Purchase Assistant

About the Role

Green Plus Pharmacy is looking for a Purchase Assistant to oversee timely procurement of medical and pharmacy essentials, optimizing costs while maintaining adequate inventory. This role involves liaising with suppliers, warehouse teams, and store managers to guarantee uninterrupted stock supply.

Key Duties

• Assess daily stock needs across branches.
• Create purchase orders aligned with minimum and maximum inventory thresholds.
• Ensure availability of fast-moving pharmaceutical items at all times.
• Avoid overstocking and unnecessary purchases.
• Monitor approaching expiry and stagnant inventory prior to placing new orders.
• Procure products from authorized suppliers and distributors.
• Maintain and negotiate with distributors and pharmaceutical companies for favorable pricing, schemes, and credit terms.
• Compare supplier quotations and assess supplier delivery and service performance.
• Follow up on pending orders to ensure prompt delivery.
• Coordinate receipt of goods with warehouse and stores, handling discrepancies like shortages, damaged goods, or billing errors.
• Analyze inventory aging and identify slow-moving items to coordinate returns with distributors.
• Generate weekly and monthly purchase reports.
• Keep accurate purchase documentation including invoices and verify supplier billing details, ensuring GST and batch data correctness.
• Maintain updated purchase logs using pharmacy software.
• Collaborate closely with branch managers, pharmacists, and accounting team regarding supplier payments or audits.

Candidate Profile and Skills

• Understands medicines and pharmaceutical product ranges.
• Exhibits strong communication and negotiation abilities.
• Demonstrates analytical thinking and numerical skills.
• Has basic proficiency in Excel and pharmacy management software (WonderSoft eShopAid preferred).
• Capable of working under pressure to meet deadlines.
• Excellent organizational and record-keeping skills.

Educational Requirements

Candidates should have a Bachelor’s degree. Prior experience in pharmacy purchasing is advantageous but fresh graduates with strong analytical capabilities are welcome to apply.

Performance Expectations

• Maintain product availability levels exceeding 98%.
• Minimize stock-outs and reduce non-moving inventory.
• Complete purchase orders promptly.
• Maximize company schemes and discount utilizations.
• Achieve cost savings through effective negotiation.
• Maintain accurate documentation with minimal errors.

Work Conditions and Traits

Working hours follow company policy. The ideal candidate is honest, detail-oriented, responsible, motivated, persistent in follow-up, and works well within a team while solving problems efficiently.