Demo

Associate Director Procurement - API External Manufacturing

BioSpace
Indianapolis, IN Full Time
POSTED ON 4/14/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 5/11/2026
At Lilly, we unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We are a global healthcare leader headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our employees around the world work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to our communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. We give our best effort to our work, and we put people first. We’re looking for people who are determined to make life better for people around the world.

The Associate Director of API External Manufacturing position is part of the Global Manufacturing Procurement organization that provides key procurement and commercial leadership to the API External Manufacturing (APIEM) team that oversees Contract Manufacturing Organizations (CMOs) that launch and sustain global supply chains for new and existing products. This role is responsible for an annual spend exceeding $1 billion and will cover one or more of the following modalities: small molecules, peptides, oligonucleotides, large molecules, or antibody drug conjugates as products move from phase III to commercial launch.

What You Will Do

  • Develop and execute the category strategy for external API manufacturing including market analysis, supplier identification, evaluation and selection, negotiate contracts and manage risk, cost, and supply.
  • Lead the review of requirements, development of sourcing strategies, and management of the supplier due diligence process, RFP process oversight, contract and award, and oversight of the contract management process.
  • Lead the on-site due diligence process with potential CMOs. Lead and discuss terms of the supplier contracts and use contract knowledge to collaborate with business partners if issues or disputes arise.
  • Ensure commercial agreements address supply risks and company liabilities. Provide commercial support to supplier relationship management issues and disputes.
  • Ensure that company priorities and interests from relevant areas (product teams, supply chain, legal, quality, compliance, etc.) have their requirements represented in commercial agreements. Provide market intelligence on CMO capabilities.


Your Basic Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in procurement, engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, chemistry, business or related fields
  • 5 years of procurement, business development, contract manufacturing, or commercial B2B responsibilities in the pharmaceutical industry.
  • Experience participating in or leading negotiations with internal stakeholders and external partners (e.g., vendors, suppliers, or clients).
  • Qualified applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Lilly will not provide support for or sponsor work authorization or visas for this role, including but not limited to F-1 CPT, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT, J-1, H-1B, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, or L-1.


What You Should Bring

  • Excellent ability to communicate– written, verbal, and interpersonal with ability to influence and negotiate with internal and external partners and senior leaders.
  • Demonstrated experience of category management and contract negotiations for strategic high-value deals.
  • Self-motivated individual with the ability to act independently, with minimal direct supervision, in a complex multi-organization environment while maintaining prioritization and ensuring appropriate level of compliance with policies and procedures.
  • Experience in managing third party relationships including supplier management/oversight, supplier selection, contracting and problem resolution skills Leadership (formally or informally) of cross-functional teams.
  • Experience working directly with global suppliers in commercial, technical or governance capability.
  • Excellent command of written and spoken English. Analytical and problem-solving skills, demonstrating knowledge of business.
  • Demonstrated strong commercial acuity, project management and presentation skills. Demonstrated experience with the Microsoft Office suite & SAP/Ariba.


Lilly is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities to actively engage in the workforce, ensuring equal opportunities when vying for positions. If you require accommodation to submit a resume for a position at Lilly, please complete the accommodation request form (https://careers.lilly.com/us/en/workplace-accommodation) for further assistance. Please note this is for individuals to request an accommodation as part of the application process and any other correspondence will not receive a response.

Lilly is proud to be an EEO Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

Our employee resource groups (ERGs) offer strong support networks for their members and are open to all employees. Our current groups include: Africa, Middle East, Central Asia Network, Black Employees at Lilly, Chinese Culture Network, Japanese International Leadership Network (JILN), Lilly India Network, Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), PRIDE (LGBTQ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN), Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL), enAble (for people with disabilities). Learn more about all of our groups.

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is

$127,500 - $187,000

Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance). In addition, Lilly offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees, including eligibility to participate in a company-sponsored 401(k); pension; vacation benefits; eligibility for medical, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits; flexible benefits (e.g., healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts); life insurance and death benefits; certain time off and leave of absence benefits; and well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities).Lilly reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion and Lilly’s compensation practices and guidelines will apply regarding the details of any promotion or transfer of Lilly employees.

#WeAreLilly

Salary : $127,500 - $187,000

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