Senior Procurement Specialist

About the role

We are seeking an experienced, hands-on Senior Procurement Specialist to support the purchasing and procurement needs of our growing medical research organization. This role is ideal for someone who can work at both the strategic and transactional levels. You should be comfortable preparing purchase orders, obtaining quotes, following up on deliveries, and resolving invoice discrepancies, while also having the experience to negotiate pricing and contracts, analyze purchasing activity, and identify cost-saving opportunities.

Key responsibilities

• Prepare, issue, track, and maintain purchase orders from initial request through delivery and invoice reconciliation.
• Confirm that purchase orders are accurate, properly approved, and compliant with company policies.
• Obtain pricing, product availability, lead times, and delivery information from suppliers.
• Follow up on outstanding orders, backorders, substitutions, delayed shipments, and unresolved vendor issues.
• Coordinate with accounting and internal departments to resolve pricing, invoicing, receiving, and payment discrepancies.
• Request and compare competitive quotations from existing and prospective suppliers.
• Negotiate supplier pricing, discounts, payment terms, delivery terms, minimum purchase requirements, service levels, and other commercial terms.
• Assist with reviewing, negotiating, implementing, and renewing supplier and service agreements.
• Prepare recurring purchasing, spending, savings, supplier performance, and budget-versus-actual reports.
• Analyze current and historical purchasing activity to identify trends, inefficiencies, risks, and cost-saving opportunities.

About you

• At least 4 years of progressive experience in purchasing, procurement, strategic sourcing, supply chain, contract administration, or a related role.
• Demonstrated experience obtaining competitive pricing and negotiating with suppliers.
• Experience reviewing or negotiating supplier contracts, service agreements, or other commercial terms.
• Experience preparing procurement reports, pricing analyses, spending reviews, or supplier-performance analyses.
• Bachelor's degree in business, supply chain, finance, accounting, life sciences, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Strong commercial judgment and negotiation skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to recognize trends, discrepancies, risks, and cost-saving opportunities.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including formulas, pivot tables, lookups, pricing comparisons, and data analysis.
• Experience with purchasing or ERP systems such as NetSuite, SAP, Coupa, or similar platforms.