai office