Pharmaceutical

Vendor Operations Associate

Location: South San Francisco, CA

Work Model: Hybrid - Tuesday anchor day + 2 additional onsite days; 2 remote days

Schedule: Monday-Friday, standard 8-hour shift

Contract Type: Contractor

Interview Process: 2 rounds - Panel (45 min) + Hiring Manager (45 min)

Job Summary

We are seeking a Vendor Operations Associate to support vendor management, contract execution, purchasing, and invoice operations within a commercial marketing organization. This role will serve as a key liaison between Marketing Operations, Finance, Procurement, Commercial and Corporate Services, and external vendors.

The ideal candidate will have experience with contract management, procurement, purchase orders, vendor onboarding, invoice processing, and cross-functional operations, preferably within a healthcare, pharmaceutical, biotech, or life sciences environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage self-service vendor contracts from template verification through approval and execution.
• Process prioritized full-service contracts and HCP contracting requests.
• Coordinate directly with vendors, suppliers, HCPs, and internal marketing stakeholders.
• Support onboarding of agency partners and access to internal systems and tools.
• Create and manage Purchase Orders (POs), ensuring timely review and issuance.
• Support multiline invoice processing while maintaining accuracy and compliance.
• Maintain complete and accurate records of contracts, purchasing, and invoicing activities.
• Partner with Finance and Procurement to optimize PO structures and FACT coding.
• Troubleshoot workflow issues and coordinate with IT when system support is required.
• Provide guidance and customer support to marketers and agency partners.
• Conduct training sessions on contracting and MyBuy processes.
• Identify opportunities to improve contract, purchasing, and vendor onboarding workflows.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Experience in contract management, vendor management, procurement, purchasing, or operations.
• Experience managing Purchase Orders and/or invoice processing.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize multiple requests independently.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong problem-solving and stakeholder management abilities.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Excel, Word, Google Workspace, and Mac OS.
• Experience with contracting, procurement, or ERP systems.
• Basic accounting and billing knowledge.
• Ability to work effectively with internal teams and external vendors/suppliers.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in pharmaceutical, biotech, healthcare, or life sciences.
• Experience with MyBuy or similar procurement systems.
• Experience with agency/vendor operations or marketing procurement.
• Knowledge of healthcare compliance and HCP contracting.
• Experience with contract lifecycle management and vendor onboarding.
• Experience supporting cross-functional or global teams.