PI Buyer

Overview of the role

Working as part of the Purchasing team, selecting and buying pharmaceutical products to be dispensed across the Bestway Healthcare brand. In our pharmacy division (Well Pharmacy), sold by our wholesale division (Bestway Medhub) and Lexon (Independent Wholesaler). Establishing and supporting effective supplier relationships, to ensure that we are always able to meet the needs of our patients and customers, whilst also achieving our commercial goals.

Main Responsibilities

• Working in the PI Department, sourcing PI Products from UK and European suppliers.
• Seeking out opportunities to increase sales and margin for the business in collaboration with the Wholesale department.
• Establishing effective supplier relationships with both existing and new suppliers.
• Sourcing new products to ensure we offer the best range, supporting availability and profitability.
• Evaluating the viability of sourcing directly or, outsourcing to our supply partners.
• Understanding your role in cross functional collaboration. The PI team interacts with the pricing team, other purchasing teams, interacts with multiple depots, with the EU sourcing team, various IT teams.
• Negotiating with suppliers to achieve the best costs for the business.
• Understanding market developments to identify threats and opportunities which arise.
• Working in partnership with the other buyers in your category and the wider NHS Commercial team.
• Developing and actioning plans to mitigate margin threats and maximising opportunities.
• Ensuring all actions and promoting a mindset wherein we look to only achieve the best results for the business.
• Working with the Supply Chain team to ensure we effectively control our working capital and maximise our profitability.
• Supporting and showing effective communication across both NHS procurement & the wider business.
• Understanding of pharmacy reimbursement including Drug Tariff categories and their impact on products.
• Understanding and utilising various wholesales channels, to ensure maximum profitability for the business.
• Utilising various purchasing methods, i.e. tender purchasing, forecasting, to ensure product availability.
• Understanding the future needs of the business; evolving sourcing and buying activities to meet them.
• Understanding the role of PI in the wider marketplace; the impact of trade agreements, Euro rate and the impact they have on availability and profitability.
• Promoting and living the Culture Code of the business; being human, effective and an expert.

Problem Solving & Change:

• Can do attitude, with a solution focused approach towards problems.
• Challenges the status quo but from a perspective of seeking first to understand.
• Identifies improvement opportunities and articulates them to the wider and external teams.

Key knowledge and skills required:

• Understanding of the pharmaceutical market, especially prescription medicines, is desirable but not essential.
• Understanding of the wholesale model and its challenges.
• A problem solver, able to make decisions, prepared to use their initiative and think laterally.
• Understands when to involve / seek the advice of others and is confident in doing so.
• Excellent relationship management/ strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with internal and external teams.
• Effective communication skills, both written and verbal.
• IT literate with the ability to interpret and manipulate data. Further, understands multiple systems and the complexities of each individual system, and how they interact with each other.

The Ideal Candidate

We are proud to be a diverse and inclusive employer. If you have any specific requirements, we'll do everything we can to support you. Whether it is to find a pharmacy that is accessible, or if it is a part time position you are looking for, we can help find the role that is right for you. If you need us to make any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process, we will be happy to accommodate you.

Please be aware that due to the high number of applications we receive it may not be possible for us to provide an outcome to all applicants. If you are not contacted within 28 days of your submission unfortunately you will have been unsuccessful.