Career Opportunities

Job Type: Regular

Time Type: Full time

Work Shift: Day (United States of America)

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

When you join the growing BILH team, you're not just taking a job, you’re making a difference in people’s lives.

Job Summary: Coordinates the departmental activities of purchasing pharmaceuticals and departmental supplies. Responsible for procuring all pharmaceuticals used within the medical center and associated clinics, as necessary. Involved with the daily operations in the inventory area and monthly accounting procedures. Responsible for a high degree of accuracy, judgement, and planning.

Job Description:

Pharmacy Buyer

Essential Responsibilities:

1. Demonstrates competency in placing daily orders for pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical supplies for the respective campus of the medical center and any associated clinics. Places order using electronic order entry and works with manager to ensure that appropriate stock levels are set.

2. Places orders with wholesalers, manufacturers directly or other vendors (e.g.503B suppliers) as necessary to meet the needs of the organization.

3. Procures all controlled substances for the Department of Pharmacy while adhering to all the regulations of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Purchases and maintains an inventory of all supplies used within the Department of Pharmacy. Assists with coordinating the pharmacy physical inventories. Participates in inventories as necessary.

4. Maintains records of items shared between campuses. Maintains all record keeping for items loaned to and borrowed from other institutions and follows up on returns. Reconciles accounts among all institutions on a regular basis, as established by manager.

5. Ensures that documents relating to purchasing, receiving, and inventory activity are accurate, and that data entered into the computer system is timely, complete, and accurate.

6. Works with vendors for returns and exchanges due to discrepancies. Maintains records of pharmaceuticals that need to be returned to the wholesaler or to the manufacturer. Involved in the daily monitoring of drug shortages and recalls. Solves multiple problems originating with the purchasing, receiving and inventory control functions. Resolves outstanding accounts payable invoices.

7. Processes, procures, and distributes pharmaceuticals to hospital-based clinics both on-site and off-site in an accurate and timely manner based on submitted requisitions.

8. Provides pertinent data for new items and price changes to the Pharmacy Informatics Team for updating the various pharmacy databases.

Required Qualifications: High School diploma or GED required. Bachelor's degree preferred. Certificate 1 Certfied Pharmacy Technician preferred. 1-3 years related work experience required. Must be aware of and be able to apply good business practices and generally accepted accounting principles. Experience with computer systems required, including web based applications and some Microsoft Office applications which may include Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Access. Preferred Qualifications: Previous pharmacy purchasing experience in a large academic teaching hospital preferred.

Competencies: Decision Making: Ability to make decisions that are guided by general instructions and practices requiring some interpretation. May make recommendations for solving problems of moderate complexity and importance. Problem Solving: Ability to address problems that are varied, requiring analysis or interpretation of the situation using direct observation, knowledge and skills based on general precedents.

Independence of Action: Ability to follow precedents and procedures. May set priorities and organize work within general guidelines. Seeks assistance when confronted with difficult and/or unpredictable situations. Work progress is monitored by supervisor/manager.

Written Communications: Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in written English with internal and external customers. Oral Communications: Ability to comprehend and converse in English to communicate effectively with medical center staff, patients, families and external customers.

Knowledge: Ability to demonstrate full working knowledge of standard concepts, practices, procedures and policies with the ability to use them in varied situations.

Team Work: Ability to work collaboratively in small teams to improve the operations of immediate work group by offering ideas, identifying issues, and respecting team members.

Customer Service: Ability to provide a high level of customer service to patients, visitors, staff and external customers in a professional, service-oriented, respectful manner using skills in active listening and problem solving. Ability to remain calm in stressful situations.

Physical Nature of the Job: Light work: Exerting up to 20 pounds of force frequently to move objects. Some elements of the job are sedentary, but the employee will be required to stand for periods of time or move through out the hospital campus

As a health care organization, we have a responsibility to do everything in our power to care for and protect our patients, our colleagues and our communities. Beth Israel Lahey Health requires that all staff be vaccinated against influenza (flu) and COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Learn more about this requirement.

More than 35,000 people working together. Nurses, doctors, technicians, therapists, researchers, teachers and more, making a difference in patients' lives. Your skill and compassion can make us even stronger.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled