Associate Director, Specialty Laboratory Sourcing, Contracting and Category Management

Key Responsibilities

Category Strategy and Portfolio Management

• Develop, maintain, and execute the Specialty Laboratory category strategy for Biomarker, Bioanalytical, and Companion Diagnostic laboratory services.
• Lead category reviews, including marketplace analysis, demand and spend assessment, vendor segmentation, capability mapping, benchmarking, and identification of core competencies.
• Manage the portfolio of strategic core and niche laboratories based on scientific capability, quality, capacity, geographic reach, innovation, risk, performance, and total value.
• Develop and manage category-level standards that can be applied across the laboratory portfolio.
• Monitor market practices, technologies, emerging vendors, and internal demand to recommend portfolio changes and fit-for-purpose sourcing approaches.

Stakeholder Management and Scientific Partnership

• Serve as the primary Vendor Outsourcing point of contact for specialty lab services.
• Provide strategic consultation to business stakeholders on vendor strategy and market dynamics.
• Build trusted relationships with Biomarker Operations, Clinical Pharmacology, Kite Translational Medicine, therapeutic-area research scientists, Clinical Operations, and other key partners.
• Translate scientific and business requirements into laboratory sourcing strategies, vendor recommendations, contracting approaches, and implementation plans.
• Influence senior internal stakeholder decisions and external laboratory partners on contractual, commercial, operational, legal, and regulatory matters.

Contracting and Commercial Terms Management

• Lead contract negotiations in partnership with functional leaders and Legal, translating business and scientific requirements into appropriate contractual and commercial terms.
• Manage the development, negotiation, execution, maintenance, and renewal of master laboratory agreements and master service agreements for core and niche laboratories.
• Lead amendments to master agreements, including updates required for new services, capabilities, technologies, legal terms, compliance requirements, or changes to the commercial framework.
• Manage rate cards and related pricing structures; use internal and external benchmarking and market assessments to ensure pricing is at or below fair market value where supported by scope, service level, geography, quality, and technical requirements.
• Negotiate CDx agreements with commercialization terms including milestones and royalty structures with direction from legal.
• Oversee scopes of work, change orders, budgets, and related contracting documents to maintain alignment with the governing master agreement and approved commercial terms.
• Identify and execute category-level cost-containment and cost-avoidance opportunities through benchmarking, negotiation, demand management, rate-card discipline, and portfolio leverage.
• Maintain appropriate contract records and support compliant execution, inspection readiness, and agreement closeout.
• Lead the onboarding of new core and niche laboratories in partnership with Vendor Qualification, Quality, Legal, Compliance, Privacy, Security, Finance, functional stakeholders, and other required groups.
• Collaborate with Vendor Performance and Relationship Management to address performance, capacity, quality, timeline, compliance, and business-continuity risks.
• Support inspection-readiness activities, audit responses, regulatory and contractual compliance, data privacy, and protection of intellectual property.

Problem Solving and Continuous Improvement

• Proactively monitor vendor performance and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Recommend innovative or alternative laboratory sourcing solutions through effective stakeholder management and structured evaluation of vendor capabilities.
• Use benchmarking analytics and industry best practices to improve sourcing, contracting, onboarding, governance, vendor performance, and cycle times.
• Support new data sources and technologies that enable efficient clinical-trial and research execution.

Capabilities and Requirements

• Demonstrated experience leading a specialty laboratory category, laboratory vendor portfolio, strategic sourcing area, or related function in biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, clinical research, diagnostic, or laboratory services.
• Knowledge of Biomarker, Bioanalytical, Companion Diagnostic, translational medicine, and/or related specialty laboratory services.
• Strong category-management capabilities, including category strategy, marketplace analysis, vendor segmentation, capability mapping, category reviews, benchmarking, governance, and value delivery.
• Strong stakeholder-management and influencing skills across scientific, clinical, operational, legal, financial, quality, compliance, regulatory, and vendor organizations.
• Demonstrated contracting expertise, including negotiation and maintenance of master laboratory agreements or master service agreements, amendments, scopes of work, change orders, budgets, and rate cards.
• Experience onboarding new vendors and coordinating qualification, contracting, operational setup, and governance.
• Financial and commercial acumen, including fair-market-value assessment, cost-driver analysis, benchmarking, rate negotiation, cost avoidance, and spend optimization.
• Ability to solve complex problems, manage multiple priorities, communicate recommendations clearly, and maintain momentum in a matrixed global environment.
• Experience leading experienced professionals, cross-functional teams, and/or direct reports, as applicable.

Education and Preferred Credentials

• Bachelor's degree in a scientific, medical, business, finance, supply-chain, or related discipline w/10+ years of experience
• Advanced degree in a scientific, medical, business, finance, supply-chain, or related discipline is preferred
• MA/MS w/8+ years of experience
• PhD/PharmD/JD w/5+ years of experience
• Professional certification in supply management, procurement, contracting, project management, or a related discipline is preferred.
• Travel may be required.