Primary Responsibility
Co-ordinate the supply chain from the manufacturer/supplier to the required Ashtons delivery location :
· ensuring ‘right product, right place, right time’, to meet the customer service objectives,
· within the finished goods stockholding parameters,
· to support the maximisation of the company’s sales, profits and customer service levels,
· by managing and processing purchase orders and non-conformance claims.
Financial Responsibility
The role is instrumental of Ashtons’ budgeted revenue, savings and profit rate, as well as the identification and minimisation of financial risk, i.e. factors that will have a negative impact on revenue, savings, profit rates and customer service levels.
Principal Accountabilities
1. To manage, review and process all aspects of the purchase order processing of pharmaceutical products, medical supplies and other sundry products & requirements, including (but not limited to) :
a. purchase order requisitions and adjustments
b. problems related to purchase orders
c. managing stock levels and re-order levels
d. monitoring and co-ordinating delivery times to ensure we hold sufficient, but not excessive stock, to fulfil all sales orders.
e. assist in planning for, and de-risk special events such as Christmas, Easter and Bank Holidays.
2. Under supervision of senior members of Procurement team and Dispensary, regular review of re-order levels (ROL), usual order quantities (UOQ), Min-Max quantities and stockholding of Wholesale and Dispensary to minimise overstocks/shortages, and co-ordinate an action plan to de-risk.
3. Communicate any long-term delays/out of stocks (and estimated back in stock dates, where possible) to the appropriate stake holder.
4. Awareness of outstanding sales orders (‘owings’) and the effect of late deliveries/out of stocks on them.
5. Ensure supplier non-conformances are resolved with the appropriate functions, by co-ordinating supplier returns (where applicable), as well as providing ongoing support to Ashtons’ Finance department in obtaining credit notes.
6. Regular and structured management of suppliers, when applicable, or as advised by Head of Procurement.
7. Making commercially viable decisions, including (not limited to) :
a. taking into account additional costs associated with a purchase (e.g. transport/storage costs),
b. reviewing high value purchase order requisitions and escalating if necessary.
8. Updating buying prices and informing the relevant stakeholders, where applicable, under supervision of senior members of Procurement team.
9. Ensure all sourcing activity is fully compliant with Good Distribution Practice (GDP) and Medicines Health Regulatory Authority (MHRA). under supervision of senior members of Procurement team.
10. Provide timely, relative and accurate information and reports to the relevant internal or external stakeholders in relation to the procurement process, in particular SFD and Pending reports.
11. General support of the Procurement Department function, including (not limited to) :
a. undertaking any other appropriate duties as may be requested by the Head of Procurement or Senior Buyer,
b. providing the necessary cover in absence of another Procurement team member,
c. continuous review of processes in the Procurement department, ensuring the function work as efficiently as possible.
Skills, Knowledge and Experience
· A high degree of numeracy, accuracy and attention to detail (essential).
· Clear communication skills are required - the ability to clearly convey information and ideas (essential).
· Excellent organisational and administrative skills (essential).
· Comfortable using Microsoft Office applications at a basic level, especially Excel, Outlook and Teams (essential).
· Information monitoring – the ability to identify problems and to take remedial action.
· Customer focus – making internal and external customers and their needs the primary focus of one’s actions, and developing and sustaining customer relationships.
· Managing conflict – dealing efficiently with others in an antagonistic situation.
· Stress tolerance – maintaining stable performance under pressure (such as time pressure or job ambiguity), handling stress in a manner that is acceptable to others in the organisation.
· Work standards – setting high standards of personal performance.
· Experience as a Supply Chain Planner/Demand Planner/Supply Optimiser (desirable, not essential).
· Understanding the principles of stock management (desirable, not essential).
· Pharmaceutical/medical supplies industry background (desirable, not essential).
· Technical knowledge (systems proficiency), a working knowledge of Sage (desirable, not essential).
Key Dimensions
· Responsible for own portfolio of suppliers. There are an average number of 130 active suppliers per planner.
· Responsible for all product lines. There is an average number of 6.5 k active lines, and the number of active lines reviewed per week per planner is roughly 2.5k.
· High potential impact on sales turnover, savings and profit rate.
Key Working Relationships
· Senior Buyer
· Suppliers & manufacturers
· Ashtons Goods In warehouse team
· Ashtons Dispensary team
· Ashtons Customer Service team
· Ashtons Finance team
This position is office based in Brighton, no hybrid or remote option available.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: £25,000.00-£28,000.00 per year
Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Brighton: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (required)

Work Location: In person