Senior Procurement Specialist

United Therapeutics•Rtp, NC

9h•Onsite

About The Position

United Therapeutics (Nasdaq: UTHR) is a public benefit corporation dedicated to developing novel pharmaceutical therapies and technologies for rare, deadly diseases and to address the shortage of transplantable organs. Founded in 1996, the company has six FDA-approved therapies and is actively working on manufactured organs to eliminate transplant waiting lists. The Senior Procurement Specialist will be part of the Bioengineered Organ Operations team, overseeing and managing the procurement process for laboratory and warehouse operations, including GMP materials for regenerative medicine manufacturing.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, engineering, life sciences, or related discipline.
5+ years of related experience.
Working knowledge of procurement lifecycle management, including requisitions, purchase orders, invoicing, and vendor follow-up.
Experience managing standing purchase orders and blanket purchase orders.
Experience in strategic sourcing and vendor management.
Experience communicating with vendors to obtain quotations, pricing, lead times, and documentation.
Experience using Winshuttle for SAP transactions and data uploads, or experience in similar systems.
Ability to monitor inventory levels, track consumption, and support demand forecasting.
Familiarity with cost analysis and identifying cost-effective purchasing options.
Proficiency in SAP (or equivalent) for purchase order management, inventory tracking, reporting, and material master maintenance.
Strong skills in Microsoft Excel (e.g., trackers, spend analysis, inventory reports).
Ability to maintain organized electronic document repositories.
Knowledge of sourcing GMP-grade materials and maintaining supplier documentation (e.g., COA, COO, ISO certifications).
Awareness of biosafety considerations when handling human tissue, cells, or materials that may carry infectious agents.
Basic negotiation skills for pricing, discounts, and delivery terms.
Ability to track and analyze procurement spend, open PO balances, and budget impact.
Proactive problem-solving mindset with the ability to anticipate supply risks.

Nice To Haves

Understanding of backorder resolution, alternate sourcing, and vendor substitution strategies.
Understanding of GMP principles as they relate to procurement, materials management, and vendor qualification.

Responsibilities

Oversee and manage the procurement process for all laboratory and warehouse operations, including ordering, receiving, and invoicing, while adhering to departmental budgets.
Responsible for routine tracking of budgetary spend, managing the movement of funds from different cost centers/WBS elements, and ensuring accuracy of expenditures for all scientific project budgets and the overall program budget.
Responsible for the procurement of (GMP) materials and consumables for the manufacturing of regenerative medicines.
Responsible for oversight of GMP as well as Non-GMP procurement of materials, consumables, and services across Bioengineered Organ manufacturing and laboratory operations, ensuring reliable supply and alignment with manufacturing requirements.
Assist in development of procurement strategy for all critical GMP materials.
Serve as the primary point of contact for all GMP-related vendors and suppliers; develop and maintain strong supplier relationships to ensure continuity of supply and responsiveness to operational needs.
Lead negotiations and contract management (supply agreements) with vendors for all critical and GMP-classified materials, ensuring contractual requirements align with regulatory expectations.
Manage the full supplier qualification lifecycle, including initiating supplier qualification processes, coordinating vendor audits, reviewing audit findings, and maintaining approved vendor lists (AVL) in accordance with GMP requirements.
Monitor and manage supplier change control notifications; evaluate proposed changes to materials, processes, or specifications and coordinate with Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs to assess impact prior to implementation.
Develop and maintain alternative and dual sourcing strategies for critical and sole-source materials to mitigate supply chain risk; proactively identify and qualify backup suppliers before supply disruptions occur.
Proactively follow up on backordered or discontinued materials, identify alternate products or suppliers, and evaluate more cost-effective purchasing options where appropriate.
Obtain, review, and maintain all required GMP documentation from suppliers, including Certificates of Analysis (COA), Certificates of Origin (COO), ISO certifications, TSE/BSE declarations, Drug Master Files (DMFs), and other regulatory support documents.
Submit purchase order requisitions and manage procurement workflows in ERP system (SAP); maintain accurate and audit-ready procurement records in compliance with GMP documentation requirements.
Facilitate the setup and ongoing management of new materials in ERP/materials management systems, including material master records, specifications, and approved vendor assignments.
Perform financial analysis of procurement spend, monitor open purchase order balances, and assist in forecasting future procurement needs; set up and manage blanket and standing purchase orders with vendors.
Maintain accurate and up-to-date procurement records, communicating order status, backorders, shipment details, and delivery updates to manufacturing teams.
Collaborate with Manufacturing, Quality Assurance, Finance teams to align procurement activities with operational and compliance needs.
May handle human tissue, cells, and/or materials that come into contact with human cells and may carry infectious agents, in accordance with applicable safety and biosafety procedures.
Perform all other duties as assigned.