Inventory - Product Specialist

Position Summary

The Purchasing & Inventory Agent is responsible for managing the purchasing, receiving, pricing, and inventory control of durable medical equipment (DME), supplies, and related products. This position works closely with vendors, internal departments, and management to ensure the company maintains appropriate inventory levels while obtaining competitive pricing and maximizing purchasing efficiency.

The ideal candidate is highly organized, detail-oriented, comfortable negotiating with vendors, and capable of maintaining accurate inventory records in a fast-paced DME environment.

Key ResponsibilitiesPurchasing & Vendor Management

• Purchase DME, medical supplies, equipment, and related products based on company needs and inventory levels.
• Obtain and compare vendor pricing, availability, freight costs, and lead times.
• Negotiate pricing, volume discounts, freight terms, payment terms, and other purchasing conditions with manufacturers and distributors.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key vendors and suppliers.
• Identify opportunities to reduce product acquisition costs and improve company margins.
• Monitor vendor price increases and communicate significant changes to management.
• Research alternative vendors and products when cost, availability, or lead times are unfavorable.
• Place purchase orders and ensure orders are accurate and properly documented.
• Track outstanding purchase orders and follow up with vendors regarding delays, shortages, backorders, and discrepancies.

Inventory Control

• Maintain accurate inventory records for DME equipment, supplies, accessories, and other company-owned inventory.
• Conduct routine cycle counts and investigate inventory discrepancies.
• Assist with periodic physical inventory counts and reconciliation.
• Monitor inventory levels and identify products approaching minimum or maximum stock levels.
• Establish and maintain appropriate reorder points and par levels based on utilization and demand.
• Identify slow-moving, excess, obsolete, damaged, or expired inventory.
• Work with management to develop strategies for reducing excess and obsolete inventory.
• Ensure inventory is properly labeled, organized, stored, and tracked.
• Monitor serialized equipment and other inventory requiring individual tracking.
• Investigate discrepancies between physical inventory and system records and make appropriate corrections with authorization.

Receiving & Product Management

• Verify incoming shipments against purchase orders and packing slips.
• Confirm quantities, product numbers, sizes, and other specifications upon receipt.
• Identify and report damaged, incorrect, or missing items.
• Coordinate returns, credits, and replacements with vendors.
• Ensure received inventory is entered accurately into the inventory management system.
• Maintain accurate product information, including vendor, cost, manufacturer, part number, and pricing information.

Cost & Margin Management

• Monitor product acquisition costs and identify opportunities for cost savings.
• Maintain accurate vendor cost information within the purchasing/inventory system.
• Compare vendor pricing on commonly purchased products.
• Assist management with evaluating the profitability and cost-effectiveness of products.
• Identify purchasing trends and recommend changes that can improve gross margins.
• Assist with annual or periodic vendor negotiations and contract reviews.

Compliance & Documentation

• Maintain organized purchasing records, purchase orders, invoices, receiving documentation, and vendor correspondence.
• Follow company purchasing policies and approval requirements.
• Ensure inventory and purchasing practices support applicable DME, Medicare, payer, and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain appropriate documentation for equipment and products requiring tracking or documentation.

Qualifications

• 2 years of purchasing, inventory control, supply chain, warehouse, or procurement experience preferred.
• Experience in the DME, medical supply, healthcare, or medical equipment industry preferred but not required.
• Strong organizational and analytical skills.
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
• Strong communication and vendor negotiation skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and inventory/purchasing software.
• Ability to analyze pricing, inventory levels, purchasing history, and usage data.
• Ability to work independently and prioritize multiple responsibilities.
• Strong problem-solving and follow-through skills.

Preferred Experience

• DME/HME industry experience.
• Experience purchasing respiratory, mobility, CPAP/BiPAP, oxygen, bathroom safety, compression, orthotic, or other medical equipment and supplies.
• Experience with serialized inventory.
• Experience conducting cycle counts and physical inventory reconciliation.
• Experience negotiating with medical equipment manufacturers and distributors.
• Familiarity with Medicare/DME terminology and inventory requirements.
• Experience working with inventory management or DME billing software.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Performance may be evaluated using:

• Purchasing cost savings and negotiated discounts.
• Gross margin improvement through purchasing.
• Inventory accuracy percentage.
• Cycle count accuracy.
• Inventory turnover.
• Reduction of excess and obsolete inventory.
• Stockout frequency.
• Purchase order accuracy.
• Vendor on-time delivery performance.
• Backorder resolution time.
• Timeliness of receiving and inventory entry.
• Overall purchasing and inventory efficiency.

Physical & Work Requirements

• Primarily office/warehouse-based position.
• May require occasional lifting, moving, and organizing medical equipment and supplies.
• Ability to safely handle products consistent with company procedures.
• Ability to perform repetitive inventory counting and product verification.

Position Success

Success in this position means ensuring the company has the right products, in the right quantities, at the right cost, at the right time while maintaining highly accurate inventory records and continuously identifying opportunities to reduce purchasing costs and improve profitability.

Pay: $13.00 - $16.00 per hour

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Paid time off

Work Location: In person

Salary : $13 - $16