Vendor Management Specialist

Job ID: Contract position based in Frederick, MD. Anticipated close date: Sep 7, 2026.

About the role

The Vendor Operations Specialist supports a growing cell therapy organization by ensuring that materials, services, and suppliers are in place to enable GMP manufacturing, clinical operations, quality control, and broader business needs. As a key member of the Supply Chain team, this role manages day-to-day vendor operations, purchasing activities, order placement, inventory coordination, and supplier-related documentation in a cGMP biotech/biopharma environment. The position offers the opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge, innovative science in a highly collaborative setting focused on bringing meaningful change to patients.

Responsibilities

• Support purchasing activities by creating purchase requisitions, following up on purchase orders, tracking orders, and coordinating with internal stakeholders to ensure timely procurement of materials, supplies, equipment, and services.
• Assist with invoice reconciliation by collaborating with Finance and Accounting to resolve discrepancies and ensure accurate and timely payment to suppliers.
• Coordinate day-to-day vendor operations, including supplier onboarding support, vendor communication, quote collection, lead-time follow-up, and providing regular order status updates.
• Escalate delivery delays, service issues, and other vendor-related risks to Supply Chain leadership and relevant stakeholders, and help drive timely resolution.
• Work closely with Quality Assurance to communicate and document vendor performance within the vendor management program, ensuring alignment with cGMP expectations.
• Complete vendor-related quality activities such as risk assessments, Supplier Corrective Action Requests (SCARs), Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPAs), and other vendor quality events.
• Draft, review, and update standard operating procedures (SOPs), supplier documentation, and other GMP-related documents to support compliant vendor and purchasing operations.
• Build strong, collaborative relationships with Manufacturing, Warehouse, MS&T, Quality, Finance/Accounting, and external vendors to support purchasing needs, material availability, service continuity, and operational timelines.
• Collect, maintain, and analyze purchasing and vendor performance metrics, including order status, lead times, supplier responsiveness, and issue resolution trends, to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Support the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of purchasing, vendor management, and broader supply chain processes and workflows.
• Assist in the implementation and use of new systems and platforms related to purchasing and vendor management, including ERP and inventory systems.
• Follow established procedures and documentation practices to ensure accurate, compliant records for purchasing, vendor management, and inventory coordination.
• Prioritize and manage multiple purchasing and vendor-related tasks simultaneously, balancing competing priorities and adjusting to changing operational needs.
• Support occasional urgent purchasing needs, vendor escalations, deliveries, or operational priorities that may require schedule flexibility.

Requirements

• A minimum of 5+ years of experience in purchasing, procurement, vendor coordination, supply chain operations, or related operational support roles.
• Experience in a cGMP biotech or biopharma environment, particularly in vendor management, purchasing, or supply chain operations.
• Hands-on experience with supply chain, procurement, purchasing, supplier quality, vendor management, and inventory coordination.
• Prior GMP vendor management experience, including exposure to vendor qualification and vendor performance monitoring.
• Familiarity with supply and quality agreements and how they apply to vendor relationships and cGMP operations.
• Proficiency with ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, or NetSuite, including navigating purchasing and inventory modules.

Work Environment

This role follows a hybrid work model, with an expectation to be onsite approximately 2–3 days per week. Standard hours are generally 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with some flexibility based on business needs and occasional schedule adjustments to support urgent purchasing needs, vendor escalations, or critical deliveries.

Pay

The pay range for this position is $45.00 - $60.00/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Benefits

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Team members benefit from a culture that values discovery, collaboration, and operational excellence, along with a time-off package that includes two weeks of paid time off and 11 paid holidays.