Director of Purchasing

About the role

At CNS, we believe every moment counts when helping individuals with traumatic brain injuries reclaim their independence and quality of life. The Director of Purchasing is responsible for purchasing operations, procurement systems, vendor management, travel and expense processes, fleet expense processes, receiving standards, contract tracking, and related cost‑control initiatives. This position serves as the primary resource for purchasing software, procurement workflows, and vendor purchasing practices throughout the organization, supporting clinic, residential, administrative, and operational departments.

Responsibilities

• Purchasing Operations: Oversee purchasing processes to support quality, cost control, service, timeliness, and accountability. Develop and maintain procedures in collaboration with Operations, Accounting, and department leaders. Review workflows, monitor activity, vendor utilization, spending trends, and policy compliance. Identify cost‑saving opportunities and improve purchasing controls.
• Procurement System Management: Serve as the primary resource for procurement systems (e.g., Coupa). Support implementation, deployment, maintenance, and optimization. Train employees on requisitions, approval workflows, purchase orders, receiving, and documentation. Review system activity for gaps, training needs, and compliance concerns.
• Fleet‑Related Purchasing Support: Support vehicle acquisition, replacement planning, warranty tracking, and related documentation. Coordinate with vendors and internal stakeholders on vehicle orders and service concerns. Assist operational leaders with fleet expense oversight.
• Purchase Orders and Receiving: Establish standards for ordering, approvals, purchase orders, receiving, and documentation. Review requests for accuracy, budget coding, vendor compliance, and approvals. Collaborate with Facility Managers, Inventory Clerks, and Accounting to improve procedures and resolve discrepancies.
• Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Rental Management: Oversee requesting, approving, tracking, renewing, returning, and reconciling DME rentals. Monitor rental expenses, duration, and vendor performance. Work with clinical, facility, residential, and accounting teams to ensure equipment availability and fiscal responsibility.
• Training and Process Support: Provide training and support to Inventory Clerks and other personnel. Develop job aids, reference materials, workflow documentation, and process guides. Promote consistent purchasing practices across all facilities and identify training needs.
• Vendor Management: Lead vendor evaluation, selection support, onboarding, and performance monitoring. Review activity for cost‑saving opportunities and compliance. Evaluate vendors on service, quality, pricing, delivery, and contractual requirements. Communicate with vendors regarding pricing, service levels, product availability, and issue resolution.
• Contract Management: Maintain oversight of purchasing‑related contracts, renewal schedules, pricing terms, and performance standards. Coordinate contract reviews with leadership, Accounting, and stakeholders. Identify opportunities for renegotiation, consolidation, or renewal and monitor compliance.
• Reporting and Analytics: Develop and monitor key metrics for purchasing, vendors, receiving, fleet, and contracts. Prepare reports and analyses for leadership, using data to identify trends, cost‑saving opportunities, operational risks, and process improvements.
• Process Improvement and Change Management: Lead initiatives to improve purchasing processes, automate workflows, and strengthen accountability. Assist with software implementations related to purchasing, expenses, inventory, fleet management, contracts, and vendor management. Develop communication and training plans and monitor adoption.
• Collaboration and Customer Service: Collaborate with operational, administrative, clinical, accounting, and facility teams to support timely and cost‑effective purchasing. Provide professional, responsive service regarding purchasing systems, vendors, receiving processes, fleet expenses, and DME rentals. Investigate and resolve concerns related to products, services, vendors, purchases, and procurement systems.

Preferred Duties and Additional Responsibilities

• Perform other duties as assigned or requested.
• Participate in projects related to procurement systems, vendor transitions, fleet management, software implementations, process improvement, and cost‑reduction initiatives.
• Assist leadership with planning, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement of purchasing‑related programs and processes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Healthcare Administration, Accounting, Finance, Operations Management, or a related field (preferred).
• Five or more years of experience in purchasing, procurement, supply chain, vendor management, healthcare operations, materials management, or a related field (required).
• Healthcare, rehabilitation, residential care, multi‑site operations, or clinical support experience (strongly preferred).
• Experience with Coupa procurement software (strongly preferred).
• Experience supporting software implementation, workflow deployment, training, reporting, and change management (required).

Skills

• Strong analytical skills for evaluating spending patterns, vendor performance, purchasing compliance, and operational metrics.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Strong project management, organizational, communication, and follow‑through abilities.
• Ability to work independently while influencing and guiding others through process ownership, training, data analysis, and accountability.