Manager, Procurement & Strategic Sourcing

Corporate Overview

Argonaut Manufacturing Services Inc. is a contract manufacturing organization (CMO) headquartered in Carlsbad, CA with over 100,000 square feet of manufacturing space across four locations. The company is dedicated to serving highly innovative companies in the biopharmaceutical and molecular diagnostics industries. Argonaut is a full service, cost-effective partner, providing complete solutions in the areas of formulation, filling and final kitting of reagents and consumables. Argonaut provides quality and regulatory expertise to assure the highest in quality manufacturing and supply chain excellence.

Benefits and Pay Range

At Argonaut Manufacturing Services we value our employees and are proud to offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your well-being and financial future. Eligible employees enjoy:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Company-Paid Life Insurance (1x Annual Salary)
• Voluntary Life Insurance Options
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) & Health Savings Account (HSA)
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with Company Matching
• 10 Days of Paid Time Off (PTO)
• 10 Paid Holidays Annually

The pay range for this position is $140,000.00 - 150,000.00 annually. Actual compensation will be based on factors such as location, skills, education, experience, and other relevant qualifications.

Position Overview

As we scale our finance and supply chain organization, we are elevating our purchasing function from a transactional buyer role to a full procurement and strategic sourcing capability. We are seeking a Manager, Procurement & Strategic Sourcing to own that transformation.

This is a process-ownership role, not a people-management role. The successful candidate will take end-to-end ownership of the procurement process, from demand signal through purchase order execution, supplier management, and inventory investment, and will be expected to assess, redesign, and improve the current process rather than simply run it. The role partners closely with the Director of Accounting & Finance and the Senior Accountant to ensure standard costs and inventory values are accurate.

This role requires expert hands-on NetSuite MRP and Supply Planning Workbench experience, a life sciences background sufficient to work fluently with unit-of-measure conversions and chemical/regulated materials, and strong vendor management and price-negotiation skills. The ideal candidate operates as a builder and doer who can stand up scalable procurement practices in a growing manufacturing environment.

This is a 100% on-site position, Monday through Friday, with flexible start times and a consistent daily schedule. Overtime may be required to support production and supply continuity. Exceptions to the schedule must be approved by the manager in advance.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Own the end-to-end procurement process, from planning through purchase order execution and receipt, and lead the assessment and redesign of current purchasing practices to build a scalable, well-controlled function.
• Manage the NetSuite MRP and Supply Planning Workbench, running supply plans, reviewing action and exception messages, and converting planned orders into purchase and transfer orders to prevent both shortages and excess inventory.
• Maintain the integrity of MRP master data and item-level planning parameters (safety stock, lead times, lot sizing, BOM accuracy, and effectivity dates) to ensure reliable planning output.
• Establish and maintain strong supplier relationships; negotiate pricing, terms, and contracts; and monitor vendor performance, quality, and on-time delivery.
• Partner with the Director of Accounting & Finance and the Senior Accountant to update and validate standard costs, ensuring accurate inventory valuation and COGS.
• Apply life sciences domain knowledge to manage unit-of-measure conversions, chemical and regulated materials, and related purchasing and handling requirements.
• Implement strategies to optimize inventory levels, balancing service levels against inventory investment and carrying cost.
• Review, resolve, and escalate supply chain issues that impact production or delivery dates, leading root cause analysis and corrective action.
• Participate in Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) to align supply with demand, and collaborate with engineering on material phase-in/phase-out tied to Engineering Change Orders (ECOs).
• Monitor procurement and supply chain KPIs and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure purchasing processes comply with ISO 13485, cGMP, and company quality systems.
• Support ERP (NetSuite) process improvements related to procurement and material transactions, and troubleshoot inventory discrepancies and manufacturing variances.
• This role currently does not manage employees but may assume supervisory responsibilities in the future based on organizational needs.

Requirements and Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 6+ years of experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, materials management, or vendor management, preferably in a life sciences and/or manufacturing environment.
• Expert, hands-on NetSuite experience, including MRP and the Supply Planning Workbench (mandatory), with the ability to manage planning parameters and drive the full planned-order-to-purchase-order workflow.
• Life sciences background sufficient to work fluently with unit-of-measure conversions, chemicals, and regulated materials.
• Strong vendor management, negotiation, and contract management skills, with demonstrated success driving price and cost improvements.
• Working knowledge of standard costing and its connection to inventory valuation, with the ability to partner effectively with Accounting.
• Strong commercial acumen, including the ability to analyze total cost of ownership (TCO), benchmark pricing, and structure deals that balance value, risk, and speed.
• Ability to structure and analyze data to drive cost and process efficiencies.
• Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills.
• Experience standing up or significantly improving a procurement function (moving from a buyer/transactional model to a managed process).
• Knowledge of MRP, DRP, and MPS concepts beyond NetSuite.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience in an ISO 13485 / cGMP-regulated environment.

Argonaut Manufacturing Services, Inc. is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to providing employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age or disability, or any other class protected by Federal, State or local laws. Argonaut complies will all employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act and all must have the authorization to work in the US.

As a condition of employment, employees are required to review and sign certain company agreements and policies, including a confidential information agreement and an arbitration agreement for the resolution of employment-related disputes, in accordance with applicable law.

Background checks are conducted to support workplace productivity, safety, and security by ensuring applicant backgrounds and qualifications are suitable for the position being considered.

It is the policy of Argonaut Manufacturing Services, Inc., as part of its hiring procedures, to conduct background checks on finalist(s) for all positions. These checks will be job-related, consistent with business necessity, and conducted pursuant to all applicable laws, rules, policies, and procedures. Background checks may include, but are not limited to, verification with educational institutions or licensing/credentialing boards; standard criminal checks; employment verification; and other pertinent information and resources.

Employment offers will generally be made after successful completion of applicable background check(s). However, any offers of employment made prior to completion of the background check(s) shall be contingent upon successful completion of the check(s). Finalist(s) may be rejected if they provide inaccurate or untruthful information, do not fully participate in a required background check, or do not sign or complete a required form.