Procurement Specialist

Job Overview

We are looking for a Procurement Specialist to assist with purchasing, vendor coordination, and supply chain tasks within a regulated pharmaceutical manufacturing and operational setting located in North Jersey, NJ. This position is offered as a 6 to 12 month engagement with onsite and hybrid work options.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage procurement functions including processing purchase requisitions and orders, following up with suppliers, gathering quotes, and tracking order status.
• Collaborate with internal departments to understand purchasing needs, deadlines, supplier specifications, and project priorities.
• Liaise with vendors to acquire pricing, delivery schedules, necessary documentation, and updates on orders.
• Assist in onboarding suppliers, setting up vendors, collecting documentation, and ensuring procurement compliance.
• Create, review, and monitor purchase requisitions and orders using procurement platforms such as SAP, Ariba, Coupa, or equivalents.
• Track open purchase orders, delivery progress, invoice challenges, and payment follow-ups to facilitate timely resolutions.
• Maintain procurement paperwork including supplier files, purchase approvals, contracts, work statements, change orders, and invoice records.
• Coordinate with Finance, Accounts Payable, Legal, Sourcing, and other stakeholders to address procurement and vendor issues.
• Ensure accurate procurement records and adherence to company policies, approval processes, and compliance standards.
• Support reporting on procurement activities, spending oversight, supplier performance monitoring, and process enhancements.
• Assist with contract renewals and procurement coordination for ongoing projects.
• Identify and escalate supply delays, vendor concerns, documentation gaps, pricing issues, or procedural bottlenecks to appropriate parties.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, Operations, or a related discipline is preferred.
• Minimum of three years' experience in procurement, purchasing, sourcing, supply chain, vendor management, or operational roles.
• Prior experience supporting procurement in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare, life sciences, or similarly regulated industries is desirable.
• Proficient with procurement software such as SAP, SAP Ariba, Coupa, Oracle, or comparable platforms.
• Solid knowledge of purchase requisition and order processes, vendor management, invoice handling, and supplier documentation.
• Capable of collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams and external suppliers.
• Strong attention to detail, excellent documentation and follow-up capabilities, and the ability to juggle multiple tasks.
• Good communication skills for working in dynamic environments with shifting priorities.
• Experienced with Microsoft Office tools—particularly Excel, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and SharePoint.

Preferred Skills

• Hands-on experience with enterprise procurement systems like SAP Ariba or Coupa.
• Familiarity with vendor onboarding, contract management, and resolving purchase order or invoice issues.
• Background in Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), pharmaceutical, biotech, or regulated industry environments.
• Awareness of compliance requirements, approval workflows, documentation control, and supplier oversight.