Head of API Procurement
Esson Pharma · Mumbai · onsite · Posted 1d ago
About a minute. You'll make an account on the way through.
About this role
About Esson Group
Esson Group is an international pharmaceutical group that sources and supplies active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and intermediates to drug manufacturers. We are headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Moscow and Hangzhou and our own R&D centre in Hyderabad.
Sourcing is the core of our business. Our sales teams win deals only when procurement gives them a fast, competitive and reliable offer.
Where we are heading: from distribution to our own products exclusive partnerships with plants, manufacturing at partner GMP sites under our own name, and in-house synthesis technology. Our ambition is to become one of the top 10 global API platforms by 2030.
We are a team of about 25 people across three countries. Leadership is close, decisions are fast, and your results show directly in the company's numbers.
About the role
We are looking for a leader who will turn our API procurement in India and China into one system — with clear standards, response times and results — and grow the team that delivers it. You will report to the CEO.
What you will do
Lead the function and deliver results:
- Own API procurement results for the group; monitor and achieve the function's KPIs: response time, share of requests answered with a complete offer, share of winning prices, number of manufacturers checked per request, sample rejection rate, and no surprises after order confirmation
- Make sure the team meets the agreed SLAs (response times) on every request
- Lead the buying team in Mumbai; set sourcing standards for the Hangzhou office together with its head
- Prioritise and distribute requests from sales teams in Moscow and Hangzhou; decide between Indian and Chinese sources in the group's interest
- Train and develop the team: negotiation coaching, regular case reviews, joint calls with suppliers, individual development plans
Develop and optimise the processes needed to reach these results:
- Set procurement standards: how many manufacturers to check, what to ask on every call, what to record in the CRM, which documents to verify before an offer goes to sales
- Work with sales on target prices using market data, import-export statistics and the theoretical cost of an API based on its intermediates
- Define what we share with suppliers about clients and volumes
- Keep one supplier database with a reliability rating; organise quality checks for new suppliers and first shipments together with QC and regulatory
- Regularly review where requests get stuck and remove the bottlenecks
Negotiate:
- Personally lead key negotiations with manufacturers and traders: price, availability, production slots, price validity, payment terms
- Find a route when there is no obvious one: production schedules, alternative manufacturers, traders, supplying intermediates to the manufacturer
Grow the portfolio:
- Proactively find new manufacturers and promising molecules for our markets
- Represent the company at industry exhibitions such as CPHI
What we are looking for
- 10+ years in API procurement or sourcing at a pharmaceutical manufacturer, trader or distributor, including 3+ years leading a team
- A strong network among Indian API manufacturers and experience sourcing from China
- Proven negotiation results: you can show cases where you got a better price or terms than the market
- Experience managing a team against KPIs and SLAs
- Solid knowledge of API documentation: DMF (open and closed parts), CEP, CoA, specifications, pharmacopoeias, GMP
- Understanding of API cost structure and intermediates
- Experience building processes: SOPs, KPIs, CRM
- Working knowledge of export logistics and Incoterms
- Fluent English and Hindi
- Readiness to travel within India and to China
Nice to have:
- Experience supplying regulated and semi-regulated export markets (Russia and CIS, Southeast Asia, Africa)
- Contacts in Chinese API and intermediates manufacturing
What we offer
- A leadership role reporting directly to the CEO, with real influence on how the function is built
- Base salary plus a performance bonus linked to procurement results [scheme to be confirmed]
- An international team: colleagues in Moscow and Hangzhou, English every day
- Growth together with the group as it moves into its own products
Hiring process
- Screening call with HR
- Interview with the CEO, including a practical case
- In-person meeting at our Mumbai office
Sourced from naukri