DescriptionThe Director, Vendor Management is responsible for the strategic leadership and operational oversight of Indero's Vendor Management Office (VMO) and enterprise vendor governance program. The Director establishes and maintains the vendor governance framework and oversees vendor qualification, lifecycle management, performance, risk, financial stewardship, and strategic partnerships across Indero's vendor ecosystem. Working cross-functionally with operational teams and senior leadership, the Director ensures that vendor services support quality, compliance, scalability, cost effectiveness, and the successful delivery of clinical trials.
More specifically, the Director, Vendor Management must:
- Adhere to and promote company organizational values and related expected behaviours, follow company standard operating procedures (SOPs) and processes, and ensure all assigned training is completed on time.
- Own, maintain, and continuously improve Indero's enterprise vendor governance framework, including governance tiers, oversight models, decision rights, escalation pathways, and supporting standards and tools.
- Chair vendor governance reviews and lead Vendor Steering Committee activities, ensuring clear decisions, accountability, and follow-up on actions.
- Develop and maintain strategic relationships with key vendors and preferred partners, establish engagement strategies, and identify opportunities for innovation, enhanced capabilities, and long-term value.
- Establish vendor performance expectations, key performance indicators (KPIs), service level measures, and scorecards; monitor trends and report performance, risks, and improvement opportunities to relevant stakeholders.
- Lead vendor performance remediation and continuous improvement initiatives, including root cause analysis, corrective and preventive action (CAPA) plans, and verification of action effectiveness.
- Oversee vendor qualification, requalification, onboarding, ongoing oversight, and dequalification processes in collaboration with Quality Assurance and applicable functional teams.
- Partner with Quality Assurance on vendor audits, compliance activities, inspection readiness, and the timely resolution of audit findings and quality issues.
- Lead major vendor escalations, monitor systemic and enterprise-level vendor risks, and ensure material risks are communicated to senior leadership with appropriate mitigation and contingency plans.
- Analyze vendor spend, performance, capacity, and portfolio trends to support vendor selection, sourcing strategies, resource planning, and cost optimization.
- Contribute vendor strategy and subject matter expertise to requests for proposals, bid defence preparation, study planning, and other business development activities, as applicable.
- Provide leadership and direction to Vendor Managers, Clinical Procurement Specialists, and other VMO resources, including workforce planning, work allocation, performance management, coaching, development, and succession planning.
- Build vendor-management capability across the organization through guidance, training, governance forums, and effective collaboration with internal stakeholders.
- Develop, review, and maintain vendor-management SOPs, tools, templates, processes, and training materials in alignment with applicable regulatory requirements and industry best practices.
- Define and monitor VMO objectives, operational metrics, resource needs, and budget requirements, and implement actions to improve quality, efficiency, and scalability.
- Employee may be assigned to other responsibilities that do not pertain to their former description, if they have the required experience, are qualified and/or have received adequate training.
RequirementsQualifications & Experience- Bachelor's degree in life sciences, business administration, supply chain, procurement, clinical research, or a related field; Master's degree is an asset.
- Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and/or contract research organization (CRO) industry, including significant experience in vendor management, procurement, clinical operations, or a related function.
- Minimum of 5 years of leadership experience, including management of direct and/or indirect reports.
- Demonstrated experience developing and implementing vendor governance, qualification, oversight, performance management, and risk-management frameworks.
- Strong knowledge of clinical trial operations, vendor service delivery models, Good Clinical Practice (GCP), International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines, and applicable regulatory requirements.
- Experience with vendor contracting, financial oversight, spend analysis, sourcing strategy, and performance metrics.
- Demonstrated ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives and influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization and with external partners.
- Strong leadership, negotiation, facilitation, communication, and relationship-management skills.
- Excellent analytical, strategic-thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to anticipate risks and develop practical mitigation plans.
- Very organized and detail-oriented, with effective planning and time-management skills and demonstrated agility in prioritizing multiple competing demands in a fast-paced environment.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365; experience with vendor-management, procurement, quality, or reporting systems is an asset.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills in English; French is an asset.
In this position, you will be eligible for the following perks:- Permanent full-time position
- Flexible schedule
- Vacation
- Home-based position
- Ongoing learning and development
