R&D Procurement Lead: Prototyping & Innovation

BD; North Carolina; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

BD in the United States (North Carolina) is seeking an R&D Procurement Manager to drive prototype sourcing, supplier qualification, and innovation partnerships within the Pharmacy Automation business.

You will partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain to accelerate product development, scout emerging technologies, and build a robust global supplier network that supports seamless transitions from prototype to scale-up.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Supply Chain Management, Procurement, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
• 5 years of experience in Strategic Sourcing, Procurement, Supplier Development, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, or Project Management.
• Proven track record in supplier scouting, supplier qualification, supplier development, and supply base optimization.
• Ability to travel up to 15%.

Responsibilities

• Serve as an embedded procurement partner within cross-functional development teams, enabling procurement-driven innovation and accelerating product development timelines.
• Engage suppliers early in the design process to leverage their technical expertise, manufacturing capabilities, and innovation potential.
• Drive rapid prototyping and supplier collaboration to shorten development cycles and support faster commercialization.
• Develop and maintain a robust global network of suppliers specializing in automation technologies, precision mechanics, electromechanical systems, electronics, and advanced manufacturing solutions.
• Continuously scout emerging technologies, innovative suppliers, and strategic partners to enhance BD’s competitive advantage.
• Lead supplier qualifications, technical assessments, and capability evaluations to ensure alignment with business and technical requirements.
• Build and maintain a strong supplier pipeline to support future growth, sourcing flexibility, and business continuity.
• Drive strategic sourcing initiatives and supplier transitions toward higher-performing and more competitive suppliers.
• Lead market intelligence activities, supplier benchmarking, and competitive assessments across mechanical and electromechanical categories.
• Support supply base optimization initiatives that improve cost competitiveness, innovation capabilities, quality performance, and supply resilience.
• Develop Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), Should-Cost, and Built-In Cost models to support informed sourcing and design decisions.
• Influence make-versus-buy decisions, modularization strategies, standardization initiatives, and platform optimization efforts early in development.
• Drive Design-to-Cost and Value Engineering initiatives to ensure products achieve target cost objectives without compromising performance or quality.
• Represent the Voice of the Supplier within development teams by actively contributing to Design Reviews, DFMEA/PFMEA activities, Control Plans, and manufacturing readiness assessments.
• Collaborate closely with suppliers to oversee Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP), qualification activities, and launch readiness.
• Ensure successful industrialization and smooth transfer from prototype to serial production environments.
• Continuously improve Advanced Procurement processes, tools, and governance frameworks to increase efficiency, transparency, and speed.
• Own procurement-related performance metrics during development and launch phases, ensuring achievement of cost, quality, delivery, and timeline objectives.

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Supplier development

Negotiation

Project management

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Supply Chain Management, Procurement, Business Administration, or a related discipline

Job description

BD in the United States (North Carolina) is seeking an R&D Procurement Manager to drive prototype sourcing, supplier qualification, and innovation partnerships within the Pharmacy Automation business.

You will partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain to accelerate product development, scout emerging technologies, and build a robust global supplier network that supports seamless transitions from prototype to scale-up.