Purchasing Director jobs in Worcester, MA

Overview

Hours:  40 Hours, Days, Monday - Friday

Under direct supervision of the Materials Manager and acting in accordance with departmentpolicies, procedures, and guidelines the purchasing coordinator develops and continuously improves upon the process of purchasing goods for the healthcare system, both acute and non-acute. The purchasing coordinator’s primary focus is to procure the right product at the right price and continually works to do so in an efficient and customer service focused manner which ensures optimal patient centered care for Heywood Healthcare. The purchasing coordinator owns the operational functions and is responsible for the life cycle of procurement; from requisition to placing the purchase order with vendors. Additional responsibilities include item master management, supporting requests for proposals, basic resolution management with vendors and other ad hoc duties as assigned. The purchasing coordinator drives operational improvements and compliance with a focus on maximizing Heywood’s resources. The purchasing coordinator ensures all purchases are compliant with hospital specific group purchasing contracts (Vizient) and actively reviews purchases for proper pricing and works to rectify with vendors when necessary.

Responsibilities

Essential Functions

• Prepares and places purchase orders with suppliers. Tracks orders to ensure that they are received timely so as to avoid disruption of operations and patient care. Coordinates with suppliers to ensure timely and accurate delivery of ordered supplies/services, expediting and resolving related problems as necessary
• Responsible for the returns/credits process with suppliers as needed and coordination with Accounts Payable to ensure all credits are received timely.
• Coordinates with Accounts Payable, the Director of Supply Chain, and suppliers to resolve match-hold problems. Identifies systematic problems leading to recurring matchhold issues and proposes process improvements to reduce error and to achieve a more efficient result
• Works independently under limited supervision. Follows defined procedures. Makes decisions and solves problems to meet internal customer supply needs and resolve vendor problems
• Performs all functions according to established policies, procedures, regulatory and accreditation requirements, as well as applicable professional standards. Provides all customers of Heywood Healthcare with an excellent service experience by consistently demonstrating our core and leader behaviors each and every day.
• Identifies, researches, and resolves back-order discrepancies. Works proactively to avoid shortages by expediting orders or sourcing authorized alternative products to meet the organization’s needs.
• Participates in the development of goals and objectives as well as policies and procedures. Makes recommendations for changes and improvements to existing standards. Participates in the implementation of approved policies and procedures and monitors work activities and system performance/output to ensure compliance
• Maximizes the use of available contracts including the utilization of GPO contracts. Evaluates potential alternatives when available including use of generics, substitutes, or value-added services. Works proactively with appropriate Operations personnel on the acceptance and use of generics by explaining cost savings and industry acceptance of product.
• Communicates with all parties as to the status of products and services required for the organization to maintain an efficient and effective operation and to support and facilitate ongoing quality patient care.
• Collaborates with internal customers to understand operations and their needs. Together with Purchasing management, works to align supply chain support for those operations with the organization’s strategic direction to ensure maximization of efficiency and overall cost effectiveness
• Receives requests for specific products or services from within the organization and determines if the request is appropriate. Based on the needs assessed in collaboration with internal customers, identifies and researches prospective suppliers. Obtains price quotes for final products or services and initiates a purchase order
• Assists, as directed, in the training of new employees
• Contributes to the design, development, and maintenance of systems that help the department run efficiently. 
• Reflects a positive attitude in daily work. Is receptive, cooperative, committed and optimistic
• Maintains personnel growth and development.
• Coordinates special assigned projects as needed
• Responds cooperatively to staffing needs by demonstrating flexibility in work schedule or assignments
• Attends meetings as requested by leadership.
• Assists in extracting data, providing analysis, and preparing reports related to the Meditech purchasing system and various supplier systems including departmental usage information and overall buying trends.
• Serves as point of contact for ad hoc purchasing and usage data requests from other internal departments. Provides information and analysis that assists those departments in their functions/tasks
• Appropriately prioritizes tasks adjusting to changing workload as necessary (e.g. seeks assistance as needed from appropriate resources, recognizes emergency situations, etc.).
• Job performance reflects compliance with Heywood’s performance standards; telephone etiquette, providing directions and first impressions.

Statement of Other Duties:

This document describes the major duties and responsibilities for this job, and is not intended to be a complete list of all tasks and functions. It should be understood, therefore, that employees may be asked to perform job-related duties beyond those explicitly described.

Functional Demands 

Physical Requirements:Exerts 20 to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or 10 to 25 pounds of force frequently, and/or greater than negligible up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects. Frequently reaches (extending hands and arms in any direction), and handles (seizing, holding, grasping, turning or working with hands). Frequently stoops (bending the body downward and forward by bending the spine at the waist).

Qualifications

Minimum Education

• College degree preferred.  
• Three to five years experience in Purchasing Operations, preferably in a healthcare setting.

Minimum Work Experience

• Experience working with a computerized ERP system (Meditech, Cerner, McKesson, Epic,Lawson, Peoplesoft).
• Experience with group purchasing organizations (Vizient, Premier, HPG, Yankee Alliance,NPC) and consortiums preferred.

Required Skills

• Computer literacy required, with preference given to individuals with Microsoft Excel, Access, Outlook, and Word applications.
• Must possess excellent social skills for effective interpersonal interaction within Purchasing, with other departments within the organization, and with outside vendors.
• Proficiency and understanding of GPO contracts (Vizient, Premier, HPG, Yankee Alliance, NPC) and importance of managing to budget.
• Knowledge of competitive bidding statutes, purchasing procedures and best industry practices
• Ability to develop spreadsheets, including utilization of formulas and functions, retrieve data from relational databases, and prepare word processing documents
• Strong organizational abilities including a penchant for documentation.
• Self-starter capable of working productively with minimum supervision
• Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills in order to communicate clearly and effectively to all levels of staff and the public
• Excellent keyboard and ten-key skills
• Ability to perform accurate data entry.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Excellent customer service skills.
• Excellent interpersonal & problem solving skills. 
• Ability to sit for extended periods of time at a computer workstation.
• Ability to engage others, listen and adapt response to meet others’ needs.
• Ability to work in a team environment including aligning own actions with those of other team members committed to common goals.
• Ability to manage competing priorities. 
• Ability to perform job duties in a professional manner at all times
• Ability to understand, recall, and communicate, factual information
• Ability to understand, recall, and apply oral and/or written instructions or other information.
• Ability to organize thoughts and ideas into understandable terminology.
• Ability to apply common sense in performing job.
• Ability to research and resolve problems.