Senior Buyer

Job Summary

The senior buyer will act as an agent for the health district committing it to capital, goods and services. Will also be responsible for interfacing with hospital leadership on supply chain issues. The Senior Buyer will analyze purchase history and cost trends to recommend and negotiate new contracts that reduce overall supply chain expense. Will oversee the duties of buyers as assigned by the Purchasing Manager.

Minimum Qualifications

Minimum Education: High School Diploma or Equivalent
Minimum Years of Experience: 2 Years of healthcare experience;
3 Years of experience in healthcare purchasing.
Substitutable Education & Experience: None.
Required Certifications/Licensure: Certification in Purchasing through AHRMM and maintains active certification
Required Training: Knowledge of a hospital environment essential to implementing cost reduction initiatives;
Demonstrates portfolio of significant healthcare product/category cost savings that have been successfully implemented.

Essential Functions

• Ability to evaluate requisitions and department requests using judgment and prudent purchasing concepts to procure supplies for using departments in a timely basis.
• Evaluate purchase history and cost variances to understand changes in usage history or technology to explain variances in departmental supply expenses.
• Utilizes data to develop contracts or utilize group-purchasing agreements.
• Solicits vendor community for capital equipment working in concert with Information Services, Biomedical, Engineering, and requesting departments to meet health district needs.
• Communicates within the health district and vendor community in a timely and professional manner exhibiting the values of the health district in all they do.
• Maintains electronic catalogs, price lists, and product literature to assist using departments in making supply decisions.
• Handles returns from user departments and/or employees on a timely basis.
• Meets with sales representatives to discuss purchasing policies and/or to discuss new products and contract development.
• Reviews any invoice discrepancy from Accounting and makes determination on how to resolve discrepancy, i.e. vendor needs to credit amount or our price needs to be increased/decreased and why.
• Expedites orders that have not been filled by their expected delivery dates as necessary.
• Research contracts and warranties to determine who is responsible for repair or replacement of equipment, i.e. surgical instruments, copiers, major medical equipment.
• Protects the hospital against unnecessary billing, i.e. verifying freight charges, restocking fees, etc.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Authorizes purchase/replacement/repair of equipment. Investigates benefits of replacement costs vs. repair costs to hospital.
• Assists with the orientation of new employees to the policies, procedures, and systems of the Materials Management area.
• Provide PeopleSoft training to new requisitioners within the District.
• Assists with troubleshooting issues that may arise with the software system.  Helps with testing and validation on upgrades.
• Maintain Excel spreadsheet database on all Capital purchases.
• Annually identifies 2-4 or more product categories that offer significant cost reduction potential. Once approved, demonstrates success achieving estimated reductions/savings.
• Acts as buyer for the Warehouse, ensuring that LMC maintains on hand metrics in benchmark database.
• Liaison with Directors and V.P.’s on construction and renovation projects to ensure equipment needs are met. Attends Construction meetings.
• Liaison with practice managers of newly acquired practices. Ensures Materials Management needs are met.
• Maintain and update monthly dashboard for the purchasing area that demonstrates the quality, timeliness and cost effectiveness of the department.
• Monitors reports weekly on the timeliness and cost effectiveness of all Capital orders. Responsible for demonstrating the on going price/cost effectiveness of capital purchases.
  • Date received in purchasing
  • Date PO placed
  • Demonstration of the good purchasing oversight based on list price vs. price paid
• Performs all other duties as assigned.