Contractor/Consultant – Procurement & Inventory Management 

Location: Sacramento, CA (Onsite) 
Engagement Type: Contract / Consultant 

Position Summary 

Orca Bio is seeking an experienced Procurement & Inventory Management Consultant to support sourcing, procurement, materials management, inventory planning, and forecasting activities for research, development, manufacturing, and business operations. This onsite contract role will be responsible for managing and optimizing procurement strategies, developing and improving forecast inventory and purchasing tools, ensuring the timely acquisition and availability of goods and services while balancing quality, cost, and delivery. 

The ideal candidate is a hands-on procurement professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment and can partner cross-functionally to optimize purchasing and inventory processes. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Lead procurement activities for direct and indirect materials, laboratory supplies, equipment, and services.  

• Manage and optimize sourcing strategies that align with business objectives for quality, cost, supply continuity, and operational efficiency.  

• Manage inventory levels and partner with internal stakeholders to develop forecasts that ensure material availability while minimizing excess inventory.  

• Monitor inventory trends, usage patterns, supplier lead times, and demand forecasts to proactively mitigate supply risks.  

• Support material sourcing and new material introductions including Identify, qualify, and manage supplier. 

• Trouble shoot supplier events and issues,including supplier performance, risk assessments, and continuous improvement initiatives.  

• Partner with Manufacturing, Technical Operations, Quality, Finance, Facilities, and Research teams to understand business needs and drive procurement and inventory needs.  

• Manage purchase requisitions, purchase orders, and vendor onboarding while ensuring compliance with company policies and procedures.  

• Resolve supplier and inventory issues while implementing corrective actions to maintain continuity of supply.  

• Analyze procurement and inventory data to identify cost savings, process improvements, supplier consolidation opportunities, and inventory optimization strategies.  

• Develop and report procurement and inventory metrics, including supplier performance, inventory health, forecasting accuracy, and cost savings.  

Deliverables 

• Optimize inventory forecasting based on inventory consumption data, supplier lead times, internal test and release times and demand forecast needs and project needs.  

• Develop a process for purchase order review prior to submission for approval process.  

• Support  material sourcing initiated to deliver required materials and inventoryies. 

Duration 

4 months with option to extend based on need. 

Required Qualifications 

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Operations, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.  

• 5+ years of procurement, strategic sourcing, inventory management, or supply chain experience.  

• Experience with inventory planning and procurement strategies.  

• Proven experience managing supplier relationships.  

• Strong analytical, organizational, and project management skills.  

• Excellent communication and negotiation skills with the ability to collaborate across multiple functions.  

• Experience using ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, or similar) and Microsoft Excel.  

• Ability to work onsite in Sacramento, California.  

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, life sciences, cell therapy, gene therapy, or medical device industry is preferred but not required.  

• Knowledge of GMP/GxP environments and regulated procurement practices.  

• Experience sourcing laboratory equipment, raw materials, single-use manufacturing components, or contract laboratory/manufacturing services.  

• Familiarity with supplier quality management, vendor qualification, and risk assessment processes.  

• Experience with MRP systems, procurement analytics, and inventory optimization.  

• Professional certifications such as CPSM, CSCP, APICS, or CPIM are a plus.  

Engagement Details 

• Contract/Consulting engagement.  

• Based onsite in Sacramento, California.  

• Opportunity to support a growing organization by strengthening procurement operations, supplier management, inventory planning, and forecasting processes in a collaborative environment. 

• Lead the procurement team responsible for purchasing raw materials, consumables, packaging components, capital equipment, and indirect supplies.  

• Ensure timely issuance, confirmation, and follow-up of purchase orders through delivery.  

• Negotiate pricing, contracts, and commercial terms with suppliers in partnership with Strategic Sourcing and Legal as appropriate.  

Purchase Order Management 

• Oversee the complete purchase order lifecycle from requisition through receipt.  

• Ensure purchase orders accurately reflect material specifications, quantities, pricing, and delivery requirements.  

• Monitor supplier acknowledgements and delivery commitments.  

• Escalate supplier delays and coordinate recovery plans to minimize production impact.  

• Maintain purchasing metrics including on-time delivery, purchase order cycle time, and supplier responsiveness.  

Inventory Forecasting & Materials Planning 

• Lead inventory forecasting activities in partnership with Supply Chain Planning and Manufacturing.  

• Review demand forecasts to determine future procurement requirements.  

• Establish inventory targets including safety stock, reorder points, and minimum/maximum inventory levels.  

• Balance inventory investment while minimizing stockouts and excess inventory.  

• Monitor inventory health, slow-moving inventory, excess inventory, and expiration risks.  

Supplier Relationship Management 

• Build and maintain strong strategic relationships with suppliers.  

• Conduct regular business reviews with key suppliers.  

• Monitor supplier performance using key performance indicators including:  

• On-time delivery  

• Lead time adherence  

• Quality performance  

• Identify alternate suppliers and mitigate supply risks.  

Stock-Out & Supply Issue Management 

• Serve as the primary escalation point for supplier stock shortages and material availability issues.  

• Coordinate supplier recovery plans for backorders and constrained materials.  

• Communicate supply risks to Planning, Manufacturing, and Executive Leadership.  

Supplier Quality & Delivery Performance 

• Partner with Quality Assurance on supplier quality issues.  

• Coordinate supplier investigations for nonconforming materials.  

Inventory Management 

• Partner with Warehouse and Materials Management to maintain accurate inventory.  

• Review inventory accuracy, cycle count performance, and inventory reconciliation.  

Material Master Data and Systems 

• Establish and maintain master data standards.  

• Create and maintain Material master recordsand system data including BOMS, release testing updates 

• Support implementation of new inventory and material management functionality.  

• Lead system testing and validation for inventory-related system enhancements.  

• Develop business requirements for ERP/MRP improvements.  

• Improve inventory visibility and reporting.  

• Develop inventory dashboards and KPIs.  

• Standardize materials management processes across the organization.  

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Life Sciences, or related fields. 

• 5-7+ years of progressive supply chain experience in biomanufacturing, cell therapies or advanced therapies a plus.

• Leadership of digital transformation initiatives including MES and ERP systems. 

• Strong knowledge of production planning, material requirements planning (MRP), and capacity planning within manufacturing. 

• Proven success leading cross-functional teams and driving operational results. 

• Excellent interpersonal, leadership, and communication skills. 

• Experience with autologous or allogeneic cell therapy supply chains a plus.

• Familiarity with both clinical and commercial supply chain models a plus.

• Knowledge of manufacturing, chain of identity/custody requirements, and vein-to-vein workflows a plus

Training & Continuous Improvement: 

• Certification in Production and Inventory Management or Logistics, such as APICS are a plus