Vendor Manager

Location: Barcelona

Join our Logistics and Clinical Supply team in Barcelona, Spain, a key group within Biopharmaceutical Development (BPD) at AstraZeneca. We're at the forefront of a coordinated R&D organization delivering life-changing new medicines to clinical trials worldwide. In this role, you'll have the opportunity to work across all of our key therapeutic areas. We offer an outstanding and strong collaborative network as part of the broad AstraZeneca family, while maintaining the agility and connectivity of a close, innovative team.

**Main Duties & Responsibilities**:

- Independently plan, lead and deliver LCS outsourced activities relating to IMP supply enabling development and implementation of clinical supply strategies for all assigned studies both domestic and international
- Deliver sourcing recommendations for IMP and Auxiliary Medicinal Products (AxMPs)
- Handle quality and regulatory compliance activities within LCS
- Contribute to sourcing, development and management of vendor contracts and relationships
- Create, or assist in the creation of departmental SOPs, systems and processes to support improvement and future growth of LCS and Vendor Management standard process.
- Lead clinical supply related spend for assigned studies. Work with Study Managers to create / maintain study budgets, maintain / deliver the Purchase Order (PO) process, and provide technical assistance where required to reconciliation / approval of invoices
- As required provide support to maintenance / reconciliation of LCS functional budget, and/or project related budgets beyond the scope of assigned studies.
- Liaise within LCS and cross-functionally to deliver current and accurate financial information in alignment with budgetary planning cycles
- Collaborate within LCS to enable successful timely delivery of quality IMP and AxMP to assigned clinical studies.
- Maintain & expand close cross-functional relationships internally and externally to best support identification, selection and establishment of contractual arrangements with appropriate vendors for clinical study supply
- Partner with stakeholder departments to identify critical challenges and risks associated with Vendor Management activities. Ensure that any issues relating to IMP vendors are highlighted and that options/recommendation are developed for risk mitigated supply

**Education**:
Requires a bachelor’s degree in basic/ applied science or engineering. Equivalent level of training in service may also be considered. The Vendor Manager will have appropriate direct experience working in a development or technical operations environment in the pharmaceutical, scientific or health care product industry. Specific experience in clinical study management/clinical supply chain is highly desirable.

**Required Skills**:

- Experience in the Biotechnology and/or Pharmaceutical industry is required and prior experience in IMP management and supply is highly desirable
- Preferably will have a sound understanding of the biopharmaceutical product development process and ideally also proven success in delivery of cross-functional projects and/or activities
- Some prior experience of vendor oversight for GMP operations and a good understanding of cGMP, GCP and ICH guidelines as relates to IMP management is required
- Ability to work in a dynamic environment and collaborate optimally within cross functional teams to deliver cosophisticatedrojects

**Desired Skills**:
This position requires a high level of dedication, flexibility, initiative and an ability to work with mínimal direct supervision.The Vendor Manager must be a highly organized individual who possesses excellent attention to detail, and demonstrates strong skills for planning, coordination, teamwork, and communication. Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel Power Point and ERP systems is encouraged.

**Job Complexity**:
This is a sophisticated and interactive job requiring excellent communication skills. The Vendor Manager will have the ability to deliver solutions to a range of complex problems requiring resourcefulness and creativity.The position requires an individual who can achieve results through both formal and informal networks and who can optimally multi-task across activities of varying priority.The Vendor Manager must have the ability to recognize activities or events that may critically affect study supply and act on or relay that information to the appropriate party.This individual will be a highly effective representative for Vendor Management as the primary contact on assigned products.This position requires an individual who has the emergent management skills appropriate to an effective mentor and the ability to coach and train their colleagues in LCS vendor activities where required