Purchasing Agent (26313)

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.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

To perform this job successfully, each essential duty (as identified above) must be performed satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

SUPERVISORY KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES

1. Ability to negotiate effectively to obtain most cost-effective prices.
2. Ability to maintain quality of products and services as well as foster good relationship with vendors and suppliers of both goods and services.
3. Ability to understand legal nuances of contracts and their implication to the organization.  Ability to reduce risk to the organization while ensuring adequate source and inventory of critical supplies.
4. Ability to identify needed changes in procedures, practices, goals, direction, or structure of the department and/or organization, and to promote and implement these changes effectively in a timely manner.
5. Ability to ensure that departmental budgets are followed and objectives are met by establishing a process to effectively monitor resources and progress.
6. Ability to work with others to achieve departmental and/or organizational goals and objectives.
7. Demonstrates a positive attitude towards one’s work or job.
8. Ability to act honestly and with integrity, showing respect for laws, the rights of others, and LifeStream’s mission and value statements.
9. Ability to adapt to various situations, to work effectively with a variety of individuals and groups, to understand and appreciate different and opposing perspectives of an issue, and to adapt one’s approach as the requirements of the situation change.
10. Ability to change within the company/organization or to change job requirements.
11. Evaluates in advance the impact of words or actions and selects the approach most likely to have the desired effect on the individual or group in question.
12. Carefully times actions to increase effectiveness and asks questions to make sure others understand.
13. Shows confidence in one’s own capability to accomplish a task and select an effective approach to a task problem, willingness to exercise and trust one’s own independent judgment.
14. Ability to transfer thoughts, ideas, and concepts into writing.
15. Retains subject matter expertise in their field or profession.

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES

1. Knowledge of purchasing practices and law, inventory control/principles, manual and computer MRP systems.
2. Excellent negotiation skills.
3. Consistent display of integrity, objectivity and confidentiality.
4. Ability to interpret contracts.
5. Ability to effectively develop and exercise sound internal control procedures.
6. Administration and organization skills.
7. Accuracy and fiscal management skills.
8. Excellent attention to detail.
9. Excellent analytical skills.
10. Good communication skills, verbal and written.
11. Knowledge of computer based accounting systems and general PC experience.
12. Problem solving abilities.
13. Good judgment and intuitive skills.

EDUCATION

Two-year degree or equivalent required. Bachelor’s degree is preferred.

 EXPERIENCE

Two to Four years’ experience in Purchasing field working with vendors and suppliers is required. Experience with purchasing practices, inventory control and computer MRP systems is a must. Contract/negotiation experience is highly preferred.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, ETC.

Valid Driver’s License.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Refer to ADA checklist attached for physical demands.

LifeStream is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

LifeStream will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.

All applicants who receive a conditional offer of employment will be required to undergo a pre-employment drug test in accordance with LifeStream’s established guidelines.

EEO is the Law.  For more EEO information about applicant rights click here.

Our organization participates in E-Verify, for more information click here.

If you need accommodation for any part of the employment process because of a medical condition or disability, please send an e-mail to Accomodations@Lstream.org or call 909-386-6875 to let us know the nature of your request. A representative will respond to accommodation requests within two business days.  Please note that this email/phone number is for medical/disability accommodations only and any other inquiries will not receive a response.

 EEO is the Law.  For more EEO information about applicant rights click here.

Our organization participates in E-Verify, for more information click here.