Associate Director, Global Strategic Sourcing and Procurement

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARWR) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company that develops medicines that treat intractable diseases by silencing the genes that cause them. Using a broad portfolio of RNA chemistries and efficient modes of delivery, Arrowhead therapies trigger the RNA interference mechanism to induce rapid, deep, and durable knockdown of target genes. RNA interference, or RNAi, is a mechanism present in living cells that inhibits the expression of a specific gene, thereby affecting the production of a specific protein. Arrowhead’s RNAi-based therapeutics leverage this natural pathway of gene silencing.

Arrowhead is focused on developing innovative drugs for diseases with a genetic basis, typically characterized by the overproduction of one or more proteins that are involved with disease. The depth and versatility of our RNAi technologies enables us to potentially address conditions in virtually any therapeutic area and pursue disease targets that are not otherwise addressable by small molecules and biologics. Arrowhead is leading the field in bringing the promise of RNAi to address diseases outside of the liver, and our clinical pipeline includes disease targets in the liver and lung with a promising pipeline of preclinical candidates.

Arrowhead’s corporate headquarters is in Pasadena, CA with research and development teams in Madison, WI & San Diego, CA, and a state of the art manufacturing facility in Verona, WI. Our employees are nimble, science-driven innovators who are collaborating to bring new therapies to patients in need.

The Position

The Associate Director, Global Strategic Sourcing & Procurement will lead the development and execution of global sourcing strategies across R&D, Technical Operations, G&A, and Commercial functions within a biotechnology organization. This role is responsible for optimizing supplier performance, reducing total cost of ownership, mitigating risk, and ensuring compliance in a highly regulated environment.

The ideal candidate brings deep biotech/pharma category expertise (e.g., CROs, CDMOs, clinical services, lab supplies, capital equipment, IT, and indirect spend), strong negotiation capabilities, and experience building scalable procurement processes to support a growing global organization.

This role is based in onsite with an expectation to be in the office five days a week.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute global category strategies aligned with corporate objectives and pipeline priorities.

• Lead long-term sourcing strategies across key spend categories (e.g., clinical CROs, CDMOs, CMC services).

• Drive supplier consolidation, value creation, and risk mitigation initiatives.

• Establish preferred supplier programs and strategic partnerships globally.

• Support business continuity planning and supply risk management across the value chain.

Operational Excellence

• Oversee end-to-end sourcing lifecycle: RFI/RFP, supplier selection, contract negotiation, and implementation.

• Lead complex contract negotiations with global suppliers to optimize pricing, service levels, and contractual protections.

• Partner with Legal to ensure contracts reflect regulatory, compliance, and IP requirements.

• Implement procurement policies, systems, and controls to ensure SOX and regulatory compliance.

• Drive cost savings and cost avoidance targets annually.

• Develop and monitor procurement KPIs (savings, cycle time, supplier performance, compliance).

Stakeholder Partnership

• Serve as a strategic business partner to R&D, Clinical Operations, CMC, and G&A leaders.

• Advise executive leadership on sourcing risks, market trends, and supplier landscape.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Finance for budgeting, forecasting, and spend visibility.

• Support Board-level reporting related to procurement initiatives as needed.

Supplier Relationship Management

• Establish structured supplier governance models (QBRs, scorecards, performance reviews).

• Drive continuous improvement and innovation initiatives with strategic suppliers.

• Ensure suppliers meet quality, regulatory, ESG, and diversity requirements.

• Oversee global supplier onboarding and qualification processes.

Systems & Process Development

• Lead implementation and optimization of procurement systems (e.g., Coupa, Ariba, SAP).

• Develop scalable sourcing processes appropriate for growth-stage biotech.

• Establish spend analytics and reporting dashboards.

• Champion automation and digital transformation initiatives within procurement.

Requirements

• BS in Business Administration, Supply Chain/Logistics, Engineering, or other field related to the essential duties of this role.

• 10+ years of relevant industry experience (7+ years in fast paced cGMP environments; 5+ years in a supply chain leadership role within the pharmaceutical industry.)

• Exhibits excellent interpersonal communication, project management, collaboration, and analytical skills.

• Strong MS Excel, PowerPoint, and Word skills.

• Experience using Smartsheet or other work management software.

• Proficient generating and presenting operational and financial metrics/KPI’s.

• Thorough understanding of and experience with some aspect of technical operations or CMC.

• Demonstrated ability to effectively lead and influence cross-functional teams not under direct organizational reporting lines to communicate challenging goals and achieve objectives.

• Quick learner with the ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously, maintain focus, and adapt to a variety of challenges.

• Exhibits creativity in adapting to changing situations, development of contingency plans and comfortable with making decisions.

Preferred

• Able to lead and coordinate large, complex strategy projects, with minimal direction

• Experience developing operations network strategies for a growing global market

Wisconsin pay range
$155,000—$175,000 USD

California pay range
$175,000—$195,000 USD

Arrowhead provides competitive salaries and an excellent benefit package.

All applicants must have authorization to work in the US for a company.

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