Purchasing Clerk

Columbia Basin Health Association; Othello (WA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Columbia Basin Health Association (CBHA) is seeking a detail-oriented procurement professional in Washington. The role oversees purchase orders, inventory management, vendor coordination, and order resolution to ensure timely, compliant healthcare supplies for CBHA clinics.

You will manage receiving, verify deliveries with accounts payable, and maintain rigorous stock integrity while upholding CBHA policies and confidentiality. Frequent travel to clinic sites is possible as part of duties.

Qualifications

• Associate’s Degree or equivalent experience in business, purchasing, supply chain management, accounting, or a related field.
• Familiarity with the operations and practices of purchasing, receiving and inventory management.
• Knowledgeable in purchasing, inventory and requisition software.
• Ability to read and interpret standard packing slips and use vendor systems to track orders and delivery dates.

Responsibilities

• Process purchase orders by converting requisitions into POs and providing information to vendors.
• Select preferred vendors per contracts, policies and value considerations; verify requisitions for compliance.
• Maintain adequate inventory levels and recommend additions or deletions to the supply list.
• Resolve order discrepancies and manage returns; communicate to ensure uninterrupted supply chains.
• Facilitate receiving by attaching digital records to requisitions and coordinating with Accounts Payable.
• Enforce storage standards and ensure audit readiness in supply storage areas.
• Uphold confidentiality and CBHA policies; support WE CARE behaviors and clinic procedures.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Organization

Attention to detail

Communication

Independence

Education

Associate’s Degree or equivalent in business/purchasing/supply chain

Tools

Purchasing software

Inventory software

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Vendor systems for orders

Job description

Overview

Primary Accountability

Responsible for ensuring timely and accurate procurement and receipt of supplies through purchase order processing, inventory management, vendor coordination, and order resolution in accordance with CBHA policies.

Responsibilities

Description of Primary Responsibility

1. Process purchase orders:

a. Converts requisitions into purchase orders.b. Provides necessary information to vendors for procurement.c. Select preferred vendors in accordance with purchasing contracts, policies, and value considerations.d. Verifies requisition authorizations to ensure compliance with organizational purchasing policies prior to executing orders.

2. Maintains supply inventory:

a. Ensures adequate inventory levels are maintained to prevent out of stock items.b. Recommends additions or deletions to the approved supply list.

3. Order management:

a. Resolves order discrepancies and processes returns.b. Manages order-related communications and resolve product backorders to ensure uninterrupted healthcare supply chains.

4. Receiving orders:

a. Facilitates the receiving process by collecting verified clinic packing slips, performing system entries, and attaching digital records to requisitions.b. Coordinates between clinic staff and Accounts Payable to verify deliveries and securethe documentation required for timely invoice processing.

5. Regulatory compliance ownership:

• Maintains continuous cleanliness, safety, organization, and audit readiness across all supply storage and assigned work areas.
• Enforces strict storage standards by verifying proper floor, wall, and ceiling/sprinkler clearances.
• Safeguards supply stock integrity by tracking expiration dates and inspecting packaging for compromises, tears, or moisture damage prior to distribution.

6. Promotes a positive work culture and upholds clinic policies and procedures, including the WE CARE standards of Behavior

7. Must uphold confidentiality at all times in regards to CBHA activities, reports, financials, patient health information and other proprietary information specific to CBHA

8. Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Description of Primary Attributes

General Development:

1. Demonstrates a high degree of organization and accuracy.2. Demonstrates the ability to detect errors in correspondence, records, statistics and clerical procedures.3. Possesses skills in motivation, self-direction, and punctuality.4. Ability to work independently with frequent interruptions.

Professional and Technical Knowledge:

1. Possesses an Associate’s Degree or equivalent experience in business, purchasing, supply chain management, accounting, or a related field.2. Possesses familiarity with the operations and practices of purchasing, receiving and inventory management.

Technical Skills:

1. Knowledgeable in purchasing, inventory and requisition software.2. Ability to read and interpret standard packing slips.3. Ability to use vendor systems to track orders and delivery dates.4. Ability to prepare basic correspondence and simple reports using Microsoft Word.5. Ability to use Microsoft Excel to create tables and simple displays of information.6. Ability to read and write English, follow verbal instructions and use simple math.

Communication Skills:

1. Job duties require the employee to effectively communicate basic or non-technical information to co-workers and others.2. Job duties require the employee to exercise discretion and diplomacy when scheduling deliveries.3. Job duties require the effective communication of information in written (including electronic) correspondence.

Blood/Fluid Exposure Risk: According to this position this is a Category III

1. Category I: Tasks routinely involve a potential for mucous membrane or skin contact exposure to blood, fluids or tissue. Use of personal protective equipment (PPE), when appropriate, is required2. Category II: Usual Tasks do not involve exposure to blood, body fluid, or tissues but may require performing Unplanned Category 1 tasks3. Category III: Tasks involve no greater exposure to blood, body fluids or tissues than would be encountered by a visit. Category 1 tasks are not a condition of employment

Physical Demands:

1. Ability to stand, walk, sit, use of hands and fingers, reach with arms, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, and talk frequently.2. Ability to lift up to 50 pounds.3. Close vision (clear vision at 20 inches or less).4. Distance vision (clear vision at 20 feet or more).5. Ability to adjust focus (ability to adjust the eye to bring an object into sharp focus).

Travel:

1. Frequent travel to various clinic sites is required2. Must possess a valid driver’s license and meet company insurance liability standards to drive company vehicles