Manager, Purchasing

POSITION SUMMARY

The Purchasing Manager is responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing an organization-wide purchasing program. This position will streamline purchasing activities, control costs, reduce financial waste, maintain appropriate inventory levels, and ensure that all goods and services are purchased through consistent and accountable processes. The Purchasing Manager will work closely with department leaders, Finance, Facilities, and other stakeholders to identify organizational needs, improve vendor relationships, negotiate favorable terms, and ensure purchases support operational and budgetary goals.

KC CARE CULTURE CODE

KC CARE follows a culture code in all we do. Our code determines how we work, treat each other, and move health equity forward. As an employee of KC CARE, you will:

• Put patients first, always

• Treat all people with dignity, respect, and kindness

• Create safe places for others to share their voice; encourage creativity

• Always strive for improvement; keep learning

• Own your work, action, and mistakes – no one is perfect

• Have fun – work should be fun and we want you to have fun at KC CARE

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Purchasing Operations

• Develop, implement, and maintain a standardized purchasing process for all departments.

• Manage the purchasing cycle from initial request and approval through ordering, receiving, invoice reconciliation, and payment.

• Review purchase requests for accuracy, necessity, budget availability, and compliance with organizational policies.

• Establish purchasing approval levels, documentation requirements, and escalation procedures.

• Coordinate routine, urgent, and large-scale purchases while minimizing operational disruptions.

• Identify opportunities to consolidate purchases and reduce unnecessary or duplicate spending.

Vendor and Contract Management

• Identify, evaluate, and maintain relationships with qualified vendors.

• Solicit and compare quotes, proposals, pricing, warranties, and service terms.

• Negotiate favorable pricing, payment terms, delivery schedules, and service agreements.

• Develop and maintain an approved or preferred-vendor list.

• Monitor vendor performance, including pricing, quality, responsiveness, and delivery reliability.

• Partner with leadership and appropriate departments to support contract review and renewal decisions.

• Address vendor disputes, incorrect shipments, damaged goods, returns, and service concerns.

Inventory Management

• Develop and oversee an organization-wide inventory management program.

• Establish consistent procedures for receiving, labeling, storing, issuing, transferring, and disposing of inventory.

• Maintain accurate records of supplies, equipment, and other designated organizational assets.

• Establish minimum and maximum stock levels, reorder points, and replenishment schedules.

• Coordinate regular physical inventory counts and reconcile discrepancies.

• Identify excess, obsolete, expired, or underused inventory and recommend appropriate action.

• Monitor usage trends to prevent shortages, overstocking, and avoidable waste.

Financial Oversight and Reporting

• Monitor purchasing activity to ensure compliance with approved budgets.

• Analyze organizational spending and identify savings opportunities.

• Track cost reductions, avoided costs, vendor performance, inventory accuracy, and purchasing-processing times.

• Prepare regular purchasing and inventory reports for leadership.

• Partner with Finance to resolve purchase-order, invoice, receiving, and payment discrepancies.

• Support annual budgeting and purchasing forecasts by providing spending and usage data.

• Maintain complete and accurate purchasing records for audits and financial reviews.

Policy, Compliance, and Training

• Develop, document, and maintain purchasing and inventory policies and procedures.

• Ensure purchasing activities comply with organizational requirements and applicable laws, regulations, contracts, and funding restrictions.

• Establish appropriate controls for purchase cards, emergency purchases, competitive quotes, and purchasing exceptions.

• Train employees on purchasing procedures, systems, documentation, and approval requirements.

• Monitor organization-wide compliance and address recurring process gaps.

• Recommend improvements to purchasing systems, workflows, policies, and internal controls.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of contact for organization-wide purchasing questions.

• Promote collaboration and clear communication among departments, Finance, Facilities, vendors, and leadership.

• Lead purchasing and inventory improvement initiatives.

• Provide guidance to employees involved in ordering, receiving, inventory control, and invoice processing.

• Supervise assigned purchasing or inventory personnel, if applicable.

• Foster a responsive, service-oriented, ethical, and cost-conscious purchasing culture.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, supply chain management, finance, accounting, operations, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.

• Three to five years of progressively responsible experience in purchasing, procurement, inventory management, supply chain operations, or a related area.

• Experience managing vendors, evaluating quotes, negotiating terms, and monitoring contracts.

• Experience developing or improving purchasing and inventory procedures.

• Proficiency with purchasing, inventory, accounting, enterprise resource planning, or similar business systems.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Excel, Outlook, and Word.

WORKING CONDITIONS AND DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Working Conditions

General working conditions are in a healthcare facility. As such, there is a potential exposure to virus, disease, and infection from patients while performing the duties of this job. May experience traumatic situations including psychiatric traumatized and deceased patients. Travel may be expected to community meetings, client homes, or other agencies.

Physical Demands

While performing duties of this job, employees are regularly required to set, walk, and stand; talk and hear; both in person and by telephone; use hands repetitively to finger, handle, feel, or operate standard office or clinical equipment; reach with hands and arms; and occasionally lift up to 50 pounds. 

Mental Demands

While performing the duties of this job, employees are regularly required to use written and oral communication skills; read, analyze, and interpret data, information and documents; analyze and solve non-routine and complex problems; use math and mathematical reasoning; observe and interpret situations; learn and apply new information or skills; perform highly detailed work on multiple, concurrent tasks; work under intensive deadlines with frequent interruptions; and interact with others outside of their department.

Duties and responsibilities, as required by business necessity may be added, deleted, or changed at any time at the discretion of management, formally or informally, either verbally or in writing. Scheduling, shift assignments, and location may be changed at any time, as required by business necessity.