Purchasing / Materials Manager

About the role

PolyPeptide partners with pharmaceutical and biotech companies to support the development and manufacturing of peptide-based therapies. It is looking for a full-time Purchasing / Materials Manager in Torrance, CA, to lead purchasing, material planning, inventory coordination and supplier performance across its Torrance and San Diego sites. The manager leads a team covering raw materials, solvents, reagents, resins, packaging components and other critical supplies.

Key responsibilities

• Lead purchasing from requisition and purchase order placement through delivery and issue resolution.
• Manage material planning for production, development projects and customer requirements.
• Review forecasts, inventory, safety stock, open orders, shelf life and manufacturing schedules; lead MRP reviews and address shortages and late deliveries.
• Develop recovery plans using expedited deliveries, approved substitutions, alternate suppliers or revised priorities.
• Monitor supplier delivery, quality, responsiveness, lead times and OTIF performance, and run supplier performance reviews with corrective action follow-up.
• Improve pricing, payment terms, freight costs and total cost of ownership.
• Manage inventory levels while balancing availability, working capital, shelf life, storage and obsolescence risk.
• Maintain accurate purchasing and planning data in ERP systems and support supplier qualification, audits, documentation and change notifications.
• Lead, coach and develop a team of about 3-5 direct reports, set priorities and standard work, and partner with Finance on price-variance, inventory, freight and cost-saving initiatives.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Operations, Engineering, Science or a related field.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in purchasing, procurement, material planning or supply chain.
• 5+ years of leadership or supervisory experience.
• Experience in a pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemical or other regulated manufacturing environment strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of GMP requirements and controlled documentation preferred.

Required skills

• Strong knowledge of purchasing, supplier management, MRP, inventory control, logistics and ERP systems.
• Ability to analyze demand, supply, inventory, cost and supplier data and turn it into clear actions.
• Negotiation, problem-solving and risk-management skills.
• People leadership, coaching, delegation and cross-functional collaboration.

What we offer

• Salary of $90k-$150k.
• The chance to lead a team and support two Southern California sites in a regulated pharmaceutical manufacturing environment.