Vendor Management Specialist I

Kite Pharma•Santa Monica, CA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a highly motivated individual to join the Commercial Business Strategy and Operations team as a Vendor Management Specialist I. This role supports Commercial Operations by managing vendor coordination, procurement activities and operational process improvements. The position ensures timely and accurate purchasing, invoice processing, and vendor onboarding while partnering closely with cross-functional teams. The successful candidate will be expected to be self-motivated and innovative, with proven experience in successfully supporting a best-in-class invoice operations program, providing best practice service delivery and actionable business insights through data. To develop meaningful connections with stakeholders, we would prefer that this candidate be located at Kite’s Santa Monica, California headquarters.

Requirements

MA/MS and 0+ years of relevant experience; OR BA/BS and 2+ years of relevant experience; OR AA and 4+ years of relevant experience; OR HS diploma and 5+ years of relevant experience
Experience in the pharma/biotech industry or other relevant background

Nice To Haves

Strong customer service, organizational and communication skills.
Advanced proficiency with SAP/Ariba software, Oracle (EBS) and MS Office suites including Copilot.
Demonstrated ability to solve a variety of routine and non-routine problems and support process improvements.
Ability to work independently using established procedures across diverse geographical locations and cultures.
High level of self-motivation, positive attitude, drive for achievement and strong work ethic.

Responsibilities

Manage onboarding of new vendors and suppliers in coordination with Legal and Procurement.
Manage end-to-end purchase order activities including creating orders, invoicing and reconciling issues.
Maintain positive relationship with internal customers and external vendors.
Monitor order status, triage customer inquiries, and proactively address delays or discrepancies to assist with order completion.
Prioritize multiple procurement activities and deadlines in a fast‑paced environment, ensuring timely execution.
Partner with Legal, Procurement, Accounting and PDM Finance to support contracting, purchase orders (PO) workflows and timely payment.
Support continuous improvement efforts by identifying routine operational issues and recommending improvements to enhance efficiency and reduce cycle times.
Maintain accurate supplier and PO records.
Contribute to the development and maintenance of procurement dashboards and metrics, providing visibility into spend, cycle times and vendor performance.
Serve as subject matter expert on procurement systems and PO workflows and provide training and guidance to cross-functional partners as needed.
Ensure compliance with Gilead policies, procurement and financial controls, data integrity standards, and confidentiality requirements