Associate Director, Biotech Procurement & Strategy

Iambic; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 156,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

Iambic, based in San Diego, seeks an Associate Director of Procurement to build and scale the supply chain function. You will lead procurement strategy, mentor a small team, and partner with finance and R&D to align sourcing with scientific priorities.

You will oversee strategic sourcing for lab automation, CRO/CDMO, reagents and data systems, manage MSAs and multi-year contracts, and drive ERP transitions like Coupa across the organization.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive procurement/supply chain experience, including leadership roles.
• Significant experience in biotech, pharma, or life sciences, ideally within a platform-based or R&D-driven organization.
• Proven track record of building and scaling procurement functions in high-growth environments.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute a company-wide procurement strategy aligned with scientific platform needs and corporate objectives.
• Build, lead, and mentor a small but high-performing procurement team as the organization scales.
• Establish procurement as a strategic function, influencing decision-making across the organization.
• Develop long-term sourcing strategies for critical categories including lab automation and scientific instrumentation, CRO/CDMO and building-block suppliers, reagents and consumables, and procurement/data systems.
• Establish and manage strategic partnerships with key suppliers, CROs, and service providers.
• Lead complex negotiations, including MSAs, multi-year contracts, and enterprise-level deals.
• Develop preferred vendor programs and optimize supplier base for quality, cost, and scalability.
• Monitor supplier performance through KPIs and drive continuous improvement.
• Act as a key advisor to leadership on external market dynamics, supplier innovation, and make-vs-buy decisions.
• Lead the transition and implementation of a new procurement/ERP platform (e.g., Coupa), including data migration, process redesign, and change management across the organization.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic sourcing

Supplier relationship management

Data-driven decision-making

ERP systems

Contract negotiations

Project management

Education

Bachelor's in Supply Chain or related

MBA preferred

Tools

Coupa

NetSuite

MS Excel

Job description

Iambic, based in San Diego, seeks an Associate Director of Procurement to build and scale the supply chain function. You will lead procurement strategy, mentor a small team, and partner with finance and R&D to align sourcing with scientific priorities.

You will oversee strategic sourcing for lab automation, CRO/CDMO, reagents and data systems, manage MSAs and multi-year contracts, and drive ERP transitions like Coupa across the organization.