Position Title: Business Operations & Portfolio Strategy Manager
Length of Contract: 1 year
Location: Irvine, CA (Hybrid; 3 days onsite required – Tue/Wed/Thu)
Purpose
The Manager, RDAA Business Excellence Strategy and Operations supports centralized operational functions for RDAA, with a primary focus on procure to pay (PTP) service contracting and operational excellence.
This role is responsible for driving efficiency, issue resolution, and continuous improvement across R&D business processes, including procurement execution, invoice resolution, vendor initiation, and operational analytics. The role works closely with internal business partners and enabling functions (e.g., Finance, Procurement, AP) to ensure timely execution, transparency, and sustained process improvements.
The ideal candidate brings a hands on, problem solving mindset, strong analytical capabilities, and experience leveraging data, systems, and emerging tools (including AI) to improve productivity and operational outcomes. Responsibilities may evolve over time based on business needs and the individual’s capabilities.
Key Responsibilities
Procure to Pay & CDSI Procurement Support
• Drive efficiency across end to end procure to pay processes, including service order creation, vendor qualification, and invoice resolution.
• Provide direct operational support to key stakeholders to ensure timely execution and resolution of procurement requests.
• Serve as a point of contact for PTP related operational challenges, triaging issues and coordinating resolution across Business Excellence and enabling partners.
• Interact with external vendors as needed to resolve procure to pay inquiries.
Operational Excellence & Process Improvement
• Identify inefficiencies and failure points in current procurement and operational workflows and propose fit for purpose process improvements.
• Support process mapping and root cause analysis efforts to reduce rework, delays, and escalations.
• Anticipate emerging issues and proactively develop preventative solutions in partnership with the RDAA Business Operations team.
• Support cross functional initiatives to streamline processes within RDAA and across supporting functions.
Metrics, Analytics & Insights
• Develop and maintain operational metrics, trackers, and dashboards to provide visibility into performance, trends, and risks.
• Extract, clean, and transform data from multiple systems (primarily Smartsheet, Excel, and related tools).
• Provide early escalation and insights to enable timely decision making and continuous improvement.
• Synthesize key learnings into clear slide based materials to support team problem solving and business case development.
Systems, Knowledge & Enablement
• Support development and sustainment of SharePoint based knowledge assets, including process guidance, templates, and reference materials.
• Contribute to building and improving the team’s new SharePoint site, ensuring content is clear, current, and usable.
• Leverage tools such as Smartsheet, Power BI, and other analytics platforms to improve operational efficiency and transparency.
• Apply AI enabled tools (where appropriate) to accelerate analysis, documentation, and operational productivity.
Special Projects (Capability Based)
• Support special projects aligned with individual background and strengths, which may include:
o Operational analytics and dashboarding
o Process digitization or automation
o AI enabled productivity and analysis use cases
• Scope and execute these initiatives in partnership with Business Operations leadership.
Qualifications
Required
• Bachelor’s degree required (advanced degree or certifications a plus).
• Minimum 8 years total experience; 6+ years business related experience.
• 3+ years in business operations, finance, accounting, or procurement.
• 4+ years experience in pharmaceutical, healthcare, or regulated industries preferred.
• Strong experience driving efficiency in purchasing, procurement, or financial processes, including SAP, vendor contracts, purchase orders, and invoice resolution.
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in a complex, matrixed environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; comfort working with director level stakeholders.
Preferred
• Experience with operational excellence frameworks, continuous improvement, and change management.
• Proficiency in Excel, Smartsheet, Power BI, and related analytics tools.
• Experience developing business cases using qualitative and quantitative data.
• Familiarity with pharmaceutical regulations (FDA, EU).
• Lean / Six Sigma experience a plus.
• Experience applying AI tools to improve business or operational workflows.
Work Environment
• Team based environment; onsite office setting.
• Standard business hours with 3 days onsite per week (Tuesday–Thursday).
Applicant Notices & Disclaimers
- For information on benefits, equal opportunity employment, and location-specific applicant notices, click here
At SPECTRAFORCE, we are committed to maintaining a workplace that ensures fair compensation and wage transparency in adherence with all applicable state and local laws.
