Fractional Supply Chain and Operations Leadership

A specialty pharmaceutical manufacturer was preparing for the commercial launch of a critical product. With a lean internal structure, they needed an experienced leader to manage commercial supply chain operations, control costs, and ensure production readiness, all while navigating highly variable demand during the first years in market.

I was engaged as a fractional supply chain and operations leader, reporting directly to the President/General Manager, embedding within the organization to manage the full post-commercialization supply chain and serve as the operational bridge across vendors, partners, and internal functions.

Key responsibilities included:

Managing purchase orders, supplier relationships, and inbound material flow

Acting as day-to-day liaison with the 3PL for warehousing and fulfillment

Collaborating closely with the CMO to align production plans with forecasted needs

Tracking planned vs. actual costs and identifying areas for savings

Building Excel-based models for forecasting, inventory visibility, and cost tracking

Supporting finance, quality, and leadership with real-time operational insights

Delivered comprehensive support across all post-launch operational pillars:

Production Planning & CMO Coordination: Partnered with CMO teams to ensure production schedules matched commercial demand and replenishment timelines

Vendor & Inventory Management: Maintained stable supply of raw materials and components through proactive procurement

3PL & Logistics Oversight: Managed day-to-day distribution operations and issue resolution with external partners

Cost Management & Forecasting: Built tools to track actuals vs. budget and informed decisions to reduce costs

Scalability & Agility: Designed processes that could flex as demand accelerated

Maintained uninterrupted commercial supply despite lack of initial demand visibility

Supported nearly 2X growth in Year 2 without any major disruptions

Delivered measurable cost savings through proactive sourcing and logistics optimization

Ensured full alignment with CMO production timelines, preventing stockouts and delays

Developed scalable systems and dashboards to support long-term commercial success

Enabled lean operations without adding full-time internal supply chain headcount