Senior Manager - Purchase

Kauvery Hospital; Chennai; On-site; INR 2,000,000 - 4,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Curtis Drug Point Private Limited (Kauvery Hospital Group) seeks a Senior Manager – Purchase to lead pharmaceutical and surgical product procurement across the group. You will drive strategic sourcing, vendor management, rate contracts, and centralized purchasing while ensuring regulatory compliance and cost optimization.

The role requires extensive experience in hospital/pharma procurement, strong negotiation skills, and leadership to coordinate cross-functional teams in Chennai.

Qualifications

• 12–15 years in pharmaceutical purchase or supply chain management with 5+ years in a leadership role.
• Experience in hospital pharmacy procurement, hospital/chain purchasing, or pharma distribution.
• Proven ability in vendor negotiations, rate contracts, centralized procurement, and cost savings.
• Strong knowledge of GST, regulatory compliance, and procurement SOPs.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement procurement strategies based on demand forecasts.
• Lead centralized purchasing and PO management across Curtis Drug Point units.
• Ensure uninterrupted availability of essential medicines and fast-moving items.
• Coordinate with Kauvery Hospital Central Purchase Team on rate contracts and terms.
• Standardize policies, approvals, reorder levels, and procurement procedures.
• Monitor vendor performance and manage vendor negotiations and returns.

Skills

Pharma procurement

Surgical procurement

Vendor negotiation

ERP/SAP

Inventory planning

Cost optimization

Regulatory compliance

Team leadership

Centralized procurement

Purchase order management

Education

B.Pharm / M.Pharm

MBA in Materials Management / Supply Chain

Tools

ERP/SAP

MS Excel

Job description

Job Opening Senior Manager – Purchase (Pharma & Surgical)

Company: Curtis Drug Point Private Limited (Kauvery Hospital Group)
Position: Senior Manager – Purchase
Department: Purchase & Procurement
Experience: 12–15 Years (Minimum 5 Years in a Managerial Role)
Location: Chennai
Qualification: B.Pharm / M.Pharm / B.Sc. / B.Com; MBA in Materials Management / Supply Chain preferred

Job Summary

We are looking for an experienced and result-oriented Senior Manager – Purchase to lead pharmaceutical and surgical product procurement operations across Curtis Drug Point Private Limited. The candidate will be responsible for strategic sourcing, vendor management, rate contract negotiations, centralized purchasing, inventory optimization, cost reduction, and regulatory compliance.

The ideal candidate should have extensive experience in pharmaceutical procurement, hospital pharmacy purchasing, or pharmaceutical distribution, with strong negotiation, vendor management, and leadership capabilities.

Key Roles & Responsibilities

1. Procurement Strategy & Planning

• Develop and implement procurement strategies based on demand forecasts, consumption trends, and sales requirements.
• Lead centralized purchasing and purchase order management across all Curtis Drug Point units.
• Ensure uninterrupted availability of essential medicines, surgical products, and fast-moving items.
• Coordinate with the Kauvery Hospital Central Purchase Team for rate contracts, pricing, and commercial terms.
• Standardize purchase policies, approval processes, reorder levels, and procurement procedures.

2. Vendor Management & Negotiation

• Identify, evaluate, and develop relationships with pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, CFAs, and stockists.
• Negotiate competitive pricing, margins, discounts, schemes, credit terms, and rate contracts.
• Ensure procurement under approved rate contracts and consistent pricing across all units.
• Monitor vendor performance based on product quality, delivery timelines, pricing, and service levels.
• Negotiate returns, credit notes, and adjustments for expired, damaged, and non-moving stock.

3. Inventory Optimization & Cost Control

• Monitor inventory levels and coordinate with relevant teams to prevent stockouts and overstocking.
• Implement cost-saving initiatives through strategic sourcing, vendor consolidation, and alternate sourcing.
• Minimize near-expiry, expired, damaged, and non-moving inventory.
• Ensure timely processing of vendor claims, purchase returns, and credit note adjustments.
• Optimize procurement costs while maintaining product availability and quality.

4. Regulatory Compliance & Procurement Controls

• Ensure compliance with applicable drug licensing requirements, the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, and GST regulations.
• Verify vendor licences, product registrations, and statutory documentation.
• Maintain accurate procurement records and ensure adherence to purchase SOPs and approval policies.
• Support internal and external audits by providing procurement-related documentation.

5. Team Management & Cross-Functional Coordination

• Lead and manage purchase teams across Curtis Drug Point units.
• Allocate vendor and product category responsibilities and monitor team performance.
• Train team members on procurement systems, vendor negotiations, and compliance requirements.
• Coordinate with Pharmacy, Sales, Warehouse, and Finance teams for purchase planning, stock availability, and vendor payments.

6. MIS Reporting & Performance Monitoring

• Prepare and present procurement MIS reports covering purchase spend, cost savings, vendor performance, and inventory status.
• Monitor procurement KPIs and identify opportunities for operational improvement.
• Utilize ERP/SAP systems for purchase order management, procurement tracking, and reporting.

Required Skills & Competencies

• Strong expertise in pharmaceutical and surgical product procurement.
• Experience in centralized purchasing, strategic sourcing, and rate contract management.
• Excellent vendor negotiation and relationship management skills.
• Knowledge of pharmaceutical pricing, margins, GST, and procurement compliance.
• Strong inventory planning, demand forecasting, and cost optimization skills.
• Proficiency in ERP/SAP, procurement MIS, and MS Excel.
• Strong leadership, analytical, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

Candidate Requirements

• Education: B.Pharm / M.Pharm or Graduate in Science / Commerce; MBA in Materials Management / Supply Chain preferred.
• Experience: 12–15 years in pharmaceutical purchase or supply chain management, including at least 5 years in a managerial role.
• Experience in hospital pharmacy procurement, pharmacy chain purchasing, or pharmaceutical distribution preferred.
• Proven experience in vendor negotiations, rate contract management, centralized procurement, and cost-saving initiatives.
• Experience managing procurement teams and coordinating purchasing across multiple units will be an advantage.

Key Skills: Pharma Purchase, Pharmaceutical Procurement, Surgical Purchase, Strategic Sourcing, Vendor Management, Rate Contract Negotiation, Centralized Procurement, Purchase Order Management, Inventory Planning, Cost Optimization, Pharma Distribution, Hospital Pharmacy Purchase, ERP, SAP, Supply Chain Management.