Principal Sourcing Lead

You are a strategic and detail-driven sourcing expert with experience across both hardware and reagents/chemicals in life sciences or diagnostics. You can orchestrate sophisticated RFPs, and know what levers to apply when negotiating with a diverse range of suppliers. Equally at home building supplier relationships or problem-solving under pressure, you tailor your approach to fit unique product needs, regulatory requirements, and supply chain challenges.

• Execute global sourcing strategies for both hardware components and reagents/chemicals categories, custom formulations, and biotech raw materials, partnering closely with hardware engineering, assay development, and supply chain teams.
• Own commodity strategies across diverse hardware and chemical/reagent portfolios, including supplier segmentation, technology roadmaps, and supply risk mitigation.
• Lead supplier selection and initial qualification, design and execute RFP/RFQ processes, comparing suppliers on price, quality, lead time, compliance, and value-added capabilities leveraging technical expertise to evaluate and influence decisions in alignment with product and process requirements.
• Establish and negotiate master supplier agreements (MSAs), statements of work (SOWs) and strategic partnerships that drive total cost of ownership (TCO) improvements, leveraging deep industry knowledge to optimize for key specifications, payment structures, cost, quality, intellectual property, scalability, and supply continuity.
• Deliver measurable outcomes in cost savings, supply assurance, and innovation through strategic sourcing initiatives.
• Oversee supplier qualification, audits, and compliance in partnership with QA/RA teams, ensuring regulatory adherence while enabling innovation.
• Collaborate with R&D, engineering, manufacturing, and quality teams to serve as the technical liaison, translating both hardware and chemical/reagent requirements into clear sourcing priorities. Partner with supply chain and procurement teams to shape and execute overall supply chain strategies, including transitioning to ongoing supplier management.
• Proactively identify and partner with cross-functional engineering and assay teams to mitigate supply chain risks (single source, MOQs, component end-of-life, shelf life, market volatility) using scenario planning and contingency strategies.
• Drive continuous cost reduction and process optimization initiatives, applying should-cost modeling, make-versus-buy analysis, and volume leverage tactics.
• Serve as the flexible sourcing subject matter expert (SME) across both hardware and chemistry commodities in executive reviews and cross-functional operations forums.
• Champion supplier performance management, including QBRs, KPI tracking, and escalation resolution.
• Build and sustain strong supplier relationships, navigating the nuances of commodity suppliers, strategic partners, and niche specialty vendors, while driving supply assurance, innovation, and long-term value creation.
• Stay current on market trends, emerging technologies, supply chain dynamics, and regulatory changes impacting both hardware fabrication and reagent sourcing—anticipating their implications for Vital Bio’s needs.
• Support departmental initiatives to optimize quality, cost, time-to-market, and operational resilience.
• Partner with executive leadership to align sourcing strategies with company growth objectives.
• Drive supplier innovation initiatives that contribute to new product development and differentiation.

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical/electrical engineering, chemistry, biochemistry, supply chain management, or a related technical or business field.
• 10+ years’ demonstrated experience sourcing both complex hardware…