Purchasing Specialist at The Aspen Group in Chicago, IL

Purchasing Specialist

Location: Chicago, Illinois

The Aspen Group (TAG) is one of the largest and most trusted retail healthcare business support organizations in the U.S. and has supported over 20,000 healthcare professionals and team members with close to 1,500 health and wellness offices across 50 states in four distinct categories: dental care, urgent care, medical aesthetics, and animal health. Working in partnership with independent practice owners and clinicians, the team is united by a single purpose: to prove that healthcare can be better and smarter for everyone. TAG provides a comprehensive suite of centralized business support services that power the impact of five consumer-facing businesses: Aspen Dental, ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers, WellNow Urgent Care, Chapter Aesthetic Studio, and Lovet. Each brand has access to a deep community of experts, tools and resources to grow their practices, and an unwavering commitment to delivering high-quality consumer healthcare experiences at scale.

As a reflection of our current needs and planned growth we are very pleased to offer a new opportunity to join our dedicated team as Purchasing Specialist.

Essential Responsiblities:

• Monitor, support, and execute the purchasing process for goods and services for the dental practices, medical practices, and internal support teams on a day-to-day basis. Purchasing processes include the vendor setup, requisition, purchase order creation, order expediting, fulfillment, return, and backorder functions.

• Provide support, expertise, and knowledge to the internal and external stakeholders across the enterprise. Support functions will include managing the approval process for requisitions, providing substitutions and alternative recommendations, responses to purchasing inquiries, reviewing and processing ServiceNow tickets, and sharing general knowledge of the products on as needed basis.

• Lead and support ad hoc process improvement projects within the supply chain function to help drive efficiencies for the organization.

• Lead and support contract negotiations and Request for Proposals (RFP) with key suppliers to improve cost, quality, delivery, diversity, and safety in the supply base.

• Provide regular communication to Business and Supply Chain leadership on projects, category performance, and various initiatives.

• Own continuous improvement within areas of expertise/assigned categories along with ongoing analysis of internal processes.

• Analyze existing efficiency of current business processes and long-term impact.

• Identify areas of improvement and develop processes to streamline by collaborating with key stakeholders including troubleshooting and testing.

• Manage driving efficiencies and overall adherence to documented SOPs within department.

• Own internal process within areas of responsibility within the procure to pay life cycle including issuance of purchase orders, monitoring order fulfillment and on-time delivery status.

• Oversee overall implementation of new business processes along with testing as needed which includes and not limited to punch-out, catalog, ERP system improvements, non-catalog analysis etc.

• Continuous review and updating of internal processes and procedures as needed.

• Extensive knowledge and acts as reliable source for other team members.

• Ongoing management of supplier contact data to ensure accuracy.

• Management/coordination of projects, improving upon existing internal processes, along with reviewing as well as presenting data to peers and leadership as needed.

Key Skills:

• Understanding basic supply chain principles, purchasing, inventory, logistics, and supply chain economics.

• Strong customer service and team-building skills.

• Effective communication with vendors and internal business partners.

• Ability to develop, coordinate, own and control multiple processes and projects.

• Ability to create and maintain documentation, in adherence with policy, to meet internal and external audit requirements.

• Must have experience in effectively communicating supplier proposals and helping business owners understand the variables and tradeoffs for decision making purposes.

• Excellent oral communication skills for technical and non-technical audiences.

• Excellent communications skills: Ability to communicate clearly and concisely by telephone, email and by direct contact.

• Must be able to maintain a high level of customer service in a work environment of numerous competing demands.

• Able to comfortably interface with all levels of Management, inside & outside the organization.

• Proficiency in MS Office, E-Sourcing Platforms, and database tools.

• Strong Project Management and prioritization skills.

Educational & Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Accounting, or Engineering.

• Professional purchasing certification is desirable.

• 3+ years of related experience in supply chain management, procurement, or project management with an emphasis on purchasing or strategic sourcing.

Team Overview:

• The ADMI Supply Chain Team aims to improve profitability and performance by maximizing the value of purchased goods and services.

• Responsibilities include managing purchasing processes, sourcing, contract negotiations, supplier management, and overall supplier performance. er.

• The Purchasing Specialist will report to the Supply Chain Management

Starting Salary: $57,000 + DOE