GM Sourcing - Biologicals

JOB DESCRIPTION

Position:	General Manager – Global Sourcing & Procurement (Biologicals)
Location:	Corporate Office / Baddi & Lalru Sites (travel required)
Reports to:	Director – Vaccine Business

1. PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

To lead and transform the end-to-end sourcing and procurement function for biological materials (antigens, adjuvants, excipients, cell substrates, and biological drug substance/DS inputs) across the organization. This role is responsible for strategic procurement of direct and indirect biological materials, vendor qualification in a regulated GMP environment, and IT strategic sourcing— ensuring that the technology platforms (SAP MM/WM, VLMS, ERP ecosystems) underpinning procurement and supply chain operations are optimally procured, licensed, and maintained.

2. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

A. Strategic Sourcing – Biologicals & Vaccines

• Develop and execute long-term sourcing strategies for critical biological raw materials including antigens, adjuvants, preservatives, cell culture media, and packaging components for sterile biological products.
• Manage global supplier relationships for DS (Drug Substance) procurement for vaccine programs including bOPV, Easyfive-TT, EasySix, DengiAll, and Pneumococcal 11-valent vaccines and for vaccines in the pipeline as well as for Vaccine Filling Plant (VFP).
• Lead strategic negotiations for multi-year supply agreements that balance COGS reduction with supply security — particularly critical given the margin pressure on bOPV, Easy Five TT, and HepB antigen lines.
• Drive alternate vendor qualification and risk-mitigation strategies to de-risk single-source dependencies for biological materials.

B. Procurement Operations – GMP Compliance

• Oversee procurement operations for two manufacturing sites: VDSP (Vaccine Drug Substance Plant) - Lalru and VFP (Vaccine Filling Plant), Baddi.
• Ensure all procurement of raw materials and consumables conforms to WHO-GMP, Schedule M, and global regulatory standards.
• Partner with QA to manage vendor qualification audits, material specifications, and change control for all sourced biological inputs.
• Work closely with Production and Engineering teams to align procurement schedules with BMR-driven batch manufacturing plans.

C. IT Strategic Sourcing (Technology Procurement)

• Architect and manage the IT sourcing roadmap including enterprise platforms: SAP MM/WM, SAP PP, SAP FICO, Val Genesis VLMS (Validation Lifecycle Management System), LIMS, e-BMR, automated temperature logging systems, and CRM/SFE platforms.
• Lead vendor evaluation, licensing negotiations, and contract management for all IT and digital infrastructure strategic purchases.
• Partner with IT Infra and Software departments to ensure technology procurement aligns with regulatory validation (CSV under QA governance) and data security requirements.
• Drive cost optimization for IT assets, cloud subscriptions (AWS ECS), and corporate software tools (e.g., OpenWebUI, Google Workspace) [1].

D. Cost Management & COGS Optimization

• Lead total cost of ownership (TCO) and COGS reduction initiatives specifically for biological product lines — addressing the high COGS challenge from DS price increases not matched by sales price increases for bOPV and the low yields on Easy Five TT.
• Develop and monitor procurement KPIs: material cost variance, supplier OTIF (On-Time In-Full), inventory turnover, and purchase price variance.
• Implement strategic hedging and bulk-forward buying for critical commodities and biological inputs.

E. Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with R&D to support early-stage sourcing of clinical trial materials for DengiAll (Dengue vaccine Phase 3) and Pneumococcal 11-valent DS/DP programs.
• Partner with Sales & Marketing to align procurement costs with tender pricing strategies in the Indian private market and global institutional business.
• Coordinate with Finance & Accounts on vendor payment terms optimization, working capital management, and landed cost analytics using SAP FICO.
• Collaborate with Logistics & SCM on cold-chain integrity, customs clearance, and warehouse capacity modeling for biological shipments.

F. Team Leadership & Governance

• Lead and develop a team of Category Managers, Buyer/Planners, and IT Sourcing Specialist.
• Establish governance frameworks for procurement: delegation of authority (DoA), vendor code of conduct, conflict of interest management, and anti-bribery compliance for biologicals procurement.
• Drive procurement digitization and analytics maturity, leveraging the SAP MM/WM ecosystem and BI tools for executive dashboards.

3. QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

Education:	MBA / PGDM in Supply Chain, Operations, or Finance from a premier institute; M.Sc.in Biotechnology / M. Pharma or B.E./B.Tech (Biotech/Chemical) preferred.
Experience:	22 years in sourcing & procurement within the pharmaceutical / vaccine / biologics industry.
Mandatory:	Deep exposure to biological raw material sourcing (antigens, adjuvants, cell culture), GMP-compliant procurement, and supplier audits.
IT Sourcing:	Proven track record of managing IT/ERP/Software strategic procurement, enterprise licensing, and vendor governance.
Systems:	Hands-on experience with SAP MM/WM; familiarity with SAP PP, FICO, Validation Lifecycle Management (VLMS).

4. COMPETENCIES & BEHAVIORAL ATTRIBUTES

• Strategic Thinker: Ability to build 3–5 year category strategies for complex biological supply chains.
• Negotiator: Master-level commercial negotiation with global biologics suppliers.
• Regulatory Mindset: Deep appreciation of GMP compliance and its impact on procurement decisions.
• Technology Savvy: Comfortable driving IT sourcing decisions for ERP, cloud, and digital platforms.
• Cross-Functional Leader: Ability to influence R&D, Production, QA, IT, and Commercial teams without direct authority.
• Crisis Manager: Experience in managing supply disruptions — cold-chain logistics breakdowns, raw material shortages, geopolitical supply risks.

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