Manager, Direct Sourcing & Procurement

Empower Pharmacy is a visionary healthcare company dedicated to making quality, affordable medication accessible to millions of patients nationwide. As the nation’s most advanced 503A compounding pharmacy and FDA-registered 503B outsourcing facility, we’re redefining what’s possible in personalized medicine and pharmaceutical manufacturing. We’re proud to be recognized as one of Houston’s fastest-growing private companies and ranked #116 in Healthcare & Medical on the Inc. 5000 List for 2025.

Our strength is built on four core values: People, Quality, Service, and Innovation. Guided by these principles, we’ve created a uniquely integrated healthcare platform powered by advanced technology, operational excellence, and a relentless commitment to patient care. From manufacturing and quality control to distribution and customer experience, our teams work together to raise industry standards, expand access to critical medications, and improve outcomes for patients and providers across the country.

At Empower, joining our team means more than starting a new role. It means becoming part of a mission-driven organization that’s transforming healthcare at scale. We invest deeply in our people, encourage bold thinking, and create opportunities for growth, leadership, and innovation at every level. Your ideas matter here, your development is supported, and the work you do has a direct impact on the lives of millions.

If you thrive in a fast-moving, purpose-driven environment where innovation, collaboration, and ambition come together, Empower Pharmacy is the place for you. Let’s transform healthcare together.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Manager, Direct Sourcing & Procurement leads sourcing for APIs, excipients, raw materials, packaging, components, and other critical direct materials across Empower's 503A and 503B operations. The role also supports procurement of indirect materials and services required for production and oversees purchasing execution and inventory planning to protect availability, quality, cost, and supply continuity. The Manager leads supplier negotiations and performance, develops procurement employees, and works with Quality, Regulatory, R&D, Finance, Planning, and Manufacturing to support production and product development. ERP records, Excel, Power BI, and validated AI-supported analytics inform demand planning, spend visibility, and working capital decisions.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Direct Sourcing Strategy

• Category Strategy: Develops sourcing strategies for APIs, excipients, packaging, components, and other critical direct materials, evaluating specifications, supplier capability, quality, total cost, and supply risk. Supports indirect materials and services needed for production.
• Market Intelligence: Monitors pharmaceutical markets, supplier capacity, lead times, pricing, and shortages; uses market insight to identify alternate sources, sourcing opportunities, and risk mitigation actions.
• Cost Management: Partners with Finance to monitor purchase price variance and validate realized savings; pursues competitive sourcing, volume leverage, and supplier actions that improve total cost while protecting quality and supply reliability.

Supplier Management and Negotiation

• Supplier Partnerships: Builds strategic relationships with manufacturers, distributors, and other suppliers to strengthen pricing, quality, capacity, service, and supply reliability.
• Commercial Negotiation: Leads supplier selection and negotiation of contract terms, including pricing, payment terms, minimum quantities, lead times, capacity, and service expectations, while balancing cost and supply security.
• Performance Management: Leads strategic vendor business reviews; monitors on-time delivery, quality issues, capacity, service, and single-source exposure; resolves gaps and drives corrective action before operations are affected.

Supply Continuity and Compliance

• Supply Continuity: Protects material availability through alternate sourcing, contingency planning, supplier engagement, and cross-functional responses to shortages, backorders, and supply delays.
• Supplier Qualification: Partners with Quality and Regulatory to qualify suppliers, materials, and alternate sources, coordinating required documentation, specifications, testing, and commercial readiness.
• Change Coordination: Coordinates supplier and material changes with Quality, R&D, Planning, Manufacturing, and Materials Management to address inventory, production, and new product launch impacts.

Team And Cross Functional Execution

• Team Leadership: Supervises, coaches, and develops procurement employees; sets performance expectations, provides regular feedback, and strengthens sourcing, negotiation, and analytical skills.
• Stakeholder Alignment: Works with Operations, Quality, Regulatory, R&D, Planning, and Finance to align sourcing priorities with production needs, business goals, supplier qualification, and product development timelines.
• Procurement Execution: Owns ERP purchasing workflows, procurement records, and order execution; monitors replenishment, safety stock, inventory aging, and working capital. Identifies automation opportunities, supports procurement technology implementation, and advances supplier diversity.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Expertise sourcing APIs, excipients, pharmaceutical packaging, components, and other direct materials, with the ability to support indirect materials and services used in production.
• Strong supplier evaluation, contract negotiation, cost analysis, inventory planning, alternate sourcing, and supply continuity capabilities.
• Proficiency with ERP purchasing workflows, Excel, Power BI, and validated AI-supported analytics for forecasting, spend visibility, reporting, and operational decisions.
• Knowledge of 503A/503B operations, supplier qualification, change control, cGMP principles, and applicable FDA requirements, including 21 CFR Parts 210 and 211; ability to coach staff and work across functions.
• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Finance, Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Engineering, or a related field; equivalent combinations of relevant education and practical experience considered.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, category management, or supply chain operations.
• Experience evaluating suppliers, negotiating contract terms, managing purchasing activities, and using operational and financial data to guide sourcing decisions.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience supervising or leading employees, setting performance expectations, providing coaching, and addressing operational challenge.
• Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) or Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) certification preferred.
• Experience sourcing pharmaceutical APIs, excipients, packaging, or other regulated materials strongly preferred.
• Experience in 503A, 503B, pharmaceutical manufacturing, or a similarly regulated environment strongly preferred.

KEY COMPETENCIES:

• Customer Focus: Builds trust through customer-centric solutions.
• Strategic AI: Guides responsible AI adoption and adaptation.
• Optimizes Work Processes: Drives efficiency with continuous improvement.
• Collaborates: Partners effectively to achieve shared goals.
• Resourcefulness: Secures and deploys resources efficiently.
• Manages Complexity: Simplifies and solves complex challenges.
• Ensures Accountability: Delivers on commitments with integrity.
• Situational Adaptability: Adjusts approach to shifting conditions.
• Communicates Effectively: Tailors messages to diverse audiences.

VALUES:

• People: Empowering people defines who we are.
• Quality: Excellence in every product, every time.
• Service: Serving others is our highest purpose.
• Innovation: Advancing care through technology and discovery.

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS, HEALTH AND WELLNESS:

We offer comprehensive benefits to support your health, well-being, and future, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, 401(k) matching, wellness perks, IV therapy, and compounded medications. Learn more: https://careers.empowerpharmacy.com/benefits/

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

While performing the responsibilities of the job, the employee is required to talk and hear. The employee is often required to remain in a stationary position for a significant amount of the workday and frequently use their hands and fingers to handle or feel in order to access, input, and retrieve information from the computer and other office productivity devices. Employees are regularly required to move about the office and around the corporate campus. The employee is regularly required to stand, walk, reach with arms and hands, climb or balance, and to stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl.