The Opportunity:
Avantor is looking for a dedicated and experienced Scientific Procurement & Inventory Manager to join our leadership team based in Cambridge, UK. In this position you’ll take ownership of management of scientific consumables for 2,500+ scientists and line management responsibilities for a Stock Service Lead, Buyer Service, and their associated reports.
This role will be a full-time permanent position based in a brand-new facility at the customer site - The Discovery Centre, Bio-Medical Campus in Cambridge. Next to an attractive salary, we offer multiple benefits such as annual bonus, pension scheme, private medical and dental care, and additional day off for your birthday.
Working hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 – 17:00 (core business hours)

THE TEAM

You’ll join a team of 7 excellent Managers, who are Subject Matter Expects in their fields and are responsible for the different types of services we offer to our customers.
The team you’ll be managing are two Service Leads: Procurement Service Lead and Stores Service Lead. Procurement Team work on a hybrid basis (majority of the time they work from home) and is responsible for placing orders on behalf of scientists – purchasing consumables, reagents, chemicals. The Stores Team is responsible for inventory of materials purchased by the Procurement Team.
You’ll belong to our business department Lab and Product Services, which supports large pharmaceutical companies and laboratories all over the world, in Research and Development within the Life Sciences industry.

We’re looking for:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in supply chain or science-related field or equivalent experience working in laboratory

EXPERIENCE:

• Multiple years of experience working as a Scientific Materials Manager in a fast-paced, pharmaceutical industry is essential
• 3 – 5 years of line management responsibilities: coaching and motivating large teams or service leaders, including experience of second line management
• Solid experience in procurement and stock management
• Liaising with very high, senior profile of stakeholders/customer on a regular basis
• Regular communication with various functions of the business (Science, Procurement, Account Managers to name a few) and understanding of their role in the business
• Very high-level reporting skills: data and stock management, customer cost centre journaling for cross charge and spend, PO management
• Raising high value of purchase orders

Very high-level software, IT literacy and systems skills: this role requires exceptional IT skills including working experience of:

• Excel, PowerBi, SmartSheets
• Data provision, analysis, management, manipulation, scrutiny
• Data journaling – cost centre splits
• Procurement platforms (COUPA & SAP)
• KPI metrics reporting
• Automated spreadsheet set up

QUALIFICATIONS (DESIRABLE, BUT NOT ESSENTIAL):

• Green Belt Lean Six Sigma
• Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS)

How you’ll thrive and create an impact:

• Managing scientific materials and buyer service streams on the Cambridge footprint ensuring day to day operational effectiveness and delivery
• Point of contact for scientific consumable delivery, inventory management and reporting (stock, data and spend management)
• Ability to effectively engage and communicate with the customer’s Governance, Procurement and Scientific functions to ensure positive outcomes regarding consumable management and cost centre spend
• Comprehend and articulate the operational service provision to a high level to be able to respond and direct at multiple requestor levels of understanding and to guide the UK Heads
• Delivering a robust performance management strategy to your team of two Service Leaders, and to the full operational teams of 11 that they manage on-site

LI-Onsite

• Excel, PowerBi, SmartSheets
• Data provision, analysis, management, manipulation, scrutiny
• Data journaling – cost centre splits
• Procurement platforms (COUPA & SAP)
• KPI metrics reporting
• Automated spreadsheet set u