Purchasing Agent (26313) - Full-time

POSITION SUMMARY

The Purchasing Agent is responsible for sourcing, negotiating, and procuring goods and services needed to support the organization’s operations. This role ensures materials are purchased at the best possible value while maintaining quality, compliance, and timely delivery of purchased goods and services.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following.  Other duties may be assigned.

1. Evaluates sources, product quality and pricing opportunities for departmental purchase requests; determines the most cost-effective procurement strategy and communicates orders to vendors.
2. Issues purchase orders, process requisitions, and track order status through completion.
3. Takes advantage of Group Purchasing organizations prices, contracts, volume-based rebates to ensure lowest prices and high quality for goods and services.
4. Establishes and maintains relationships with approved vendors, negotiating favorable terms, pricing and contracts.
5. Monitors vendor performance and resolves issues related to pricing, quality, or delivery.
6. Collaborates with Quality Assurance to verify supplier qualifications and compliance documentation.
7. Maintains adequate stocking levels and safety stock on key items.
8. Coordinates with Operations, Components Lab, Reference Lab and Donor Services to ensure uninterrupted availability of critical supplies (e.g. blood bags, reagents, PPE and donor incentives).
9. Maintains and updates SOPs related to purchasing.  Assists in communicating policies and procedures related to purchasing to all employees.  Builds strong working relationships with all departments’ personnel.
10. Assists in cost analysis and recommend process improvements to enhance efficiency and savings.
11. Provides purchasing reports, spend analysis, and variance analysis explanations to Accounting Department.
12. Assists with audits, inspections, and compliance reporting related to purchasing and supply chain.
13. Ensures all purchases meet FDA, AABB and other regulatory requirements for blood bank operations.
14. Coordinates with warehouse personnel for inventory control.
15. Performs other duties as required.

CUSTOMER INTERACTION/PROBLEM-SOLVING

Work involves regular contact with both internal and external customers. Must maintain a high standard for conscientious, courteous, and enthusiastic service to all customers, and the public in general.  Must make customer’s needs a high priority in face-to-face or telephone contact.  This includes working with all departments and with all levels of management to research products and services and place orders as necessary.  Must consistently deliver this service in a timely, accurate, professional, and friendly manner.  Demonstrates a high level of problem-solving skills.

COMPLEXITY

Work includes varied duties requiring numerous unrelated processes and methods or substantial depth of analysis in an administrative or professional field.  There are areas of uncertainty in approach, methodology, or interpretation and evaluation processes caused by continuing changes, technological developments, conflicting requirements, or unknown phenomena.  Work requires the origination of new techniques, establishing criteria, or developing new information.  Occasionally, extensive analysis and probing are required to determine the nature and scope of problems, with concurrent or sequential activities involving others within or outside the organization.

NATURE AND EXTENT OF SUPERVISION PROVIDED TO THE POSITION

Overall objectives and resource allocations are determined by the supervisor, providing broad administrative direction, with assignments given in terms of broadly defined missions or functions.  Employee plans, designs and carries out programs, projects, studies, or other work independently.  Results are considered technically sound by virtue of the employee’s expertise, and are generally accepted with review only for conformity to objectives, contribution to program goals, or advancement of technological understanding.