ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:The Senior Manager/Associate Director, Business Systems serves as the lead to Kura's business platforms including but not limited to Finance, Procurement and Contracting applications, with primary ownership of the system operations, workflows, financial controls and related integrations, and future enterprise applications.
This role is responsible for oversight of application roadmap strategy, governance, lifecycle management, business process optimization, release management, systems integrations, user adoption, and continuous improvement. This position partners closely with Finance, Procurement, Contracting, Information Technology, Legal and other business stakeholders to ensure business systems are secure, compliant, scalable and aligned with organizational objectives.
- Serve as the Business Systems Manager for Finance and Procurement platforms, including Coupa, NetSuite, and other related back-office applications, ensuring systems effectively support business operations and strategic objectives.
- Lead the business strategy and roadmap for Finance and Procurement applications by evaluating new capabilities, prioritizing enhancements, defining business requirements, measuring business outcomes, and driving continuous improvement in partnership with Information Technology and business stakeholders.
- Oversee the lifecycle of Finance and Procurement business applications, partnering with Information Technology to support system integrations, optimize platform performance, perform quarterly ITGC SOX controls, and ensure the reliability, scalability, and compliance of business systems.
- Own and continuously improve end-to-end business processes supporting contracting, outsourcing, procurement, vendor onboarding, statement of work management, purchase orders, invoicing, and related operational activities, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices.
- Serve as the primary business liaison between Finance, Procurement, Legal, Commercial, Human Resources, Clinical, and Information Technology, translating business needs into scalable system solutions while aligning cross-functional priorities.
- Design, document, and govern business workflows, approval matrices, intake processes, routing rules, standard operating procedures, and governance practices that promote operational efficiency, compliance, consistency, and audit readiness.
- Lead cross-functional initiatives involving system implementations, integrations, workflow enhancements, business process improvements, and new functionality, ensuring projects are delivered on schedule, within scope, and aligned with business priorities.
- Collaborate with Information Technology and third-party vendors throughout the system lifecycle, including release planning, feature evaluations, issue resolution, product roadmap reviews, user acceptance testing, validation, deployment, and adoption of new capabilities.
- Coordinate business testing and organizational readiness by developing and executing user acceptance testing, creating training materials and user documentation, communicating system changes, and partnering with functional leaders to drive user adoption and effective change management.
- Monitor system performance, workflow effectiveness, user adoption, and operational metrics to identify opportunities for automation, process optimization, enhanced compliance, and an improved user experience.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders and external vendors to ensure Finance and Procurement platforms continue to meet evolving business needs and support long-term organizational growth
JOB SPECIFICATIONS:- A./B.S. degree in Information Systems, Computer Science or related field.
- A minimum of 7-10 years' experience supporting enterprise Finance, Procurement, Contracting Business Systems in a life sciences setting.
- Experience administering or supporting Coupa or a comparable Procure-to-Pay platform.
- Coupa Certification (e.g. Procurement, Administrator or related Coupa certifications) strongly preferred
- Demonstrated experience managing SaaS application releases, upgrades, patches, and vendor relationships.
- Excellent project management, planning, organization, communication, and stakeholder management skills, with demonstrated ability to lead multiple cross-functional system initiatives simultaneously while balancing operational support and strategic priorities.
- Strong project management experience leading cross-functional enterprise software implementations and enhancements.
- Must have the ability to communicate complex material to all levels of the organization while tailoring to experience and knowledge of the recipients.
The base range for this role for a Senior Manager is $160,000- $186,000 and an Associate Director is $176,000 - 206,000. Individual pay may vary based on additional factors, including, and without limitation, job-related skills, experience, work location, and relevant education or training. Kura's compensation package also includes generous benefits, equity, and participation in an annual target bonus.
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Kura's Values that are used for candidate selection and performance assessments:- We work as one for patients
- We are goal-focused and deliver with excellence
- We are science-driven courageous innovators
- We strive to bring out the best in each other and ourselves
The Kura Package - Career advancement/ development opportunities
- Competitive comp package
- Bonus
- 401K + Employer contributions
- Generous stock options
- ESPP Plan
- 20 days of PTO to start
- 18 Holidays (Including Summer & Winter Break)
- Generous Benefits Package with a variety of plans available with a substantial employer match
- Paid Paternity/Maternity Leave
- In-Office Catered lunches
- Home Office Setup
- Lifestyle Spending Stipend
- Commuter Stipend (Boston Office)
- Regular employee social activities, including happy hours, monthly birthday celebrations, Kura Koffee Talks, and much more!
