Skills Alliance
Location: North Carolina
Company:
Confidential — Stealth-Mode Biotech Start-up Stage:
Early Clinical (Phase I/II) Team Size:
100 employees and growing Reports to:
Chief Operating Officer / CEO About the Company We’re working with a well-funded, stealth-mode biotech company backed by top-tier VCs and led by a proven leadership team with multiple successful exits. The company is advancing a highly novel platform through early clinical development and rapidly scaling its operations, including CMC, clinical trials, and strategic vendor partnerships. As they prepare for clinical expansion and manufacturing scale-up, there’s an immediate need to bring in a
Chief Procurement Officer
to own all procurement and sourcing activities from the ground up. This is a unique opportunity to join a biotech start-up
before it hits the radar
— and build the procurement function your way. What You’ll Be Responsible For Build and lead the company’s
procurement strategy from scratch , spanning direct and indirect categories Own sourcing decisions for
clinical supply
,
R&D services
,
CDMOs/CMOs
, and
critical vendors
supporting trials and early manufacturing Partner closely with CMC, Clinical Ops, Quality, and Finance to align procurement with fast-moving operational needs Negotiate contracts and MSAs with vendors, CROs, and CDMOs — balancing speed, risk, and compliance Develop scalable purchasing processes (nothing too heavy — just what’s needed right now) Monitor spend, vendor performance, and support early budgeting/forecasting alongside the COO and finance team Guide “build vs. buy” decisions as the company grows — internal capability vs. third-party partnerships Prepare procurement infrastructure for future growth: systems, people, compliance, and governance Act as a strategic partner to leadership across operations, R&D, and regulatory What They’re Looking For You’ve
built or scaled procurement
in a start-up or small-to-mid-size biotech — or at least helped someone else do it You understand the pace and ambiguity of
early-stage biotech
and know how to prioritize what really matters You’ve worked closely with CDMOs, CROs, and vendors in support of
clinical trials and/or manufacturing Comfortable working in a
hands-on, builder role
— rolling up your sleeves while shaping long-term strategy Strong contract negotiation and vendor management skills Experience with
clinical-stage biotech
is preferred — especially around CMC, GMP sourcing, or clinical supply Collaborative, pragmatic, and able to move fast without sacrificing quality Ideally based on the East Coast, but remote is fine with some travel
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Confidential — Stealth-Mode Biotech Start-up Stage:
Early Clinical (Phase I/II) Team Size:
100 employees and growing Reports to:
Chief Operating Officer / CEO About the Company We’re working with a well-funded, stealth-mode biotech company backed by top-tier VCs and led by a proven leadership team with multiple successful exits. The company is advancing a highly novel platform through early clinical development and rapidly scaling its operations, including CMC, clinical trials, and strategic vendor partnerships. As they prepare for clinical expansion and manufacturing scale-up, there’s an immediate need to bring in a
Chief Procurement Officer
to own all procurement and sourcing activities from the ground up. This is a unique opportunity to join a biotech start-up
before it hits the radar
— and build the procurement function your way. What You’ll Be Responsible For Build and lead the company’s
procurement strategy from scratch , spanning direct and indirect categories Own sourcing decisions for
clinical supply
,
R&D services
,
CDMOs/CMOs
, and
critical vendors
supporting trials and early manufacturing Partner closely with CMC, Clinical Ops, Quality, and Finance to align procurement with fast-moving operational needs Negotiate contracts and MSAs with vendors, CROs, and CDMOs — balancing speed, risk, and compliance Develop scalable purchasing processes (nothing too heavy — just what’s needed right now) Monitor spend, vendor performance, and support early budgeting/forecasting alongside the COO and finance team Guide “build vs. buy” decisions as the company grows — internal capability vs. third-party partnerships Prepare procurement infrastructure for future growth: systems, people, compliance, and governance Act as a strategic partner to leadership across operations, R&D, and regulatory What They’re Looking For You’ve
built or scaled procurement
in a start-up or small-to-mid-size biotech — or at least helped someone else do it You understand the pace and ambiguity of
early-stage biotech
and know how to prioritize what really matters You’ve worked closely with CDMOs, CROs, and vendors in support of
clinical trials and/or manufacturing Comfortable working in a
hands-on, builder role
— rolling up your sleeves while shaping long-term strategy Strong contract negotiation and vendor management skills Experience with
clinical-stage biotech
is preferred — especially around CMC, GMP sourcing, or clinical supply Collaborative, pragmatic, and able to move fast without sacrificing quality Ideally based on the East Coast, but remote is fine with some travel
#J-18808-Ljbffr