Pharmacy Buyer

Number of Job Openings Available:

1

Date Posted:

June 12, 2024

Department:

38017800 Mercy Pharmacy

Shift:

Day (United States of America)

Shift Length:

8 hour shift

Hours Per Week:

40

Union Contract:

Non-Union

Weekend Rotation:

None

Job Summary:

Responsible for the procurement, distribution, and inventory management of pharmaceuticals and pharmacy supplies to meet budgeting requirements and departmental standards for quality and efficacy. Manages relationship with suppliers, vendors, and internal customers to ensure adequate stock is kept. Audits and escalates issue regarding shortage, backorders, and necessary replacements.

Key Position Details:

• Full-time, day shift position with no scheduled weekends.

• Benefit-eligible position.

Job Description:

Principle Responsibilities

• Sourcing of pharmaceuticals & supplies.

• Develops expert-level understanding of pharmaceuticals /supplies, sources, supplier performance, potential lead times or shipping disruptions.

• Oversees purchasing to maintain adequate stock levels while minimizing inventory.

• Educates requisitioners to maximize use of formulary items

• Provides product knowledge/expertise to support resolution of backorder situations and optimal substitute product and vendor source.

• Communicates to customers drug shortage information and when available alternative products

• Order placement, confirmation, and expediting.

• Placement and oversight of orders, including rush requisitions.

• Reviews all order confirmations, communicates any fulfillment issues to requisitioner, identifies and resolves pricing inconsistencies.

• Receives orders, verifies invoices, distributes order, and approves payment.

• Special orders, blanket or standing POs, and new vendor or customer set-up.

• Processes orders ensuring proper documentation to support Accounts Payable(AP) check requests.

• Identifies new orders that require credit application and/or unique order forms, submits required information and follows-up with AP to establish new vendor records.

• Supports customers' needs for unique product procurement.

• Set up new customer accounts and test order, delivery and invoice processes.

• Pharmaceutical wholesaler relationship management and supplier performance management.

• Review and analyze purchasing and expense data.

• Develop and maintain relationships with drug wholesaler.

• Train back up buyer and other staff on pharmaceutical wholesaler ordering systems.

• Identify supplier performance concerns and implement measures to address.

• Actively participate in multi-departments improvement / problem-solving initiatives when supplier performance jeopardizes patient care and/or site-based departmental operations.

• Contact supplier for documentation of order receipt, track-down internal routing discrepancies, or determine if loss should be taken and item reordered.

• Billing, price management, other invoice issues.

• Provide support and management for pharmaceutical and supplies costs, prices, billing and revenue.

• Address pricing and billing discrepancies when requested.

• Reconcile credit to returns, pricing errors, product set-up problems and take corrective action.

• Review and analyze pharmaceutical and supplies purchasing and expense data reports.

• Summarize and escalate key issues with purchasing and expense data.

• Respond to requests for pharmaceutical and supplies purchasing and expense data for specific departments.

• Pharmacy purchasing support.

• Manage narcotic inventory and DEA reporting, manage return/destruction of outdated/ drugs, recalls, product defect reporting, track and apply for failure to supply rebates, hazardous waste management, specialty product management.

• Process charges to outside of pharmacy departments or product redistributions with cost transfers to internal departments.

• Manage requests and needs for patient and employee safety.

• Respond, manage and provide analysis for regulatory and government requests.

• May prepare pharmacist and pharmacy technician schedules.

• May perform pharmacy technician duties.

• Other duties as assigned.

Job Requirements

• Must be 18 years of age with education and/or experience needed to meet required functional competencies as listed on the job description, and High school diploma or GED preferred

• Bachelor's degree in Pharmacy, Supply Chain, Business or other related field preferred

• 2 to 5 years of pharmaceutical or supply purchasing preferred

• Working knowledge of pharmacy wholesaler purchasing software systems required and

• Understanding of supply chain concepts and principles required

• Registered Pharmacy Technician

• MN Board of Pharmacy required upon hire

• Certified Pharmacy Technician

• Pharmacy Technician Certification Board required within 180 Days

Physical Demands

Light Work:

Lifting weight Up to 20 lbs. occasionally, Up to 10 lbs. frequently