Procurement Manager at Avenue Healthcare

Job Objective/Purpose

• To lead the Avenue Group supply chain and procurement function — procurement, inventory and warehouse management, distribution centres and vendor management — ensuring continuous availability of quality products at the best possible total cost, protecting Group margins and working capital, and leading the Group's procurement savings, price-benchmarking and supplier-partnership agenda.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership of the Function

• Accountable for the Group's Procurement, Inventory & Warehouse Management, Distribution Centres and Vendor Management functions.
• Lead, develop and motivate the procurement and supply chain team — the Senior Procurement Officers, through clear objectives, delegated procurement authorities, segregation of duties across requisitioning, purchasing, receiving and payment, upskilling on best practice and current procurement trends, and active performance, leave and absence management.

Strategy, Planning & Category Management

• Set and deliver the Group Procurement strategy and Annual procurement plan; collect, review and analyse operational data to shape strategies, plans, policies and procedures, with clear targets.
• Own category management across pharmaceuticals, medical-surgical consumables, laboratory, theatre and general supplies, consolidating demand across facilities to leverage Group volumes.

Sourcing, Tendering & Contracts Negotiations

• Develop and manage supplier rosters with transparent selection, evaluation, quality and performance-measurement mechanisms, maintaining a competitive supplier base.
• Coordinate tenders and negotiate long-term contracts; oversee preparation of service delivery contracts, leases and purchase orders for all acquisition needs; manage framework agreements, including market assessments for equipment placement requirements.
• Lead structured renegotiation cycles with priority and consolidation of supplies where applicable — pricing, discounts, bonuses and payment terms — including settlement-for-pricing arrangements agreed with Finance, with every agreement documented in the supplier contracts.
• Manage vendor contracts and relationships to ensure completeness of contracted deliverables, prompt resolution of vendor and finance-related queries, support in sourcing of products, and uninterrupted service; implement the supplier performance management plan, rolling out KPIs and reporting on supplier performance.

Pricing, Benchmarking & Savings

• Operate a price-monitoring system that keeps prices sourced for supplies in line with the market, anchored on an external benchmark panel from comparable hospitals, with Group buying prices benchmarked at least quarterly starting with the top-spend lines.
• Deliver the validated annual savings target agreed with the Chief Finance Officer, using the full range of procurement levels, standardisation, optimisation, consolidation and outsourcing.
• Drive cross-site price harmonisation so that no facility buys the same item at a higher price than another; investigate and close exceptions identified through GRN and procurement analytics.

Margins & Working Capital

• Protect gross margins: manage buying prices and supplier terms so that approved mark-ups and selling prices hold across pharmacy, laboratory, theatre and consumables, delivering procurement's share of the Group's margin-improvement initiatives.
• Monitor and maintain the system pricing structure: ensure updated trade (market) prices are loaded in the ERP as prescribed by the Manufacturers, that selling prices derive from the approved mark-up structure, off the trade prices as the base — so that every negotiated discount reaches the margin and pricing hold consistently across all facilities.
• Manage supplier credit terms and the health of supplier accounts together with Finance — balances kept within contractual terms where cash allows and critical suppliers prioritised for payment — acting early to prevent account holds, demand notices and supply closure notifications.

Inventory & Continuity of Supply

• Ensure continuous supply of medical supplies at minimum inventory cost, with effective lines of communication for timely delivery of commodities using the most appropriate procurement procedures.
• Maintain continuity-of-supply and risk plans for critical items — approved alternative suppliers, substitution protocols and supplier contingency plans — so that clinical care is never interrupted and the Group avoids retail-priced emergency sourcing that erodes margins.

Data, Systems & Controls

• Own the integrity of procurement master data — validated trade prices, negotiated buying prices, supplier records and GRN data in the ERP — as the single basis for costing, margin reporting and discounts/savings measurement; keep all transactions current, accurate and efficiently processed, with complete procurement files and vendor tracking.
• Develop key processes, procedures and work templates to ensure continuous improvement, adhering to ISO 9001 principles.

Governance, Risk & Reporting

• Execute strong governance through planning, developing, organising, directing, managing and evaluating the supply chain operations, with a documented supply chain risk methodology.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly and annual procurement plans and progress reports; report monthly to the Chief Finance Officer on spend, discounts/savings against target and benchmark, price variances, supplier aging and risk, stock-outs and contract status.
• Any other duty as assigned by the supervisor.

Person Specification

• Bachelor’s degree in business, commerce, supply chain management and any related field  
• 6 - 8 years’ experience in Supplies Chain Management with at least 3 years managerial experience. Healthcare industry experience preferred. 
• Professional qualification in Procurement or Purchasing & Supplies Management (CIPS or its equivalent)
• Certified and Member in good standing with Kenya Institute of Supplies Management (KISM)
• Experience working with an ERP preferably Oracle Supply Chain Module