Associate Director, Procurement

Denali Therapeutics Inc; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 159,000 - 207,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k

Healthcare coverage

ESPP

Broad range of other benefits

Job summary

Denali Therapeutics Inc in South San Francisco is seeking a senior procurement leader to steer vendor sourcing, contracts, and spend governance across Development and Commercial teams.

The role emphasizes driving savings, benchmarking, and vendor performance, with responsibility for leading a procurement strategy and guiding a team. You will partner with cross-functional partners and ensure adherence to GAAP/SOX controls, Coupa/Concur tools, and a competitive total rewards package.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business or closely related field required.
• 9+ years of procurement experience in biotech/pharmaceutical industry.
• 5+ years of people management experience (if applicable).
• Strong business instincts and experience in purchasing, negotiating and vendor relationships.
• Fluent with Development and Commercial activities at a biotech company.
• Strong knowledge of procurement IT solutions (Coupa, Concur) and GAAP/SOX controls.

Responsibilities

• Works closely with Development, Commercial and other functions for vendor sourcing, RFP generation, assessments and selection, agreement negotiation and performance management.
• Guides and assists Denali users of the Procurement System as well as vendors to follow the procure-to-pay process and minimize any non-conformances (e.g. missing PO#s ).
• Leads the prompt resolution of any procure-to-pay issues within Development and Commercial and with vendors.
• Accountable for vendor performance including adherence to executed agreements, implementation of actions to improve performance.
• Ensure contracts are followed, issues are addressed, risks are managed and vendor relationships are optimized by serving as the Procurement lead in joint operations reviews and governance meetings with business partners.
• Documents, monitors and reports vendor savings and other Procurement KPIs to inform the organization.
• Maintain understanding of competitive and market data to influence effective negotiation outcomes.
• Support functional leadership by providing benchmarking and subject matter expertise for key activities and provide recommendations on spend behavior.
• Contributes to and helps drive the Procurement strategy.
• Leads direct report(s) through annual goal setting, growth planning, adherence to company policies, maintain training compliance and provide ongoing feedback on growth, development and areas of improvement (if applicable).

Skills

Procurement leadership

Vendor management

GAAP/SOX controls

Negotiation

Biotech industry knowledge

Development and Commercial familiarity

Procurement IT solutions

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Business or related field

Tools

Coupa

Concur

Job description

Neurodegenerative diseases are one of the largest medical challenges of our time. Denali Therapeutics is a biotechnology company dedicated to developing breakthrough therapies for neurodegenerative diseases through our deep commitment to degeneration biology and principles of translational medicine. Denali is founded on the collaboration of leading scientists, industry experts, and investors who share the vision that scientific discovery energetically applied to translational medicine is the key to delivering effective therapies to patients. We invite you to consider an opportunity with Denali to help achieve our goal of delivering meaningful therapeutics to patients.

Key Accountabilities/Core Job Responsibilities

• Works closely with Development, Commercial and other functions for vendor sourcing, RFP generation, assessments and selection, agreement negotiation and performance management.
• Guides and assists Denali users of the Procurement System as well as vendors to follow the procure-to-pay process and minimize any non-conformances (e.g. missing PO#s ).
• Leads the prompt resolution of any procure-to-pay issues within Development and Commercial and with vendors.
• Accountable for vendor performance including adherence to executed agreements, implementation of actions to improve performance.
• Ensure contracts are followed, issues are addressed, risks are managed and vendor relationships are optimized by serving as the Procurement lead in joint operations reviews and governance meetings with business partners.
• Documents, monitors and reports vendor savings and other Procurement KPIs to inform the organization.
• Maintain understanding of competitive and market data to influence effective negotiation outcomes.
• Support functional leadership by providing benchmarking and subject matter expertise for key activities and provide recommendations on spend behavior.
• Contributes to and helps drive the Procurement strategy.
• Leads direct report(s) through annual goal setting, growth planning, adherence to company policies, maintain training compliance and provide ongoing feedback on growth, development and areas of improvement (if applicable).

Qualifications/Skills

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business or closely related field required
• 9+ plus years of procurement experience in the biotech/pharmaceutical industry
• 5+ years of people management experience (if applicable)
• Strong business instincts and strong knowledge and experience in purchasing, negotiating and managing vendor relationships
• Fluent with Development and Commercial activities at a biotech company
• Strong knowledge of critical Procurement IT solutions (e.g. Coupa, Concur) and of GAAP/SOX and internal accounting controls

Salary Range: $159,000.00 to $207,000.00.

Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience.

Denali offers a competitive total rewards package, which includes a 401k, healthcare coverage, ESPP and a broad range of other benefits.

• 401k
• Healthcare coverage
• ESPP
• Broad range of other benefits

Denali is committed to its core company value of unity by creating a diverse and inclusive environment. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, status as a veteran, basis of disability, or any other federal, state, or local protected class.

Life at Denali

“Life at Denali” is a living reflection of our values: trust, unity, grit and growth. These are not just words we share—they shape how we show up, collaborate and push boundaries together. From the lab to the community, across functions and milestones, our culture thrives on shared purpose and relentless pursuit.