Procurement Coordinator in Cramlington

Position: Procurement Buyer (Indirect)

Location: Cramlington

Pharmaron is a global CRO helping pharma and biotech companies bring new therapies to life. With over 25,000 employees worldwide across 23 locations in the US, UK and China, we support drug discovery through to manufacturing with fully integrated, high-quality services. We're proud of the impact we make and just last year, we supported over 780 discovery projects, 1,000+ CMC programmes, and 1,000+ clinical trials across all phases.

About the Role

Pharmaron is looking for a proactive and commercially driven Procurement Buyer (Indirect) to join our team in Cramlington. In this role, you'll take ownership of sourcing and purchasing indirect goods and services that are critical to keeping our site running efficiently. From managing service and maintenance agreements to supporting Capex procurement, you'll play a key role in ensuring value, reliability, and performance across our supplier base. You'll be involved across the full procurement lifecycle - from running RFQs and identifying the right suppliers, through to negotiating contracts, monitoring supplier performance, and driving continuous improvement in how we work. This is a hands-on role where you'll partner closely with stakeholders across the business, influence decisions, and bring a commercial mindset to everything you do. If you enjoy negotiating, building strong relationships, and finding smarter ways to deliver value, this is a great opportunity to make a real impact.

Key roles and responsibilities

• Source, negotiate, and purchase a wide range of indirect goods and services.
• Review, manage, and renew annual service and maintenance contracts.
• Lead contract negotiations, ensuring optimal commercial terms, service levels, and supplier value.
• Draft, review, and maintain purchasing contracts in line with legal and corporate requirements.
• Manage supplier onboarding, qualification, and ongoing performance monitoring.
• Conduct market research to identify suitable suppliers and cost-saving opportunities.
• Run the full RFQ process-including bid creation, distribution, evaluation, and final selection.
• Oversee the full procurement cycle from requisition through PO creation, delivery tracking, and invoice accuracy.
• Build and maintain strong supplier relationships to support service continuity and performance.
• Monitor supplier KPIs, address performance issues, and implement corrective actions.
• Support capital project procurement and negotiations.
• Maintain accurate procurement records, price lists, reports, and audit documentation.
• Ensure compliance with procurement policies, contract law, governance requirements, and sustainability objectives.
• Identify opportunities to reduce cost, improve efficiency, and enhance supplier performance.
• Support budget preparation and expenditure plans for site contracts.

Candidate Profile

Essential

• Strong negotiation skills with proven experience in contract negotiation.
• Proven experience working in procurement.
• Understanding of contract law.
• Experience managing suppliers, evaluations, and ongoing performance monitoring.
• Familiarity with SAP or other ERP procurement systems.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Experience with cost control, budgeting, and monitoring expenditure.
• Proficiency in Excel and procurement reporting tools.
• Strong time management with the ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

Desirable

• CIPS Level 4 qualification (CPP or CSCP also considered as desirable).
• Knowledge of inventory management, KPIs, and supply chain principles.
• Experience in a cGMP or regulated environment.