Purchasing Clerk

Position Summary

Under the direction of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) the Purchasing Clerk serves as the primary procurement coordinator for Outreach Community Health Centers, Inc. (OCHC). This position is responsible for processing all purchase orders through the accounting system, working directly with clinical and administrative departments to fulfill supply and equipment needs, maintaining vendor relationships, and ensuring cost-effective purchasing practices. The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, customer service-focused, and capable of managing multiple procurement requests while maintaining strong internal controls and compliance with organizational policies and grant requirements.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following:

Purchase Order Processing & Management:

• Process all purchase orders through the accounting system
• Review purchase requisitions from departments for completeness, accuracy, and proper authorization
• Verify budget availability and proper account coding before creating purchase orders
• Obtain required approvals in accordance with organizational purchasing policies

• Generate and distribute purchase orders to vendors via email, fax, or vendor portals
• Track open purchase orders and follow up with vendors on delivery status.
• Update accounting system to reflect receipts of goods and services

Departmental Collaboration:

• Work directly with clinical, administrative, and operational departments to understand their purchasing needs
• Serve as primary point of contact for purchasing questions and requests
• Assist departments in identifying appropriate vendors and products
• Provide guidance on purchasing procedures and policy requirements
• Communicate delivery timelines and any issues affecting order fulfillment
• Coordinate with receiving departments to confirm successful delivery and acceptance of goods

Vendor Management & Relations:

• Establish and maintain positive working relationships with vendors and suppliers
• Manage delivery schedules when appropriate
• Research and recommend new vendors for departmental needs
• Resolve vendor issues related to orders, pricing discrepancies, or damage/incorrect shipments
• Process vendor returns and credit memos
• Communicate vendor policy changes and updates to relevant departments

Inventory & Receiving Support:

• Verify receipt of goods against purchase orders
• Assist with investigation of missing, damaged, or incorrect shipments.

Compliance Functions:

• Support grant budget compliance by ensuring proper coding of grant-funded purchases
• Ensure compliance with federal grant procurement requirements (2 CFR 200) for grant-funded purchases
• Support documentation requirements for single audit and program-specific audits
• Maintain audit trail for all purchasing transactions
• Identify and escalate policy exceptions or unusual transactions to Controller or CFO.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

Education & Experience:

• Requires Associate’s degree in business-related field required, Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Minimum 2–3 years of experience years purchasing, procurement, or supply chain coordination.