Director, R&D Sourcing and Procurement

Scorpion Therapeutics; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

401(k) match

Employee stock purchase plan

Paid time off

Tuition assistance

Job summary

Scorpion Therapeutics is seeking an senior procurement leader to drive R&D sourcing for global vendors, with a focus on clinical operations. You will collaborate with R&D Operations, Clinical Operations, and other teams to align strategies with business goals and manage complex vendor contracts.

Lead negotiations, governance, and budget tracking for CROs, while exploring AI-enabled procurement to enhance efficiency and savings realization.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of sourcing experience in pharmaceuticals/vendors across Clinical Operations, preclinical, medical affairs, pharmacovigilance, and regulatory affairs.

Responsibilities

• Develop immediate and long-term R&D sourcing strategies/plans for global vendors (focus on clinical operations vendors).
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (R&D Operations, Clinical Operations, and other business leads) to identify sourcing needs and align strategies with business goals.
• Assess, benchmark, and negotiate existing R&D vendor contracts; conduct gap analysis.
• Contribute to R&D vendor governance (vendor optimization, risk assessment, operational performance evaluation).
• Track vendor budget progress with R&D business leads, operational teams, and FP&A (e.g., CRO change orders, risk/reward proposals, volume discounts, savings validation).
• Monitor industry trends and emerging technologies (e.g., AI in procurement) to improve vendor intelligence and sourcing automation.

Skills

R&D procurement strategy

Vendor negotiation

Cross-functional collaboration

Vendor benchmarking

AI in procurement

Savings tracking

Education

BS/BA or equivalent

Tools

Coupa S2P

Agiloft CLM

Smartsheet

Job description

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop immediate and long-term R&D sourcing strategies/plans for global vendors (focus on clinical operations vendors).
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (R&D Operations, Clinical Operations, and other business leads) to identify sourcing needs and align strategies with business goals.
• Assess, benchmark, and negotiate existing R&D vendor contracts; conduct gap analysis.
• Contribute to R&D vendor governance (vendor optimization, risk assessment, operational performance evaluation).
• Track vendor budget progress with R&D business leads, operational teams, and FP&A (e.g., CRO change orders, risk/reward proposals, volume discounts, savings validation).
• Monitor industry trends and emerging technologies (e.g., AI in procurement) to improve vendor intelligence and sourcing automation.

Education/Experience/Skills

• 12+ years of sourcing experience in pharmaceuticals/vendors across Clinical Operations, preclinical, medical affairs, pharmacovigilance, and regulatory affairs.
• Proven leadership managing and negotiating large, complex R&D vendor spend (especially CRO spend) and driving cross-functional leverage.
• Demonstrated success developing short- and long-term sourcing strategies in complex environments.
• Strong negotiation and vendor benchmarking experience across R&D contract types.
• Proficient with procurement systems: S2P (Coupa), CLM (Agiloft), and upcoming AI sourcing tools.
• Familiar with sourcing savings reporting methodology and tools (e.g., Smartsheet).
• BS/BA or equivalent relevant education.

Key Qualities

• Initiative to find innovative ways to deliver measurable savings/results.
• Ability to communicate/present sourcing strategies clearly.
• Ensure compliance with corporate compliance SOPs/policies.
• Up to 5% domestic/international travel as needed.

Benefits (US-based employees)

• Competitive base, bonus, and equity; medical/dental/vision; 401(k) match; employee stock purchase plan; paid time off (15+ vacation days), paid holidays, sick time, paid parental leave, tuition assistance.