Director, Global Procurement

Kardigan

Princeton (NJ)

On-site

USD 210,000 - 246,000

Full time

14 days+

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Job summary

Kardigan is seeking a Director of Global Procurement to lead and scale its procurement organization from Princeton, NJ. This on-site role collaborates with Finance, Legal, R&D, and Operations to optimize supplier relationships, contracts, and spend while ensuring regulatory compliance and governance.

The ideal candidate brings 12+ years in biotech/pharma procurement, deep strategic sourcing expertise, and a track record of implementing digital and AI-driven procurement tools to improve

Qualifications

12+ years in procurement, strategic sourcing, supply chain, or vendor management, including leadership in biotech/pharma.
Experience building and leading global procurement organizations, processes, and supplier management programs.
Deep knowledge of procurement best practices, sourcing methodologies, contract negotiation, and supplier management.
Experience supporting clinical development, manufacturing, and regulated biopharmaceutical functions.
Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and drive cost savings.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute Kardigan’s global procurement strategy aligned with growth priorities.
Lead sourcing across clinical development, research, manufacturing, IT, facilities, and services.
Negotiate contracts and master service agreements to drive cost savings and risk management.
Partner with Legal and stakeholders to ensure compliant, flexible contracting.
Collaborate with Finance, R&D, and Ops to support procurement governance and controls.
Drive process improvements, analytics, and adoption of procurement tech and AI solutions.

Skills

Procurement Leadership

Strategic Sourcing

Contract Negotiation

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Procurement Analytics

AI-enabled Procurement

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, Life Sciences, or related field

MBA or relevant advanced degree preferred

Tools

NetSuite

Procure-to-Pay systems

Contract Lifecycle Management tools

Job description

About Us

Kardigan is a heart health company working to make cardiovascular disease preventable, curable and no longer the leading cause of death in the world.

It is Kardigan’s mission to develop multiple targeted treatments in parallel that bring people with cardiovascular diseases to the cures they deserve.

Led by Tassos Gianakakos, Jay Edelberg, M.D., Ph.D., and Bob McDowell, Ph.D., Kardigan’s co-founders have reunited after leading MyoKardia to discover and develop mavacamten, the first cardiac myosin inhibitor, resulting in an acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb in 2020.

We have a cutting-edge discovery and translational research platform, a pipeline of late-stage candidates, and an industry-leading team that is driven to improve the lives of patients.

At Kardigan, we are motivated by our values which guide how we work, interact, and achieve our goals. Driven by patients and their families, we are deeply committed to improving the lives of patients and prioritizing their needs above all else. We believe in being authentic -leading with truth to bring out the best in others by creating an environment where every person knows they will be fully accepted. With an eagerness to learn, we encourage the highest levels of curiosity and are open to changing our minds. We are committed to winning as a team with urgency, excellence, and intention, and support each other no matter what role we play or where we sit. Lastly, we strive to enable the impossible because patients are counting on us. We are not afraid to take risks to unlock innovation and advance scientific discoveries.

These values are the foundation of our work, empowering us to make a real difference, every day.

Position Title: Director, Global Procurement

Department: Accounting

Reports To: Vice President, Accounting

Location: Princeton, NJ - On-site 4 days per week (Mon to Thurs)

Job Overview

Kardiganisseekinga strategic and hands-on procurement leader to serve as the Head of Global Procurement, responsible for developing and executing the company’s global procurement strategy and building a scalable procurement function that supports our rapidly growing business. This role will oversee sourcing, supplier management, contract negotiations, and procurement operations, whiledrivingoperational excellence and ensuring alignment with organizational priorities.

The Director, Global Procurement will partner closely with Finance, Legal, R&D, Clinical Development, Technical Operations, G&A functions, and executive leadership to ensure the company achieves optimal value from supplier relationships while maintaining compliance, managing risk, and enabling business objectives. This role requires deep experience in biotechnology or pharmaceutical procurement, strong commercial acumen, and the ability to build scalable processes and infrastructure in a fast-paced environment. The ideal candidate will bring a strong track record of leveraging procurement technologies, systems, automation, and AI-enabled solutions to improve efficiency, enhance decision-making, and drive operational excellence across the procurement function.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Procurement Strategy & Leadership:
Develop and execute Kardigan’s global procurement strategy, ensuring alignment with business objectives and growth priorities. Build and lead procurement capabilities, policies, and processes that support scalability, operational efficiency, and strong governance across the organization.

Strategic Sourcing & Supplier Management:
Lead strategic sourcing initiatives across key spend categories, including clinical development, research, manufacturing, information technology, facilities, and corporate services. Establish supplier selection criteria, negotiate commercial terms, and manage supplier performance to maximize value and minimize risk.

Contract Negotiation & Commercial Excellence:
Partner with Legal and business stakeholders to negotiate contracts and master service agreements. Drive favorable commercial outcomes, cost savings, and risk mitigation while ensuring flexibility to support evolving business needs.

Cross-Functional Business Partnership:
Collaborate closely with cross-functional leaders to understand business requirements, support strategic initiatives, and provide procurement guidance throughout the sourcing and contracting process. Act as a trusted advisor on procurement strategy, vendor selection, and supplier relationship management.

Procurement Operations & Compliance:
Establish and maintain effective procurement policies, procedures, controls, and approval workflows. Ensure compliance with company policies, regulatory requirements, and internal governance standards while support audit readiness and financial controls.

Process Improvement & Systems Management:
Lead ongoing efforts to optimize procurement processes, reporting, analytics, and systems. Partner with Finance and IT teams to improve procure-to-pay workflows, enhance visibility into spending, and strengthen procurement data and reporting capabilities. Drive the evaluation, implementation, and adoption of procurement technologies, automation tools, and AI-driven solutions to improve sourcing effectiveness, supplier management, spend analytics, contract management, and overall operational efficiency.

Qualifications and Preferred Skills

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, Life Sciences, or a related field; MBA or relevant advanced degree preferred.

12+ years of progressive procurement, strategic sourcing, supply chain, or vendor management experience, including leadership experience within the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or life sciences industry.

Demonstrated experience building and leading global procurement organizations, processes, and supplier management programs in a high-growth environment.

Deep knowledge of procurement best practices, strategic sourcing methodologies, contract negotiation, category management, and supplier relationship management.

Significant experience supporting clinical development, research, manufacturing, technical operations and other regulated biopharmaceutical functions.

Strong understanding of procurement controls, governance, compliance requirements, and risk management practices.

Extensive experience with ERP systems (NetSuite preferred), procure-to-pay platforms, contract lifecycle management tools, and other procurement technologies.

Recognized expertise in procurement systems, digital transformation and AI-enabled procurement capabilities, with a proven track record of evaluating, implementing, scaling technologies that enhance sourcing, supplier management, spend analytics, contracting and operational efficiency.

Proven track record of delivering measurable cost savings, operational efficiencies, process improvements, and strategic business value through procurement initiatives.

Strong business partnership skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across functions and build trusted relationships with executive leadership and key stakeholders.

Excellent negotiation, influencing, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to drive decisions and achieve alignment in a complex, fast-paced environment.

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with experience leveraging data, market intelligence, and procurement analytics to support sourcing and supplier decisions.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present recommendations, influence stakeholders, and communicate effectively with all levels of the organization.

Proven ability to lead multiple strategic initiatives simultaneously while effectively managing priorities, timelines, and resources.

Demonstrated leadership capabilities, including the ability to build, mentor, and develop high-performing teams while leading cross-functional initiatives.