Sr. Manager/Associate Director, Procurement Operations

Position Summary:

The Procurement Operations lead is a key role in the Procurement organization at Achaogen, owning and continuously improving our Procure-to-Pay process and developing G&A programs that benefit the entire company. This individual will manage our team of Buyers and develop an organization that supports the growth of Achaogen. This role will partner closely with the Director of IT, the Director of FP&A, the Controller, and Operations leads across the business. Through business partnership, rigorous process development and improvement, and excellent people leadership, this role will build a user-facing organization that provides the best total value for Achaogen. In addition to these responsibilities, this individual and their team will negotiate proactive agreements with suppliers that address our highest spend and highest criticality areas. The Associate Director of Procurement Operations has a prominent position on the Procurement Leadership Team and will help instill and enable the Procurement capability across Achaogen.

Essential Functions:

• People Leadership
• Define and articulate a clear and exciting vision for the Procurement Operations organization that helps attract and retain the best talent
• Create a productive, positive environment that welcomes and rewards appropriate risk-taking
• Set the example and act with the utmost integrity in leading the Procurement Operations organization
• Be accountable for the results of the team and delegate responsibility to develop key talent
• Employ active listening and coaching skills to create a growth-oriented team mindset

Strategic and Subject Matter Expertise

• Deliver cost-effective solutions that enable users to obtain the goods and services they need
• Simplify Procurement and Supplier Management processes, as well as influence upstream and downstream business processes, to create a consistently positive user experience
• Develop and implement governance processes, functional business alignment, and performance measurement for operations within scope
• Work with the business to rationalize the supply base and reduce overhead in the P2P process
• Implement self-service tools for buyers and suppliers
• Establish a reputation for excellence in sourcing, negotiation, and supplier management
• Identify and assess appropriate benchmarks and metrics for operations within scope
• Seek new technologies, best practices, and innovative ways of working to improve your organization and Achaogen

Business Partnership

• Develop strong partnerships with key stakeholders and align Procurement practices to meet or exceed business requirements
• Develop strong supplier relationship management processes and identify those suppliers with whom close partnerships and alliances would be most appropriate
• Foster a mindset of “total cost management” with key business stakeholders
• Work closely with IT, Finance, and Operations leads to ensure the voice of customer is accounted for in processes and that systems and tools deliver benefit to the business in a cost-effective manner
• Develop new tools, templates, and processes supporting users across the business
• Proactively identify and coordinate negotiations of preferred supplier relationships

Compliance

• Embed controls that ensure compliance to Procurement principles and total cost management
• Manage risk to the business through proactive screening and lifecycle risk management
• Member of Achaogen Procurement Team
• Integrity: Exhibit unassailable ethics and expect the same from our suppliers
• Accountability: Take ownership of processes within scope and personal responsibility for deliverables
• Transparency: Act consistently in a fair and transparent way, internally and externally
• Scientific Rigor: Make data-driven recommendations and decisions and question assumptions appropriately
• Drive: Focus on continuous improvement and delivering the most sustainable value to Achaogen

Preferred Experience:

• Minimum 7 years of experience in the biotechnology/pharmaceutical industry and/or in Procurement
• Experience leading and developing teams of individual contributors
• Previous roles in Procurement, Financial functions, or Operations
• Expertise with business processes and ERP systems, especially Oracle Fusion and Zendesk
• Successful track record of implementing and leading company-wide initiatives and developing cooperative, productive relationships across all functions with people at all levels within and external to the organization
• Demonstrated ability to think creatively and analytically about business requirements and budgets, resulting in recommendations to drive efficiency

Preferred Education:

• Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in STEM fields, Supply Chain, or Finance
• MBA from top-tier business school
• Accreditations in Lean / Six Sigma skillset; PMP; CPSM preferred

Preferred Additional Skills:

• Committed to the values of integrity, accountability, transparency, scientific rigor, and drive
• Current US work authorization required
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally
• Total cost modeling and data analysis
• Strategic Sourcing methodology
• Principled Negotiation