General Summary
The Associate Director of Operational Procurement leads key operational procurement activities that ensure material availability, supply continuity, and efficient business operations. This role requires experience in procurement operations, raw material planning, systems and process knowledge, and team leadership experience. This leader will partner closely with Ops Leadership in Supply Chain, Strategic Procurement, Logistics, and leadership in our Accounts Payable and IT teams to drive continuous process improvement across the procurement organization.
A successful candidate will bring hands-on expertise managing direct and indirect procurement processes and systems, including purchasing, material planning, inventory optimization, shortage mitigation, and supplier enablement. Experience working with SAP, Coupa, MRP, and procure-to-pay systems is highly desired.
Specific Duties and Responsibilities
• Develop and implement processes for meeting finished goods and raw materials forecast requirements, managing inventory levels, and optimizing ordering cycles across direct and indirect categories to ensure material and service availability. *
• Support, lead, and develop the Operational Procurement team, provide resources and guidance, ensuring effective task allocation and quality of work, and report on progress and productivity; communicate and resolve escalations as required. *
• Design and apply Operational Procurement policies, practices, standards, and procedures, ensuring they are managed, maintained, adhered to, and align with Penumbra values and processes. *
• Understand ERP, MRP, P2P, and analytics systems used for executing and monitoring raw material planning, and order management areas. Identify opportunities to improve procurement practices and drive Operational Procurement compliance across standardized practices. *
• Support the design, documentation and execution of raw material forecasting and order management processes for key suppliers and critical components, services, sub-contracting, and indirect spend. *
• Create, document, and implement supplier capacity assessments and internal requirement analysis and work with Strategic Procurement, engineering, quality, and production to solve key issues with suppliers. *
• Identify strategies to mitigate risks including service and component supply issues to mitigate business impact. *
• Support procurement stability for new products transitioning from development to commercialization. *
• Identify trends and opportunities for procurement through cross-functional engagement and industry involvement that continuously drives insights into best practices and improvement opportunities. *
• Develop and implement strategies to coordinate with Strategic Procurement, Production, Planning, Quality, AP/Finance, and other business partners to proactively remove barriers. *
• Coordinate with managers to ensure compliance to procurement systems and practices; assign projects and tasks; monitor quality and performance; forecast resource needs; and account for expenses. *
• Select, manage, train, and develop staff. Establish objectives and assignments and provide ongoing feedback through performance reviews and development plans.
• Professionally engage with both internal/external parties to communicate status and performance across various levels. *
• Adhere to the Company’s Quality Management System (QMS) as well as domestic and global quality system regulations, standards, and procedures. *
• Understand relevant security, privacy, and compliance principles and adhere to the regulations, standards, and procedures that are applicable to the Company.
• Ensure other members of the department follow the QMS, regulations, standards, and procedures. *
• Perform other work-related duties as assigned.
*Indicates an essential function of the role.
Required Qualifications
Minimum education and experience:
• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management or a related field with 10+ years of experience in material planning, inventory management, and purchasing, and 6+ years of managing direct reports or an equivalent combination of education and/or demonstrated experience.
Preferred Qualifications:
• Medical device, pharmaceutical, biotech, or other regulated industry experience desired
• Strong proficiency with SAP Materials Management solutions or another ERP system.
• Knowledge of manufacturing processes and supply chain management.
• Effective interpersonal skills and a high level of comfort when collaborating with cross-functional teams, along with the ability to communicate with individual at all levels on the organization
• Demonstrated ability to process data, think critically, identify cause-and-effect relationships, solve complex problems, and formulate and communicate analyses using quantitative and qualitative analytical methods.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft 365, with strong Excel skills and experience using reporting and analytics tools.
• A detail-oriented individual with excellent organizational skills and the ability to prioritize assignments while handling various projects simultaneously.
Working Conditions
• General office environment.
• Willingness and ability to work on site in Alameda.
• May have business travel from 0-25%.
• Requires some lifting and moving of up to 20 pounds.
• Must be able to move between buildings and floors.
• Must be able to remain stationary and use a computer or other standard office equipment, such as a printer or copy machine, for an extensive period of time each day.
• Must be able to read, prepare emails, and produce documents and spreadsheets.
• Must be able to move within the office and access file cabinets or supplies, as needed.
• Must be able to communicate and exchange accurate information with employees at all levels on a daily basis.
Annual Base Salary Range: $165,000 to $230,000
We offer a competitive compensation package plus a benefits and equity program, when applicable. Individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies, and work location.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in supply chain management or a related field
- 10+ years of experience in material planning, inventory management, and purchasing
- 6+ years of experience managing direct reports, or equivalent education and demonstrated experience
- Medical device, pharmaceutical, biotech, or other regulated industry experience
- Strong proficiency with SAP Materials Management or another ERP system
- Knowledge of manufacturing processes and supply chain management
- Effective interpersonal and cross-functional collaboration skills
- Ability to process data, think critically, solve complex problems, and communicate quantitative and qualitative analyses
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft 365, strong Excel skills, and experience with reporting and analytics tools
- Excellent organizational skills and ability to prioritize multiple assignments and projects
- Willingness and ability to work on site in Alameda
- Ability to lift and move up to 20 pounds and move between buildings and floors
Penumbra Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Penumbra and has not been reviewed or approved by Penumbra.
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Healthcare Strength — Company materials describe comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with immediate eligibility, alongside life and disability insurance. Feedback suggests health coverage quality is a standout element of the package.
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Parental & Family Support — Company sources indicate fully paid parental leave and on-site support for nursing parents in key locations. Feedback suggests family support policies compare favorably within med‑tech employers.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Company postings outline paid holidays, sick leave, and vacation that increases with tenure. Feedback suggests time‑off provisions are broadly competitive when weighing total package value.
Penumbra Insights
What We Do
Penumbra, Inc., headquartered in Alameda, California, is a global healthcare company focused on innovative therapies. Penumbra designs, develops, manufactures and markets novel products and has a broad portfolio that addresses challenging medical conditions in markets with significant unmet need. Penumbra sells its products to hospitals and healthcare providers primarily through its direct sales organization in the United States, most of Europe, Canada and Australia, and through distributors in select international markets. The Penumbra logo is a trademark of Penumbra, Inc. Members of the Penumbra team agree that this is where their work has meaning -- we are transforming the treatment of some of the world's most devastating conditions. Penumbra is where everyone's ideas matter, and where learning and growth are constant.
