Planning and Procurement Manager

Key Responsibilities

Planning & Demand Management

• Lead the demand planning, materials planning, and production planning processes to maintain uninterrupted supply.
• Oversee the Master Planner’s activities, including SIOP, production schedules, capacity planning, safety stock management, and work order creation in ERP.
• Partner with Manufacturing, Quality, and Tech Transfer to ensure material readiness for production, fill/finish, and pack‑out needs.
• Monitor inventory health, expiration dating, and shelf‑life management.
• Ensure planning alignment for 3PL inventory at Cardinal Health, Nashville.
• Support planning for commercial pack‑out operations transitioning from QA to Supply Chain.

Procurement Strategy & Execution

• Lead strategic and high‑risk negotiations, supplier escalations, and sourcing decisions for critical materials.
• Delegate routine and mid‑complex negotiations to Procurement team.
• Ensure Procurement complies with GMP purchasing requirements, supplier document control, and cost management.
• Develop sourcing strategies, lead supplier selection, and provide contract recommendations.
• Strengthen supplier performance monitoring, qualification, and issue resolution in coordination with Supplier Quality.

Materials Planning Oversight

• Provide leadership direction to the Material Planner to ensure inventory availability, material disposition, storage compliance, deviation management, and temperature‑controlled materials monitoring.
• Ensure GMP compliance for incoming material inspection, documentation, and traceability.
• Support accurate material movement tracking across ERP, 3PL, warehouse, and manufacturing.

ERP, Systems, & Process Optimization

• Act as functional lead for planning and procurement within NetSuite.
• Maintain proper item master configurations, planning parameters, purchasing workflows, and material specs.
• Drive SOP development, automation, and data integrity improvements.
• Ensure planning and procurement processes are scalable for upcoming warehouse expansions and commercial launch readiness.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Manufacturing, Quality Assurance, Warehouse Operations, Commercial Logistics, and Finance to ensure seamless material flow and shipment readiness.
• Support the Commercial Logistics group in pack‑out materials planning and inventory control.
• Take critical role in internal/external audits (FDA, supplier audits, QA audits).

Leadership & People Management

• Directly manage Buyer III, Buyer I, Procurement Specialist, Master Planner, and Material Planner.
• Set clear goals, coach team members, conduct performance evaluations, and develop career growth paths.
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
• Ensure team readiness for increasing operational scale, including 7‑day operations and warehouse expansion.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Business, Engineering, or related field.
• 7+ years supply chain experience in biotech/pharmaceutical GMP operations.
• Prior experience managing planning and/or procurement personnel strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience with ERP/MRP systems.
• Strong understanding of GMP, FDA requirements, and materials compliance.
• Excellent communication, analytical, and negotiation skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s in supply chain, Operations, Business, Engineering, or related field
• NetSuite experience
• ASCM/APICS certifications (CPIM, CSCP)

Competencies

• Delivers high‑quality outcomes under demanding timelines.
• Anticipates supply risks and market changes.
• Use data and judgment to make sound decisions.
• Connects team priorities to business objectives.
• Build strong cross‑functional partnerships.
• Handles competing priorities and ambiguity.
• Coaches and mentors, a growing team.