Head of Procurement

Benchling

. Lead vendor negotiations and renewals for major strategic agreements, including cloud infrastructure and enterprise SaaS providers .

Posted 10/12/2026full-timeSan Francisco • California • United StatesLead💰 $187,425 - $253,575 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates extensive expertise in procurement and strategic sourcing, with a focus on vendor management, negotiation, and risk assessment. Proven ability to drive measurable savings and implement leading-edge procurement processes using AI and automation.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Procurement ManagementVendor NegotiationStrategic SourcingThird-Party Risk ManagementData-Driven Analysis

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Vendor ManagementNegotiationProcurement Process DesignUsage MonitoringCost AnalysisAI ImplementationAutomationCloud Infrastructure CommitmentsEnterprise SaaS AgreementsProcess Redesign

Soft Skills

Influencing Without AuthorityCollaborationExecutive-Level CommunicationTrusted Business Partner Approach

Tools & Technologies

ZipNavanNetSuite

Certifications & Qualifications

CPSMCIPS

Industry Keywords

SaaSLife SciencesBiotechVendor RiskStakeholder Management

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Cloud

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead vendor negotiations and renewals for major strategic agreements, including cloud infrastructure and enterprise SaaS providers
Structure usage-based and committed-spend pricing, multi-year terms, price protections, exit rights, and data portability rights
Improve renewal management with business owners and Strategic Finance
Develop category strategies for major spend areas
Consolidate vendors and reduce redundant software spend
Partner with business teams on usage monitoring and build-versus-buy decisions
Design and implement a third-party vendor risk program with Security and other stakeholders
Improve vendor risk visibility and develop mitigation plans
Equip business owners to negotiate independently
Advise on procurement-adjacent categories including benefits, large events, real estate, and contingent workforce vendors
Set direction for leading-edge procurement processes and evolve existing processes with stakeholder teams
Own procurement and travel-and-expense policies
Define rules for procurement involvement and assess procurement tools
Apply AI and automation from intake through reporting
Provide procurement metrics that teams can use independently
Collaborate with Engineering, IT, Security, Marketing, Legal, Strategic Finance, Corporate Development, and Accounting
Report to the Chief Accounting Officer as a senior individual contributor

Requirements

What you’ll need

10+ years in procurement, strategic sourcing, or vendor management
Most experience at technology or SaaS companies
Track record of substantial, measurable savings from complex, high-stakes negotiations
Experience with large cloud infrastructure commitments and multi-year enterprise SaaS agreements
Experience driving cross-functional vendor and tool consolidation
Trusted business-partner approach balancing commercial results, stakeholder needs, and long-term vendor relationships
Leading-practice procurement process design experience
Demonstrated results from process redesign and simplification using AI and automation
Excellent executive-level written, verbal, and presentation skills
Data-driven analysis using usage, benchmark, and total-cost data
Ability to influence decisions without authority
Experience designing third-party risk processes with Security, Legal, and Compliance partners
Familiarity with Zip, Navan, NetSuite, or similar platforms
Comfort working independently across strategy and execution
Procurement certification such as CPSM or CIPS is differentiating
Life sciences or biotech experience is nice to have

Benefits

Comp & perks

Equity
Health insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
401(k) with employer match
Wellness benefits
Commuter benefits
Flexible hybrid work arrangement
In-office collaboration
Global applicant privacy policy