Assistant Director, Vendor Relationship Lead

Ionis•Carlsbad, CA

9d•Remote

About The Position

The Assistant Director, Vendor Relationship Management is an individual-contributor role responsible for strategic oversight and management of complex vendor relationships supporting Ionis Development. The role applies advanced professional knowledge and independent judgment to develop and resolve vendor governance models, procedures, and performance issues. Serving as a senior relationship leader and primary escalation point, the position directs cross-functional governance, interprets business and regulatory requirements, and develops solutions to advance vendor performance, compliance, continuity, and value. The role works with contacts across Development, Procurement, Quality, Clinical Operations, and other functions to identify and qualify vendor candidates and shape sourcing and oversight strategies. It oversees a portfolio of complex vendors and partners, including CROs and functional service providers, and applies risk-based governance to their relationships. The position is remote and requires travel as needed to support vendor, governance, and business objectives. The successful candidate brings progressively responsible experience in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, clinical development, procurement, vendor management, or a related regulated environment, along with strong stakeholder management, negotiation, communication, and analytical skills. A bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline is required; an advanced degree is preferred. The role requires at least 8 years of related experience with a bachelor’s degree or 6 years with a master’s degree. The pay scale is $136,697 to $159,776. Ionis states that it offers an excellent benefits package.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in healthcare, a scientific discipline, business, procurement, supply chain, or a related discipline.
At least 8 years of related experience with a bachelor’s degree, or 6 years with a master’s degree.
Progressively responsible experience in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, clinical development, procurement, vendor management, or a related regulated environment.
Strong partner, supplier, and stakeholder management experience across complex, cross-functional relationships.
Strong negotiation, interpersonal, and collaboration skills, including the ability to influence and align diverse stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to develop or improve policies, procedures, governance frameworks, and operating practices.
Ability to operate independently on complex assignments, make sound decisions, and deliver high-quality results with limited direction.
Good understanding of FDA GxP and ICH regulatory requirements.
Ability to travel as needed to support vendor, governance, and business objectives.
Advanced, wide-ranging experience in complex global Phase I–IV development programs, vendor relationship management, clinical operations, procurement, or category management.
Ability to analyze complex situations and data, evaluate variable factors, and develop effective solutions to high-impact problems.
Strong executive presence, communication, negotiation, influencing, and facilitation skills, with the ability to adapt style and persuade audiences across the organization.
Understanding of how Development, Clinical Operations, Procurement, Quality, Regulatory, Finance, and other disciplines relate to vendor strategy and performance.
Ability to determine methods and procedures for new assignments, exercise independent judgment in adapting complex techniques, and establish evaluation criteria.
Strong understanding of the drug development process, vendor operating models, and risk-based governance across complex service environments.
Ability to advise others on complex matters, coach stakeholders through ambiguity, and influence outcomes without direct authority.
Excellent organizational, analytical, and documentation skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage competing priorities and tight timelines.
Ability to work independently, meet departmental objectives, and remain accountable for tactical business outcomes.
Adaptability, resilience, and sound judgment while maintaining quality, compliance, and professionalism.
Experience developing, writing, reviewing, and implementing SOPs, governance models, tools, or other processes supporting Development activities.
Working knowledge of FDA GxP, GCP, GLP, pharmacovigilance, ICH, and related regulatory requirements and their practical implementation.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as the senior primary contact for assigned external vendors and internal stakeholder organizations; establish escalation pathways and advise stakeholders on complex matters.
Provide strategic oversight and management for a portfolio of complex vendors and partners within assigned outsourcing categories.
Apply and continuously improve a risk-based vendor tiering and governance model, adapting evaluation and oversight to each relationship’s complexity, criticality, and risk.
Direct vendor governance meetings and cross-functional forums, and ensure decisions, actions, deliverables, and escalations are documented and completed.
Lead complex process-improvement and strategic-sourcing initiatives; develop scalable best practices and improve transparency of agreements, performance, risk, and obligations.
Direct cross-functional resolution and mitigation of vendor performance issues, including root-cause analysis, lessons learned, and sustainable corrective actions.
Interpret complex business and external challenges and develop effective process and governance solutions.
Establish, monitor, and manage KPIs, quality indicators, service levels, and other performance measures to assess vendor effectiveness and inform decisions.
Ensure compliance with vendor selection, qualification, oversight, quality, and risk-management policies and procedures; identify gaps and recommend improvements.
Partner with Research & Development Procurement and functional leaders to identify, evaluate, and qualify vendor and partner candidates.
Lead or significantly contribute to the Sourcing Management Process, selecting methods, evaluation criteria, and stakeholder engagement strategies.
Translate business and technical needs into RFP specifications, KPIs, quality requirements, service-level agreements, governance expectations, and associated consequences or remedies.
Develop and facilitate the collection, interpretation, and analysis of performance and quality metrics, and present recommendations to senior stakeholders.
Identify, prioritize, and manage issues, risks, decisions, and deliverables through timely resolution; determine when additional leadership or expertise is needed.
Interpret stakeholder needs and guide vendors and partners in developing capabilities and services that meet changing business, scientific, operational, and regulatory requirements.
Oversee Ionis Development compliance with vendor oversight procedures, processes, and documentation requirements.
Develop and recommend procedures, business practices, and documentation standards to address operational and regulatory requirements and strengthen the vendor oversight framework.
Integrate Development priorities, functional requirements, processes, systems, and risk information into a holistic, risk-based vendor oversight strategy.
Build trusted relationships with Functional Area Heads, designees, and vendors to establish mutual accountability for expectations, deliverables, performance, and issue resolution.
Conduct and interpret risk assessments of contracted services and use results to inform oversight strategy, governance intensity, and mitigation planning.
Maintain complete, inspection-ready vendor governance records and provide authoritative input to the Clinical Assignment Tracker regarding vendor and service assignments for each study.
Conduct activities in compliance with applicable laws, regulations, ICH, PhRMA, CFR, GxP, and Ionis policies and procedures, and demonstrate behaviors aligned with Ionis Culture, Core Principles, and Working with Each Other policy.