Assistant Procurement Manager

About us

Novugen is a wholly owned subsidiary company of a UAE based group, SciTech International. With over 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry, the company is equipped with vast and successful experience of venturing into strategic healthcare businesses and development of world-class healthcare facilities around the globe. Novugen’s passion for science and bold global strategy prepared us to respond to challenges of bringing hard-to-source and technology-intensive pharmaceutical products to the market.

Novugen specializes in niche and difficult to formulate generics for all therapeutic areas of pharmaceutical and oncology drug products while meeting stringent global quality standards. With vertical integration from Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) to Finished Products R&D and manufacturing based in Malaysia, it gives us greater control over the supply chain. Our pharmaceutical and oncology manufacturing facilities in Bandar Enstek, Negeri Sembilan are the first in Malaysia and the only in Southeast Asia with approval from USFDA.

The people behind Novugen are professionals coming from diverse backgrounds and nationalities from all over the world, working together to achieve one common goal. We are committed to ensuring early access to high-quality products that lack robust generic alternatives due to their complexity. Our vision is to be the largest and fastest growing pharmaceutical company in Southeast Asia by 2025, competing in global markets.

About the role

The Assistant Manager, Procurement is responsible in managing and optimizing Novugen procurement and supply chain processes, ensuring timely and cost-effective sourcing and purchasing of materials, equipment, and services critical to Novugen’s operating markets. The incumbent will be well verse in areas of pharmaceutical procurement and supply chain deliverables.

Key Responsibilities

• Liaise with end user to ensure Purchase Requisition (PR) meets order specification and budget. Negotiate pricing and payment terms, order placement and delivery monitoring
• To raise Request for Quote (RFQ) to suppliers and analyse their proposals
• Raise Purchase Order (PO) with accurate information and track order acknowledgment
• Obtain PO request approval and ensure approval by the correct authorizers in accordance to Level of Authority (LOA) matrix
• Notify receiving party on incoming and outgoing shipments
• To coordinate port clearance with appointed forwarding agents
• Ensure timely and accurate purchasing, order processing and delivery of goods and services. Perform goods received from suppliers in good order and conditions
• Update transactions in the system and generate monthly reports for management review
• Build and maintain rapport with key suppliers, negotiating favourable terms, pricing, and contracts. Evaluate supplier performance, ensuring quality, reliability, and compliance with industry regulations. Work with finance and legal departments to ensure master agreements with suppliers are intact
• Maintain and upkeep vendor and price lists, RFQ to PO status tracking/dashboards
• Feedback and follow up on specification issues, inventory deficit, any discrepancies and claims (quality, quantity, warranty). Coordinate meetings between suppliers and end users based on business case
• Collaborate cross-functionally with production, quality, and logistics teams to ensure seamless supply chain. Identify potential risks and implement mitigation strategies
• Continuously review procurement SOPs, workflows and as part of process improvement. Implement best practices and SOPs to streamline procurement operations
• Review and analyse purchases up to landed costs. Contribute input towards procurement budgets and forecasts. Monitor expenses against budgets and take proactive measures to manage variances.
• Monitor market trends and leverage market intelligence to achieve cost efficiencies

About you

• Bachelor’s Degree or Diploma in Supply Chain Management, Mechanical Engineering or equivalent.
• Minimum 5 years' experience in Pharmaceutical, FMCG, or Healthcare industries specifically in purchasing.
• Possess Professional certifications such as Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) or Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) will be an added advantage.
• Proficient in using systems / software / tools relevant to supply chain management, pharmaceutical or healthcare industry etc.
• Strong intrapreneurial skills, versatile and resilient, ability to stay positive in high-pressure and ambiguous environments and work towards delivering results.