Requirements
The Pharmaceutical Purchasing Officer requires a Bachelor's degree in Pharmacy, Supply Chain Management, or Business Administration, with 2-4 years of direct procurement experience in a hospital, pharmacy chain, or healthcare environment. Essential skills include proficiency with Hospital Information Systems (HIS) and ERP purchasing modules (SAP, Oracle, TrackCare), MS Excel, strong negotiation and vendor management abilities, and high precision in reviewing medication details. Familiarity with SFDA regulations, cold-chain protocols, and formulary management is also required.
Description
The Pharmaceutical Purchasing Officer manages the end-to-end procurement process for pharmaceuticals, medications, and clinical supplies within the hospital. This role ensures timely sourcing from approved vendors, strict adherence to quality and SFDA regulatory standards, cost negotiation, and uninterrupted availability of critical medications for patient care.Key ResponsibilitiesOrder Processing & Execution: Process purchase requisitions (PRs) into purchase orders (POs) for pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and IV fluids based on automated reorder alerts and pharmacy requests.Vendor & Supplier Management: Maintain relationships with pharmaceutical distributors, agents, and local manufacturers. Expedite open purchase orders to ensure on-time delivery.Price Negotiation & Cost Control: Negotiate prices, payment terms, and delivery schedules within assigned authorization limits to maximize cost efficiency without compromising quality.SFDA & Regulatory Compliance: Verify that all sourced medications, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), and suppliers comply with Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) regulations, registration status, and hospital formulary guidelines.Emergency & Critical Sourcing: Handle urgent procurement requests for non-formulary, life-saving, or out-of-stock (OOS) medications through alternative licensed channels or local emergency transfers.Discrepancy Resolution: Coordinate with receiving, warehouse, and finance teams to resolve price variances, quantity discrepancies, batch failures, or damaged shipments.Market Monitoring: Track drug shortages, price changes, regulatory updates, and market availability trends to mitigate supply chain disruptions proactively.Record Keeping & Reporting: Maintain complete purchasing documentation, contract files, and supplier performance metrics for internal audit and accreditation checks.Qualifications & ExperienceEducation: Bachelor's degree in Pharmacy (B.Pharm), Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, or a related field. (A Pharmacy degree is highly preferred for technical medication understanding).Experience: 2–4 years of direct procurement experience handling pharmaceutical products within a hospital, pharmacy chain, or healthcare environment.Knowledge: Familiarity with local SFDA drug clearance procedures, cold-chain handling protocols, and hospital formulary management.Skills & CompetenciesTechnical: Experience using Hospital Information Systems (HIS) and ERP purchasing modules (SAP, Oracle, TrackCare, etc.) and MS Excel.Negotiation & Commercial: Strong vendor management, negotiation, and contract administration skills.Detail Orientation: High precision in reviewing medication names, dosages, pack sizes, and batch details to prevent clinical errors.Languages: Business fluency in English and Arabic (both written and spoken, including pharmaceutical terminology).