Incyte

Biopharmaceutical company pursuing drug discovery.

Associate Director - Strategic Sourcing

Procurement & SourcingUpdated on Nov 10

Full-timeWilmington, DE, USANo salary listed

About the Job

Requirements

A bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, Life Sciences, or a related field is required.
Associate Director candidates must have 8–10+ years of relevant experience in strategic sourcing or procurement, with exposure to Technical Operations in life sciences.
Candidates must demonstrate experience sourcing within regulated environments, including GMP or GxP.
Candidates must have a strong understanding of pharmaceutical or biotechnology manufacturing processes and supply chains.
Candidates must have experience with contract manufacturing organizations, contract development and manufacturing organizations, direct materials, and technical services categories.
Candidates must have knowledge of regulatory and quality requirements in life sciences.
The role requires strategic thinking, business acumen, advanced negotiation and influencing skills, supplier relationship and stakeholder management, financial acumen including total cost of ownership and cost modeling, risk management, and problem-solving.

Responsibilities

Support implementation of Technical Operations sourcing strategies across contract manufacturing organizations, contract development and manufacturing organizations, active pharmaceutical ingredients, excipients, packaging, direct materials, engineering services, maintenance, repair and operations, and capital equipment.
Align procurement strategies with enterprise objectives for cost efficiency, resilience, sustainability, and innovation.
Advise Technical Operations leadership on supply market trends, risk mitigation, and supplier capabilities.
Build global category strategies with demand aggregation, supplier segmentation, and total cost of ownership optimization.
Identify and deliver cost savings, cost avoidance, and value creation initiatives.
Implement procurement and sourcing practices, including requests for quotations or proposals, should-cost modeling, long-term contracting, and periodic rate negotiations to maintain vendor competitiveness.
Manage suppliers delivering activities across multiple departments and leverage contracted work across divisions of the same supplier organization to drive network-level cost savings.
Partner with Global Technical Operations on strategic partnerships with key suppliers, including contract manufacturers and critical service providers.
Drive supplier performance management using key performance indicators, scorecards, and governance models.
Support supply continuity and risk mitigation through supplier risk programs and dual- or multi-sourcing strategies.
Partner with Global Technical Operations, Quality, Regulatory, and Supply Chain teams on product lifecycle, manufacturing scale-up, and commercialization.
Collaborate with Research and Development and external innovation teams to enable early supplier engagement and technology scouting.
Ensure adherence to regulatory requirements, including GxP and GMP, and company policies across the supply base.
Monitor supplier quality and compliance with quality assurance and quality control teams.
Build, lead, and develop a high-performing global sourcing team if the role is Director level, fostering accountability, continuous improvement, and stakeholder alignment.
Deliver cost savings and value, maintain supplier quality, delivery, and innovation performance, support stakeholder satisfaction, and improve contract compliance and cycle times.

Desired Qualifications

An MBA or advanced degree is preferred.
Director candidates should have 12–15+ years of experience, including experience managing global teams and complex supplier networks.
Leadership and team development experience is applicable at Director level.

Overview

A global biopharmaceutical company on a mission to Solve On, Incyte follows science to find solutions for patients with unmet medical needs. Through the discovery, development, and commercialization of proprietary therapeutics, Incyte has established a portfolio of first-in-class medicines for patients and a strong pipeline of products in Hematology, Oncology and Inflammation and Autoimmunity.

Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, Incyte has operations in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Position Summary

The Global Head of Strategic Sourcing, Technical Operations is responsible for supporting the development and execution of global sourcing strategies related to Global Technical Operations across the enterprise. This role oversees category management, supplier strategy, and cost optimization initiatives spanning manufacturing, supply chain, engineering, and quality operations.

The individual will partner closely with Technical Operations leadership, R&D, Quality, and Finance to ensure supply continuity, drive operational excellence, and enable innovation across a complex global supplier ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

Support the implementation of the sourcing strategies defined by Technical Operations (e.g., CMOs/CDMOs, API, excipients, packaging, direct materials, engineering services, MRO, capital equipment).
Align procurement strategies with enterprise objectives, including cost efficiency, resilience, sustainability, and innovation.
Act as a strategic advisor to Technical Operations leadership on supply market trends, risk mitigation, and supplier capabilities.

Category Management

Lead and partner to build global category strategies including demand aggregation, supplier segmentation, and total cost of ownership optimization.
Identify and deliver cost savings, cost avoidance, and value creation initiatives.
Implement best-in-class procurement and sourcing practices, including RFx, should-cost modeling, long-term contracting, and periodic rate negotiations to ensure vendors remain cost-competitive within their respective markets.

Supplier Relationship Management

Manage suppliers that deliver activities for more than one department.
Leverage work contracted across multiple division of the same supplier organization to drive network-level cost savings.
Partner with Global Technical Operations for strategic partnerships with key suppliers, including contract manufacturers and critical service providers.
Drive supplier performance management (KPIs, scorecards, governance models).
Partner with Global Technical Operations to support supply continuity and risk mitigation through robust supplier risk programs and dual/multi-sourcing strategies

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Partner with Global Technical Operations, Quality, Regulatory, and Supply Chain teams to support product lifecycle, manufacturing scale-up, and commercialization.
Collaborate with R&D and external innovation teams to enable early supplier engagement and technology scouting.

Risk & Compliance

Ensure adherence to regulatory requirements (GxP, GMP) and company policies across the supply base.
Monitor supplier quality and compliance in collaboration with QA/QC teams.

Team Leadership (if Director level)

Build, lead, and develop a high-performing global sourcing team.
Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and stakeholder alignment.

Qualifications

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, Life Sciences, or related field required
MBA or advanced degree preferred

Experience

Associate Director: 8–10+ years of relevant experience in strategic sourcing/procurement, with exposure to Technical Operations in life sciences
Director: 12–15+ years of experience, including leadership experience managing global teams and complex supplier networks
Demonstrated experience sourcing within regulated environments (GMP/GxP)

Industry Expertise

Strong understanding of pharmaceutical/biotech manufacturing processes and supply chains
Experience with CMOs/CDMOs, direct materials, and technical services categories
Knowledge of regulatory and quality requirements in life sciences

Core Competencies

Strategic thinking and business acumen
Advanced negotiation and influencing skills
Supplier relationship and stakeholder management
Financial acumen (TCO, cost modeling, budgeting)
Risk management and problem-solving
Leadership and team development (Director level)

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Cost savings and value delivery
Supplier performance (quality, delivery, innovation)
Stakeholder satisfaction
Contract compliance and cycle times

Working Environment

Global role with cross-regional collaboration
Moderate travel required (10–25%) depending on business needs

About the Company

Incyte

Biopharmaceutical company pursuing drug discovery.

Incyte develops and sells medicines by discovering and developing new drugs, focusing on diseases in inflammation, autoimmunity, and blood cancers. Its core product, Jakafi (ruxolitinib), is a JAK1/2 inhibitor approved to treat a rare blood cancer and works by blocking JAK enzymes to reduce abnormal blood cell growth. The company also expands its pipeline through research collaborations, partnerships, and acquisitions, such as the 2024 purchase of Escient Pharmaceuticals to strengthen its inflammation and autoimmune portfolio. Unlike some competitors that rely mainly on internal programs, Incyte combines in-house discovery with external collaborations and strategic deals to grow its drug candidates from early research to approved therapies. The goal is to deliver medicines that help patients with serious diseases by building a diverse, clinically validated portfolio of treatments through internal efforts and partnerships.

Company size: 1,001-5,000
Company stage: IPO
Headquarters: Wilmington, DE
Founded: 1991

Recently Posted Jobs

Explore more opportunities at Incyte

See more jobs