Procurement Specialist/Buyer

Company Overview:

Forge Biologics is a hybrid gene therapy contract manufacturing and therapeutics development company.  Forge’s mission is to enable access to life changing gene therapies and help bring them from idea into reality.  Forge has a 200,000 ft2 facility in Columbus, Ohio, “The Hearth,” to serve as their headquarters.  The Hearth is the home of a custom-designed cGMP facility dedicated to AAV viral vector manufacturing and will host end-to-end manufacturing services to accelerate gene therapy programs from preclinical through clinical and commercial stage manufacturing.  By taking a patients-first approach, Forge aims to accelerate the timelines of these transformative medicines for those who need them the most. 

Role Description:  

We are currently seeking a Procurement Specialist to join the Forge Biologics team. In this role, the Procurement Specialist will directly contribute to the strategic, operational, and supply chain activities required to support the cGMP manufacturing programs and vision. This role will manage all purchasing and sourcing for the supply chain operations department for both internal and external gene therapy programs.  

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a key function of our department and to make our organization successful. The candidate will lead all purchasing activities, communicate with internal users, and external clients to support GMP and research business operations. The candidate will serve to assure all groups are properly supported and integrated into new systems and communications to support future growth and the Forge strategic vision.

Responsibilities: 

• Execute daily activities to support procurement processes. Including but not limited to: executing purchase orders with suppliers, establishing lines of communication with new and existing suppliers, contacting suppliers to obtain price/lead time on products and follow ups on all open orders, following up on late deliveries and backordered items, communicating with internal teams on order status. 
• Coordination with suppliers to obtain up-to-date lead-times and delivery dates.  
• Coordinate and lead periodic internal meetings to support the sourcing of equipment and materials for GMP and research manufacturing programs. 
• Attend and set-up weekly or Bi-weekly open order meetings with critical suppliers. 
• Manage vendor compliance to performance metrics and pursue all avenues to acquire cGMP compliant products. 
• Collaborate with Purchasing Manager to create and report out bi-weekly Pharmaceutical backorder report to internal and external customers. 
• Aid in the setup of lab inventory Kan-Ban system and management of inventory; including establishing reorder points and safety stock levels. 
• Utilize industry knowledge to conduct searches for new manufacturers and improve product availability and access.  
• Coordinate with Supply Chain Management to evaluate and negotiate competitive supply agreements. 
• Aid in Vendor review and help Supplier Quality pull information needed to evaluate vendors. 
• Aid the finance department when necessary to resolve pricing or invoicing discrepancies. 
• Conduct self in a professional and ethical manner that is consistent with the Company’s policies and procedures. 
• Work with Inventory Analyst and Operations Planner to ensure proper amount of products are purchased to support operations. 
• Work to develop recurring/blanket orders for repetitious/long-lead time products to ensure continuous supply. 

Requirements: 

• Experience managing the purchasing and sourcing for supply chain operations
• 3+ years of experience supporting the procurement/buying process (i.e. executing purchase orders with suppliers, establishing lines of communication with new and existing suppliers, contacting suppliers to obtain price/lead time on products, following up on late deliveries and backordered items, communicating with internal teams on order status, etc.)
• Must be self-motivated, self-reliant, extremely organized, and proactive 
• Ability to work hours necessary to support production and/or product transfer activities
• Knowledge of electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including supply chain and inventory applications
• Strong knowledge of ERP/MRP systems and Microsoft Office products. Experience in Netsuite/SAP a strong plus 
• Previous experience in biopharmaceutical manufacturing, supply chain cGMP or regulated supply chain industry is preferred 
• In our commitment to safety of our employees and customers a COVID vaccination is required

Reporting Outline: 

• This position reports to the Manager. Procurement 
• Travel on an infrequent basis is required (<5%) to support job responsibilities and commitments