Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq ARWR) is a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company that develops medicines that treat intractable diseases by silencing the genes that cause them. Using a broad portfolio of RNA chemistries and efficient modes of delivery, Arrowhead therapies trigger the RNA interference mechanism to induce rapid, deep, and durable knockdown of target genes. RNA interference, or RNAi, is a mechanism present in living cells that inhibits the expression of a specific gene, thereby affecting the production of a specific protein. Arrowhead’s RNAi-based therapeutics leverage this natural pathway of gene silencing.
Arrowhead is focused on developing innovative drugs for diseases with a genetic basis, typically characterized by the overproduction of one or more proteins that are involved with disease. The depth and versatility of our RNAi technologies enables us to potentially address conditions in virtually any therapeutic area and pursue disease targets that are not otherwise addressable by small molecules and biologics. Arrowhead is leading the field in bringing the promise of RNAi to address diseases outside of the liver, and our clinical pipeline includes disease targets in the liver and lung with a promising pipeline of preclinical candidates.
Arrowhead’s corporate headquarters is in Pasadena, CA with research and development teams in Madison, WI & San Diego, CA, and a state of the art manufacturing facility in Verona, WI. Our employees are nimble, science-driven innovators who are collaborating to bring new therapies to patients in need.
The Position
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals is seeking a Director of Strategic Sourcing & Procurement to build and lead a best-in-class procurement function during a critical phase of commercial growth. This role will establish procurement frameworks and parameters as a strategic partner to R&D, Commercial, and G&A functions, driving cost efficiency, creating contract value and ensuring quality of vendor selection process while maintaining Arrowhead’s ability to move quickly in all aspects of our business.
This is a build-and-scale role: you will define strategy, create policies, implement processes, support business partners, lead negotiation teams, and hire lean, high-impact staff. Initial priorities will focus on establishing strategic sourcing methods and providing strong procurement support for Information Systems & Informatics (IS&I) and Commercial functions, two of the company’s most significant and rapidly growing spend areas. The Director of Strategic Sourcing & Procurement will provide hands-on support and across these domains, with plans to build dedicated category management support to ensure depth of expertise and scalable coverage as the function matures.
Over time, this role has the potential to expand into an enterprise-wide sourcing and procurement leadership position, including ownership of direct spend and supply chain categories as the organization continues to scale.
This role is based in onsite with an expectation to be in the office five days a week.
Responsibilities
Build and Lead the Procurement Function
- Design and implement Arrowhead’s procurement strategy, operating model, and policies, creating scalable procurement processes that enable continued success
- Own and lead solicitation processes (RFQs, ITBs, RFPs, etc.), providing operational support to ensure business requirements are appropriately captured and needs are met.
- Lead complex negotiations, in close collaboration with business stakeholders, to maximize the value of contracts entered and ensure business requirements are achieved.
- Build and lead a high-performing team across category management, procurement operations, and analytics
- Establish procurement as a trusted partner across R&D, Commercial, and Corporate functions. Embed procurement culture early in decision making and not just at the purchasing stage.
- Own sourcing and procurement strategy across key indirect spend categories: IS&I (software and hardware) and commercial & marketing agencies
Cost Optimization & Value Creation
- Guide assessment and selection of vendors, managing key vendor contracts, including benchmarking, performance monitoring and risk mitigation.
- Drive vendor consolidation and preferred supplier strategies
- Identify and deliver measurable cost savings
- Partner with Legal to develop standardized solicitation templates and vendor selection processes, working cross-functionally with the Contracting Team to ensure translation of solicitation requirements and negotiated terms to the resulting contracts.
- Support effective contract lifecycle management in collaboration with the Contracting Team, ensuring continuity of key services and effective negotiation of contract renewals and amendments
- Partner closely with Finance to align on budgets and accruals.
- Establish supplier performance management and risk frameworks
- Develop spend visibility and analytics capabilities
- Lead initiatives related to procurement systems, automation, and digital transformation.
- Maintain deep knowledge of industry trends, supplier landscapes, and regulatory requirements to ensure compliance and innovation.
Requirements
- 10+ years of procurement/strategic sourcing experience
- 5+ years in leading successful negotiations for complex, high value contracts.
- Experience in life sciences
- Demonstrated success managing indirect spend categories (IT, SaaS, marketing, professional services).
- Strong negotiation experience with complex, high value contracts.
- Experience implementing procurement processes, policies and systems.
Preferred
- Experience in a leadership role that built or scaled procurement teams/functions.
- MBA, technical graduate degree, or certification in sourcing or negotiations.
- Experience managing SaaS heavy environments and enterprise- wide vendor ecosystems
Arrowhead provides competitive salaries and an excellent benefit package.
Candidates must have current, valid authorization to work in the country where this role is located.
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Skills Required
- 10+ years of procurement/strategic sourcing experience
- 5+ years in leading successful negotiations for complex, high value contracts
- Experience in life sciences
- Demonstrated success managing indirect spend categories (IT, SaaS, marketing, professional services)
- Strong negotiation experience with complex, high value contracts
- Experience implementing procurement processes, policies and systems
What We Do
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage, Nasdaq listed (ticker ARWR) company developing medicines that treat intractable diseases by silencing the genes that cause them. Using a broad portfolio of RNA chemistries and efficient modes of delivery, our therapies trigger the RNA interference mechanism to induce rapid, deep and durable knockdown of target genes. RNA interference, or RNAi, is a mechanism present in living cells that inhibits the expression of a specific gene, thereby affecting the production of a specific protein. Our RNAi-based therapeutics are at the leading edge of genetic-based therapy with the potential to bring life changing treatments for patients. Our Targeted RNAi Molecule (TRiMTM) platform utilizes ligand-mediated delivery and is designed to enable tissue-specific targeting while being structurally simple. The TRiM platform builds on more than a decade of work on actively targeted drug delivery and offers several advantages including simplified manufacturing and reduced costs; multiple routes of administration; and potential for improved safety. Our employees are nimble, science-driven, and innovative professionals. A career at Arrowhead offers the opportunity to collaborate with top notch scientists to rapidly discover and develop RNAi-based therapeutics to add to our growing pipeline. Research and development activities are located in Madison, WI. Our R&D group includes fully-integrated capabilities for chemistry, biology, and toxicology. Madison is an exciting and sophisticated city that includes state government, the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin, and major research organizations. Our HQ, clinical and regulatory operations are located in Pasadena, CA. Just north of Los Angeles and resting in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, Pasadena is known for its natural scenic beauty, vibrant cultural and academic environment and rich architectural setting.
