Head of Procurement & Supply Chain Management (m/f/d)

Purchasing Supervisor
The Purchasing Supervisor oversees daily procurement activities, manages supplier relationships, and ensures on-time delivery of critical materials to support production, quality, logistics, customer service, finance, and R&D functions. This role drives purchasing best practices, optimizes inventory levels, and leads vendor negotiations while maintaining compliance with internal controls, ISO standards, and industry regulations. The position offers a genuine growth opportunity for a procurement professional who wants to step into a leadership role, streamline and improve processes, and expand into broader oversight of planning and production.
Responsibilities

Manage the end-to-end purchasing process, including reviewing requisitions, creating purchase orders, and tracking orders through delivery.
Lead, mentor, and develop a small purchasing team, directly supervising two Purchasing Agents and working closely with a Planner.
Provide hands-on purchasing leadership by setting expectations, delegating clearly, and fostering a proactive, solutions-oriented team culture.
Identify, evaluate, and qualify new suppliers to improve cost, quality, and lead times while expanding and strengthening the supply base.
Negotiate pricing, terms, and lead times with vendors to achieve favorable commercial outcomes and support business objectives.
Develop, maintain, and use supplier scorecards to monitor vendor performance and hold suppliers accountable for quality, delivery, and service.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Production, Quality, Logistics, Customer Service, and Finance, to align purchasing activities with operational needs.
Analyze purchasing and procurement data, including ERP reports and KPIs, to identify cost-saving opportunities and improve procurement performance.
Monitor inventory levels, proactively manage potential shortages or overages, and support inventory optimization initiatives.
Maintain compliance with company policies, ISO standards, industry regulations, and audit requirements across all purchasing activities.
Support ERP system maintenance and configuration for purchasing modules, including documentation of processes and procedures.
Identify and eliminate redundant or outdated procurement protocols, streamlining and standardizing purchasing processes.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives in procurement and supplier management, elevating the maturity and efficiency of the function.
Ensure timely resolution of supplier-related issues, including delays, nonconformances, discrepancies, and quality concerns.
Report quality or vendor performance issues and participate in corrective action initiatives to prevent recurrence.
Uphold and promote the organization's core values of Integrity, Innovation, Accountability, and Teamwork in all interactions and decisions.
Act as a self-directed problem solver by identifying process gaps, proposing solutions, and implementing improvements without extensive oversight.
Support future expansion of responsibilities into broader planning and production oversight as the function grows and matures.
Essential Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, or a related field.
• 57 years of purchasing, procurement, or supply chain experience in a manufacturing or medical device environment; life science or biotech experience strongly preferred.
• 710 years of total experience in purchasing or procurement, including 35 years of leadership or supervisory experience managing purchasing or sourcing teams.
• Proven experience working in manufacturing environments, ideally within life sciences, biotech, medical device, or other GMP-regulated industries.
• Demonstrated success in purchasing leadership and team management, including direct supervision of purchasing professionals.
• Strong vendor negotiation skills with a track record of securing favorable pricing, terms, and lead times.
• Hands-on experience with supplier management, including maintaining supplier scorecards and holding vendors accountable for performance.
• Experience managing end-to-end purchasing processes, including requisitions, purchase order creation, order tracking, and inventory-related purchasing activities.
• Proficiency with ERP systems in a purchasing capacity, including using ERP data and procurement KPIs to support decision-making.
• Experience with ISO standards and ISO-related certification environments, particularly in manufacturing or medical device contexts.
• Strong analytical mindset with a data-driven approach to problem solving and process improvement.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and customer service orientation when working with internal stakeholders and external suppliers.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with Production, Quality, Logistics, Customer Service, and Finance teams.
• Self-directed, solutions-oriented work style with the ability to identify problems and drive resolution without extensive guidance.

Experience in life sciences, biotech, or medical device procurement, especially within GMP-regulated environments, is a significant advantage.
Prior exposure to regulated manufacturing environments where compliance and documentation are critical.
Hands-on experience with Acumatica or similar ERP systems in a purchasing or procurement role.
Demonstrated ability to identify and remove outdated or redundant procurement processes and implement streamlined workflows.
Experience supporting ERP purchasing module maintenance, configuration, and process documentation.
Familiarity with procurement operations in environments governed by ISO standards and related quality systems.
Proven ability to work effectively in a small, collaborative team and to influence stakeholders across multiple departments.
Comfort with a role where responsibilities and scope may grow beyond the initial job description as the organization and function evolve.
Track record of stepping into a new role, stabilizing and improving the purchasing function, and building toward broader management responsibilities.
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Carlsbad, CA.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $40.00 - $50.00/hr. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: Medical, dental & vision Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital 401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) Short and long-term disability Health Spending Account (HSA) Transportation benefits Employee Assistance Program Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in Carlsbad, CA.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Jun 2, 2026.