Vendor Management Specialist I

Vendor Management Specialist I

We're here for one reason and one reason only – to cure cancer. Every moment is dedicated to developing treatments and every action moves us one step closer to our goal. We've made incredible scientific breakthroughs and our pioneering personalized CAR T-cell therapies have changed the paradigm. But we're not finished yet.

Join Kite, as we make even bigger advances in cancer therapies, and help shape where our business and medical science goes next.

We believe every employee deserves a great leader. People Leaders are the cornerstone to the employee experience at Gilead and Kite. As a people leader now or in the future, you are the key driver in evolving our culture and creating an environment where every employee feels included, developed and empowered to fulfil their aspirations. Join Kite and help create more tomorrows.

We are seeking a highly motivated individual to join the Commercial Business Strategy and Operations team as a Vendor Management Specialist I. This role supports Commercial Operations by managing vendor coordination, procurement activities and operational process improvements. The position ensures timely and accurate purchasing, invoice processing, and vendor onboarding while partnering closely with cross-functional teams.

The successful candidate will be expected to be self-motivated and innovative, with proven experience in successfully supporting a best-in-class invoice operations program, providing best practice service delivery and actionable business insights through data.

To develop meaningful connections with stakeholders, we would prefer that this candidate be located at Kite's Santa Monica, California headquarters.

Kite is transitioning from its current Santa Monica headquarters, with employees expected to relocate to our El Segundo office beginning in January 2027. While this role will be based in Santa Monica through 2026, applicants should take this planned relocation into consideration. Kite supports a flexible working policy, offering a balanced approach with two days of remote working and three days working onsite.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage onboarding of new vendors and suppliers in coordination with Legal and Procurement.
• Manage end-to-end purchase order activities including creating orders, invoicing and reconciling issues.
• Maintain positive relationship with internal customers and external vendors.
• Monitor order status, triage customer inquiries, and proactively address delays or discrepancies to assist with order completion.
• Prioritize multiple procurement activities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment, ensuring timely execution.
• Partner with Legal, Procurement, Accounting and PDM Finance to support contracting, purchase orders (PO) workflows and timely payment.
• Support continuous improvement efforts by identifying routine operational issues and recommending improvements to enhance efficiency and reduce cycle times.
• Maintain accurate supplier and PO records.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of procurement dashboards and metrics, providing visibility into spend, cycle times and vendor performance.
• Serve as subject matter expert on procurement systems and PO workflows and provide training and guidance to cross-functional partners as needed.
• Ensure compliance with Gilead policies, procurement and financial controls, data integrity standards, and confidentiality requirements.

Basic Qualifications:

• MA/MS and 0+ years of relevant experience; OR
• BA/BS and 2+ years of relevant experience; OR
• AA and 4+ years of relevant experience; OR
• HS diploma and 5+ years of relevant experience
• Experience in the pharma/biotech industry or other relevant background

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong customer service, organizational and communication skills.
• Advanced proficiency with SAP/Ariba software, Oracle (EBS) and MS Office suites including Copilot.
• Demonstrated ability to solve a variety of routine and non-routine problems and support process improvements.
• Ability to work independently using established procedures across diverse geographical locations and cultures.
• High level of self-motivation, positive attitude, drive for achievement and strong work ethic.

The salary range for this position is: $92,820.00 - $120,120.00. Kite considers a variety of factors when determining base compensation, including experience, qualifications, and geographic location. These considerations mean actual compensation will vary. This position may also be eligible for a discretionary annual bonus, discretionary stock-based long-term incentives (eligibility may vary based on role), paid time off, and a benefits package. Benefits include company-sponsored medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans*.

* Eligible employees may participate in benefit plans, subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plans.