This position is National Remote. You'll enjoy the flexibility to telecommute* from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges. For all hires in Minneapolis, Virginia, Maryland, or Washington, D.C. area, you will be required to work in the office for a minimum of four (4) days per week.
Optum Insight is improving the flow of health data and information to create a more connected system. We remove friction and drive alignment between care providers and payers, and ultimately consumers. Our deep expertise in the industry and innovative technology empower us to help organizations reduce costs while improving risk management, quality and revenue growth. Ready to help us deliver results that improve lives? Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.
The Senior Buyer - Surgical & Cardiac Services Supply Chain supports John Muir Health's procedural and high-acuity clinical areas by managing the acquisition, replenishment, and supplier coordination of supplies, implants, procedural products, equipment-related purchases, and services essential to surgical, cardiac, perioperative, cath lab, interventional, and related patient-care operations.
The ideal candidate has strong healthcare purchasing experience with demonstrated knowledge of surgical services, cardiac services, procedural supply workflows, vendor coordination, contract compliance, consignment inventory, implant and device coordination, pharmacy-related supply workflows, and asset management in procedural areas.
Key Skills for Success
Successful performance in this role requires:
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, high-volume procedural healthcare environment, including surgical, cardiac, perioperative, cath lab, interventional, and other patient-care support areas
- Exceptional organizational and time management skills with the ability to manage urgent clinical needs, competing requests, backorders, vendor follow-up, and time-sensitive purchasing activity
- Experience supporting surgical and cardiac services supply chain operations, including implants, procedural supplies, specialty products, equipment-related purchases, service agreements, and clinically sensitive products
- Strong data and analytical skills, with the ability to interpret usage, spend, contract, inventory, consignment, and supplier performance data to support sourcing and cost-optimization efforts
- Collaborative mindset with the ability to partner directly with clinical leaders, physicians, procedural departments, finance, value analysis, suppliers, and supply chain stakeholders
This position is full time, Monday - Friday. Employees are required to have flexibility to work any of our shift schedules during our normal business hours of 7:00 am - 4:30 pm PST. It may be necessary, given the business need, to support urgent procedural needs as required.
We offer weeks of on-the-job training. The hours of the training will be based on schedule or will be discussed on your first day of employment.
Primary Responsibilities
- Review, issue, and manage purchase orders in alignment with surgical, cardiac, perioperative, and procedural-area requirements, contract terms, and supplier commitments
- Research, analyze, and resolve invoices, pricing, receiving, and purchase order discrepancies using contract terms, procedural documentation, supplier communications, and stakeholder input
- Support surgical services and cardiac services category activity by identifying utilization gaps, standardization opportunities, alternate sourcing options, product conversions, and cost-savings opportunities
- Coordinate with vendors and clinical teams on implants, procedural supplies, specialty products, consignment inventory, loaner equipment, and time-sensitive case support needs
- Monitor supplier backorders, product availability, service levels, and performance metrics; communicate issues and escalate as needed to protect procedural schedules and continuity of patient care
- Expedite, substitute, or mitigate supply issues in time-sensitive surgical, cardiac, and procedural environments while ensuring appropriate stakeholder communication and documentation
- Process product returns, recalls, credits, consignment adjustments, and related supplier follow-up in accordance with healthcare compliance and documentation standards
- Maintain accurate supplier, item, pricing, contract, consignment, and asset-related data within ERP and supporting systems to support audit readiness, inventory accuracy, and operational visibility
- Utilize reporting and analytics tools to evaluate purchasing activity, supplier performance, procedural-area utilization, consignment activity, and spend trends
- Collaborate with Senior Buyers, clinical leaders, value analysis, finance, and operational stakeholders on new item requests, contract utilization, product conversions, and procedural supply chain improvements
You'll be rewarded and recognized for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear direction on what it takes to succeed in your role as well as provide development for other roles you may be interested in.
Required Qualifications
- High School Diploma / GED
- Must be 18 years of age OR older
- 3+ years of healthcare purchasing, supply chain, inventory, or procedural-area support experience, preferably supporting surgical services, cardiac services, perioperative services, cath lab, interventional services, or related clinical departments
- Experience with resolving invoice, purchase order, pricing, receiving, and supplier discrepancies in a healthcare environment
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including data analysis, reporting, and tracking; working knowledge of Microsoft Word and Microsoft Outlook
- Ability to manage urgent workload, meet deadlines, coordinate with vendors, and maintain accuracy in a fast-paced procedural or clinical environment
- Ability to work any of our full time, shift schedules during our normal business hours of 7:00 am - 4:30 pm PST from Monday - Friday, with flexibility to support urgent procedural needs as required
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with Workday or similar Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems
- Experience with supporting surgical services, cardiac services, perioperative services, cath lab, interventional services, or other procedural departments
- Experience with pharmacy purchasing or pharmacy-related supply workflows, including coordination with clinical or operational pharmacy stakeholders
- Experience with consignment inventory, including implants, vendor-managed inventory, procedural products, reconciliation, documentation, and supplier follow-up
- Experience with asset management in procedural areas, including equipment tracking, loaner assets, specialty devices, service-related purchases, and coordination with clinical owners
- Experience with using data to support supplier evaluations, utilization analysis, standardization opportunities, savings efforts, and purchasing decisions
- Customer service experience with supporting clinical, procedural, or operational stakeholders in a healthcare environment
Telecommuting Requirements
- Ability to keep all company sensitive documents secure (if applicable)
- Required to have a dedicated work area established that is separated from other living areas and provides information privacy
- Must live in a location that can receive a UnitedHealth Group approved high-speed internet connection or leverage an existing high-speed internet service
Soft Skills
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate clearly with clinical leaders, physicians, vendors, finance, and supply chain partners
- Highly organized with strong attention to detail, accuracy, documentation, and follow-through
- Proven time management skills and ability to adapt quickly to changing procedural priorities, urgent supply needs, and competing deadlines
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a matrixed healthcare environment while maintaining professionalism, responsiveness, and service orientation
*All employees working remotely will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group's Telecommuter Policy
Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. In addition to your salary, we offer benefits such as, a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase and 401k contribution (all benefits are subject to eligibility requirements). No matter where or when you begin a career with us, you'll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives. The salary for this role will range from $60,200 - $107,400 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.
Application Deadline: This will be posted for a minimum of 2 business days or until a sufficient candidate pool has been collected. Job posting may come down early due to volume of applicants.
At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone. We believe everyone-of every race, gender, sexuality, age, location, and income-deserves the opportunity to live their healthiest life. Today, however, there are still far too many barriers to good health which are disproportionately experienced by people of color, historically marginalized groups, and those with lower incomes. We are committed to mitigating our impact on the environment and enabling and delivering equitable care that addresses health disparities and improves health outcomes - an enterprise priority reflected in our mission.
UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer under applicable law and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.
UnitedHealth Group is a drug - free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.