Contracts and Procurement Specialist

A life sciences firm in Boston is seeking an organized, detail-oriented Contracts & Procurement Specialist to join their growing operations team. In this role, the Specialist will be the day-to-day engine behind the procurement workflows, purchase order processing, and vendor contract administration. Serving as a crucial liaison between internal scientific teams, accounts payable, and external lab vendors, the Specialist will ensure laboratory and clinical programs have the supplies, equipment, and services they need to advance the firm's research seamlessly.

Key Responsibilities

Contract Administration & Lifecycle Management

• Coordinate the intake, tracking, and execution of routine commercial and scientific agreements, including Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), Statements of Work (SOWs), Consulting Agreements, and Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs).
• Perform initial reviews and standard redlines using company-approved templates and playbooks under the guidance of legal counsel.
• Maintain the enterprise Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) database, ensuring accurate metadata entry, tracking key expiration dates, renewal notices, and milestone deliverables.

Procurement Operations & P2P (Procure-to-Pay)

• Manage day-to-day purchasing workflows, reviewing and processing purchase requisitions and issuing Purchase Orders (POs) across scientific, clinical, and corporate departments.
• Serve as the primary administrator for biotech e-procurement software (e.g., Prendio, Coupa, Jaggaer).
• Partner closely with Accounts Payable and receiving staff to resolve invoice hold-ups, line-item price discrepancies, receiving confirmations, and 3-way matching issues.

Vendor Setup & Maintenance

• Lead the vendor onboarding process, ensuring new suppliers submit required documentation (W-9s, banking info, certificates of insurance, quality questionnaires).
• Monitor vendor performance on delivery timelines, order accuracy, and customer service for routine lab consumables, reagents, and equipment maintenance contracts.
• Assist in negotiating standard pricing discounts, freight terms, and rebate programs with preferred scientific distributors.

Compliance & Record Keeping

• Ensure all purchasing and contracting activities strictly align with company authorization limits (DOA) and internal financial controls.
• Assist with internal and external audit requests by pulling contract files, purchase orders, and supporting documentation.

Qualifications & Requirements

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Legal Studies, Life Sciences, or a related field required.
• 2–4 years of experience in procurement, purchasing, or contracts administration—with at least 1 year in a biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or life sciences setting preferred.
• Familiarity with common biotech laboratory supply vendors, scientific reagents, and general research terminology.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage high-volume transactional tasks without losing attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for interfacing with scientists, vendors, and corporate teams.

Technical Skills & Systems

• Biotech Procurement Platforms: Hands-on experience with e-procurement systems (e.g., Prendio, Coupa, Jaggaer, or NetSuite).
• Contract Management: Familiarity with CLM platforms (e.g., Ironclad, DocuSign CLM, Agiloft) and MS Word Track Changes.
• Software: Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word) and ERP financial systems.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider qualified applicants for employment regardless of race, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, color, religion, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other protected factor.