Director, Global Procurement

About Us

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

Kardigan is seeking a 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, while driving operational 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 supporting 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, and 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.

• You are a self-starter who can plan, organize, and take the initiative to meet job objectives and deadlines independently.